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SR-417-006 (3) GS:SES:RD:JAS Council Meeting: August lOt 1982 Santa Monica, California II -1+ t/ I ?- -- 006 AUG 1 0 1982 TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: City Staff SUBJECT: Santa Monica Mall/Parking Structures Improvements Introduction ThlS report provldes informatlon and makes recommendations regarding improvements to the alleys on either side of the Santa Monica Mall, recommendations regarding security, operations and maintenance of the six parking structures Wh1Ch serve the mall t and makes recommendations regarding signs and identification for the parking structures. In addition it 15 recommended that the facade of each structure be removed to allow more natural light into each structure. Background The staff has received requests from the Chamber of Commerce to make several lmprovements which w1ll help to improve the appearance, security and appeal of the Santa Monica Mall. These include lmprovements to the alleys to make them more attractive, changes in operations of the six parking structures to improve securi ty and maintenance, and improvements in signing and ldentification both outside and within the structures. Alley Improvements Many of the mall merchants are concerned about the security and appearance of the alleys on either side of the mall since they are used as a primary access from the parking structures to the rear entrances of many of the stores on the mall. 1 II-fJ AUa 1 0 1982 GS:SES:RD:JAS Council Meeting: August 10, 1982 Santa r~onica, Cal ifornia Enclosures for Refuse Containers One of the primary concerns is the appearance of the refuse containers. Most of the containers are not enclosed and in many cases the refuse overflows and is scattered in the alleys behind the stores. A number of mall merchants have requested (see attached letter) that the City pass an ordlnance requiring enclosure of refuse containers in the alleys. Such enclosures are currently required for all new construction and this would extend the requirement for existing buildings which are adjacent to Mall Court East and Mall Court West from Colorado to Wilshire. The required enclosure would be constructed of masonry walls similar in material to the adjacent buildings. The cost to each property owner will be from $500 to $1000 depending on materials, size and location. In cases where there is no practical on-site location for a refuse enclosure and where the owners choose not to use a common enclosure, it is proposed that the owner be required to pay a monthly fee to offset construction costs and land rental of an enclosed facility elsewhere. This will enable the City to construct enclosures in the parking structures for those customers where on-site facilities are not feasible. 2 GS:SES:RD:JAS Council Meeting: August 10, 1982 Santa Monica, California Alley Traffic Mall Court East from Santa Monica Boulevard to Arlzona currently is one-way north bound although each of the two adjacent alleys are southbound. This block will be changed to be consistent with the adjacent blocks when Arizona is changed to two-way trafflc. (This will be completed within about six weeks when the signal at Ocean/Arizona is modified.) Alley Lightlng Another concern with regard to the two alleys is the lack of lighting. The staff met with representatives of the merchants and the Chamber of Commerce and discussed a number of alternatives. The alternative which is most feasible and which has been requested is to require the building owners to install a light on the rear of their buil dings. The lights will be specified to be uniform in appearance. The llght that has been chosen is a low energy, surface- mounted fixture which will cost approximately $100 each plus installation. Parking Structures There has been for a number of years a perceived lack of security in the six parking structures. This is caused in part by the design of the structures in that they have a center shear wall which prevents observation throughout each floor of the structure (the two new structures at Santa Monica Place were designed without any interior shear walls). There are presently four 3 GS:SES:RO:JAS Council Meeting: August 10, 1982 Santa Monica, California structure guards employed by the Police Department who patrol the six structures plus the mall. They are employed eight hours a day, five days a week with overlapping shifts. They spend approxlmately one-half of their time in the structures and in the opinion of many of the users of the structures and the staff this amount of security is inadequate for the level of service desired. Restroom maintenance has been done by contract for a number of years. The contractor provides twice dally service at a cost of $2.284 per month to the City. They also wash the stairwells. Heavy use by transients makes maintenance of the restrooms almost an endless job. Broken fixtures that are repaired are broken again within a few days. The restrooms serve the transient population primarily; they are locked at night. Several members of the business community have suggested that the rest rooms be permanently proposal. closed. Staff has no recommendations on this The City presently has a capital improvement program to remove the masonry walls to open up the stairwells for greater security. We are in the third year of a four-year program. In order to improve the security and maintenance levels of the parking structures. it will be necessary to provide addltional personnel and to generate funds to pay for these costs. Slnce the current operatlons show a slight deficit. Following are two alternatives for improvements in operations and maintenance. 