SR-417-006 (3)
GS:SES:RD:JAS
Council Meeting: August lOt 1982
Santa Monica, California
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
$2.284 per month to the City. They also wash the stairwells.
Heavy use by transients makes maintenance of the restrooms almost
an endless job.
Broken fixtures that are repaired are broken
again within a few days.
The restrooms serve the transient
population primarily; they are locked at night. Several members
of the business community have suggested that the rest rooms be
permanently
proposal.
closed.
Staff has no recommendations on this
The City presently has a capital improvement program to remove the
masonry walls to open up the stairwells for greater security. We
are in the third year of a four-year program.
In order to improve the security and maintenance levels of the
parking structures. it will be necessary to provide addltional
personnel and to generate funds to pay for these costs. Slnce the
current operatlons show a slight deficit. Following are two
alternatives for improvements in operations and maintenance.
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GS:SES:RD:JAS
Council Meeting: August lOt 1982
Santa Monicat Californla
Alternative No.1:
Moderate Improvement Level
This alternative wl1l maintain the present level of
security and maintenance and provide for a private
company or municlpal parking structure operator with
gates and provisions requiring payment for parking in
excess of 1-1/2 hours. The estimated revenues and
expenditures for this alternative are shown below:
Revenues
Bus. Improvement Assessments
(Ad valorem tax plus
business license
surcharge)
Structure Permits
Parking over 1-1/2 hours
($.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.
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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).
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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