4 GS:SES:RD:JAS Council Meeting: August lOt 1982 Santa Monicat Californla Alternative No.1: Moderate Improvement Level This alternative wl1l maintain the present level of security and maintenance and provide for a private company or municlpal parking structure operator with gates and provisions requiring payment for parking in excess of 1-1/2 hours. The estimated revenues and expenditures for this alternative are shown below: Revenues Bus. Improvement Assessments (Ad valorem tax plus business license surcharge) Structure Permits Parking over 1-1/2 hours ($.50/half hour with $3.50 max) Total Expenditures Lease Payments to Parking Authori ty (to retire bonds) Insurance (earthquake and fire) Mall & Structure Maintenance (sweeping, cleaning and gardner) Restroom Maintenance Elevator Maintenance Electricity (lightlng) Landscapet Telephone and Supplies Operator Costs Security Costs Capi tal Costs Total Existing $615tOOO 161t783 -0- $776t783 396t860 33t254 140tOOO 27t408 68t424 43,200 2,400 -0- 95,000 50tOOG Proposed $615,000 170,000 174,520* $959t520 396,860 33,254 140,000 27,408 68,424 43,200 10,680 102,240** 95,000 74,000*** $856t546 $991,066 Oeficit ($ 79t763) ($ 31,546) * From estimates given by two private companies. ** Includes cashier, salaries and benefits. ***Includes costs of cashier booths and gates amortized over flve years. 5 GS:SES:RD:JAS Council Meeting: August 10, 1982 Santa Monica, California This alternative requires a reduction in the number of free hours for shopper parking from 3 to 1-1/2 hours. There is a difference of opinion among the mall merchants as to the advlsability of the reduction in the number of free shopper hours. The opinions vary among the store owners depending on what type of merchandise they sell and the necessity of maintalning the same number of free hours as Santa Monica Place (three hours). The only legal requirement of the City and the Parking Authority is to provide one hour of free parking. A parking duration survey was done in 1981 and it was found that most shoppers stayed only 1-1/2 hours in the parking structures. The average shopper in Santa Monica Place stayed more than 3 hours. It is the opinion of staff that 1-1/2 hours of free parking provided is adequate for the majority of the shoppers and it will enable the operators to reduce the number of all-day employees illegally parking in 3-hour zones. If additional security personnel were hired for the mall and other portions of the business district (as has been discussed by several CSD merchants) the existing security personnel may be concentrated within the structure and this will provide approximately twice as much security as now exists (since the existing security personnel now spend only one-half thelr time in the structures). 6 GS:SES:RD:JAS Council Meeting: August 10, 1982 Santa Monica, Californla Alternative No.2: Higher Level of Security, Operations and Maintenance This alternative provides one security person at all times (10 hours a day) in each of the structures 6 days a week). This would require approxlmately nine guards as compared to the four presently employed. Levels of maintenance of the restrooms and sweeping will also be improved. The estimated revenues and expenditures are shown below: Revenues Bus. Improvement Assessments (Ad valorem tax plus business license surcharge) Structure Permits Parking Over 1-1/2 Hours ($.50/half hour with $3.50 maximum) Total Expenditures Lease Payments to Parking Authori ty (to retire bonds) Insurance (earthquake and flre) Mall & Structure Maintenance (sweeping, cleaning and gardner) Restroom Maintenance Elevator Maintenance Electricity (lighting) Landscape, Telephone and Supplies Operator Costs Securi ty Costs Capi tal Costs Total Deficit Existing Proposed $615,000 161,783 $ 615,000 170,000 -0- 174,520* $//6,/8"J S 959,520 $396,860 $ 396,860 33,254 33,254 140,000 27,408 68,424 43,200 145,000 39,500 68,424 43,200 10,680 102,240** 300,825 74,000*** 2,400 -0- 95,000 50,000 $856,546 $1,213,983 ($ 79,763) ($ 254,463) * From estimates given by two private companies. ** Includes cashier, salaries and beneflts. ***Includes costs of cashier booths and gates amortized over five years. 7 GS:SES:RD:JAS Council Meeting: August 10, 1982 Santa Monica, Callfornia The deficit can be financed in a number of ways. One method that has been discussed by the staff with the mall merchants at a recent Chamber of Commerce Committee meeting is assessments. As previously stated, the mall merchants are currently discusslng assessments for additional security on the mall and if the assessments were increased it could pay for the deficit shown above. If $254,463 were to be assessed, the assessment would be $O.18/square foot of land. For each 50-foot lot in the existing district, the cost would be approximately 51300 per year for Alternative No.2. Signs & Identification Staff has a consultant working on improvlng the graphics for the six parking structures. The consultant will be providing a preliminary schedule to improve all signs and identification information for the structures during the week of July 26. One of the IIThree Hour Free Parking" signs obscured by the street trees (which has been a source of complaint) by the mall merchants will be moved to a lower level so that the street trees will obscure it less. Facade Several members of the C,ty Council and the business community have suggested that the structures would be "lighter" for users and more attractive if the 1960ls style aluminum facades were 8 , ' GS:SES:RD:JAS Council Meeting: August la, 1982 Santa Monica, California removed. The staff can do this work and recommends it. The staff measured the il1um1nation 1n Structure 4 which was enlarged two years ago. On the 6th floor where the facade exists there are 330 foot-candles. On the 7th floor where there is no facade the reading is 500 foot-candles. The only disadvantage is that there will be direct sunlight on the cars on the west side of the structures on 2nd Street. The aluminum facade is presently damaged 1n several places. The cost to remove the facade will be approximately S10,OOO and can be accomplished using funds currently budgeted. Summary The staff believes that the two mall alleys should be improved by requiring by Ordinance all refuse containers to be enclosed and uniform lighting to be installed at the rear of each building. The parking structures should be improved by increasing security and maintenance. This will require a subsidy since revenues from the monthly permits plus revenue for all shoppers staying in excess of 1-1/2 hours will not equal increased expenses. The change in the number of free hours has not been unconditionally agreed to by the Chamber/Mall merchants. An analysis of the revenues and expenditures associated with changing operations to use either pr1vate or City employees to issue tickets and charge for all park1ng in excess of 1-1/2 hours indicates only a small net increase in revenue (approximately $48,000 per year for the six structures). The presence of a cashier in each structure will be a factor in improving the percefved feeling of security. 9 . . . GS:SES:RD:JAS Council Meeting: August 10~ 1982 Santa Monica~ California Action on this item should be deferred until there is consensus on this change. The design for the improvements in signs and identification is nearing completion and will be implemented within the next six months. Recommendations It is recommended that the City Council: 1. Instruct the City Attorney to prepare an Ordinance requiring refuse containers to be enclosed and requiring all-night lighting to be installed by the property owner on the rear of each building in accordance wlth standards on file in the office of the Director of General Services. 2. Direct staff to remove the facades from each of the six parklng structures and explore alternatives for facades. 3. Continue dialogue with merchants regarding changes in operations of the six parking structures as described and try to secure agreement regarding the reduction in hours of free parking and the charges for parking~ as well as methods to make up any deficit in operations costs and return to Council withln three months with a report. 4. Instruct staff to proceed with the improvements in signing and identification of the six structures. 10 . . GS:SES:RD:JAS Council Meeting: August 10, 1982 Santa Monica, California 5. Instruct staff to change direction of traffic in Mall Court East from Santa Monica Boulevard to Arizona when Arizona Avenue traffic is changed to two-way traff,c. Prepared by: Stan Scholl Attachments: Letter from Chamber of Commerce dated July 20, 1982 11 . ,..., /' . . - - / n~.- I -,~ 7,y - t /'{, - ~ 01- "-' ~ -~ .... - -l' ....' ll) July 20, 1982 Mr. Stan Sel-all General Services Adm~nistratian City Hall 1685 Main Street Santa Monica, Calif. 90401 Dear Stan. The Mall Improvement Ad Hoc Comm1ttee has asked me to extend their support of the alley lighting and uniform refuse containers. as we dLscussed. They are requesting that these issues be oandated by City ordinances, at each merchant's expense, and monitored by the C1ty. Per our dlscussioo. we are supporting the installation of SOdlU~ vapor suface mounted lights for the alley. We 4nderstand that the cost is approxi~ately $100.00 plus installation to each merchant. and that the Clty 15 able to assist the Nerchants in the bulk purchasing and ln3tal13tlon at the merchant's expense, should we desire it. In an effo~t to inprove the appearance of the alleys, we are also requesting an ordlpance which wl1l require all property owners to congtruct an enclosure for refuse containers. For aesthet1c re3sons we ask that these enclosures be unlforN in appearance, of substantial construction, and sl~ilar to the appearance of the speclfic buildings. We appreciate the time and aSslstance you have glven us in these matters. Though these are s~all steps, they are a beglnn~ng to making the Downtown Mall an economically successful area once again. Sincerely, ~ -~... ~~~~'S~ Geri Jean Wilson Downtown/Mall Adminlstrator GJW:hs cc: John Alschuler Mark ligan Joe Miko Jerry Jackson ~ \r i Pt ,1Tt:.O