SR-9-A (64)
SF JM/HR/c-\ WPMAC\Mam Street 11/7/95
Council Meetmg November 7, 1995
9A .~
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Mayor and CIty CouncIl
Santa Monica, CalifornIa
NOV 0 7 1995
NOV 1 4 1995
City Staff
Recommendation to approve in concept the Mam Street Streetscape Improvement
Plan and fmancmg approach for capItal unprovements and the estabhshment of a new
Parkmg and Busmess Improvement Area
INTRODUCTION
This staff report recommends that the CIty Counell approve, m concept, the following 1) the Mam Street
Streetscape Improvement Plan; 2) the capItal fmancmg approach for the proposed streetscape
improvements; 3) the creation of a new Mam Street Streetscape Improvement Assessment Dlstnct; and 4)
changes to the Main Street Parkmg and Busmess Improvement Area. 11us Staff report further
recommends that CIty Councll dIrect Staff to prepare two separate Resoluuons of IntenUon, together WIth
all necessary documentatIon and public notIces, for the estabhshment of a MaIn Street Streetscape
Improvement Assessment DIStrict and a new Mam Street Parking and Busmess Improvement Area to
replace the current Parkmg and Busmess Improvement Area
BACKGROUND
In 1991, the City CouncIl adopted the Mall Street Master Plan which calls for the creaUon of a pedestrIan
onented. vIllage-lIke atmosphere for the MaIn Street DIStrIct wluch extends south from PICO Boulevard to
the CIty lumts south of Manne Street. The Plan proposed the estabhshment of gmdehnes to desIgn and
Implement a senes of streetscape improvements to address issues such as, pedestrIan traffic and
orientation. sidewalk and street WIdth, trash enclosures, street furnIture, hghtmg, landscapIng and
sIgnage. Shortly thereafter a Steenng CommIttee was formed to spearhead thIS effort WIth City staff
asSIstance. The CommIttee IS compnsed of five neIghborhood reSIdents and five Mam Street property
owners and merchants.
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9A J
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In the fall of 1992, the CIty Implemented a restnpmg plan for Mam Street wlnch reduced the number of
through-traffic lanes from two to one m each dlfectIOn, added a bIcycle lane m each dlrectron and retamed
two-way left turn lanes at each mtersectIon The restnpmg plan was mtended to meet the Mam Street
Plan's recommendatIon to slow traffic on Mam Street and to Improve bIcycle access while streetscape
plans were bemg developed. The restripmg plan was analyzed after a SIX month tnal penod to determme
the effectIveness and impacts of the new lane configuration. CIty staff determmed that the restnpmg
slowed traffic on MaIn Street and reduced daily through-traffic by approxunately 12% DaIly vehIcle
traffic mcreased approxImately 10% on both Fourth Street and NeIlson Way dunng thIS period,
however, the new Fourth Street on-ramp at the 1-10 opened at the same tune as the restnpmg makIng It
impossIble to determine the extent of the mcrease due to the restnpmg alone.
Over the past four years, the DeSIgn ReVIew Steenng CommIttee has met on a regular basIS to consIder a
vanety of streetscape lIDprovements. The CIty has provided staff support to the Committee and has hIred
design and fmancml consultants to assIst the CommIttee. The CommIttee sponsored an extenSIve senes
of publIc outreach efforts mvolvmg deSIgn charettes and presentatIons specIfically targeted to reSIdents,
merchants and property owners A lIst of slgmficant publIc meetIngs and presentatIons IS attached
(Attachment "A") In March, 1995, the CIty hIred Aleles Istanbullu John KalIskI Architects and CIty
Design (AUK) to refme the prelImmary plans prepared by earher consultants mto a more comprehensIve
set of conceptual plans on a block-by-block basIS (Attachment "B").
The proposed plan mcludes the followmg major features'
MedIan: A landscaped medIan WIth flowenng trees to phYSIcally umfy the street
and at the same time preserve left hand turns to all cross streets and all
publIcly-owned parkIng lots
LIghtmg New wmng and SIdewalk lIghtmg usmg the same htstoric street pole
desIgn which IS currently III use on Broadway Mamtenance and enhancement of
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eXlstmg cobra-head lights at intersecuons to enhance hghung levels.
Trees. Inftll sidewalk trees, lITlgauon of all tree wells, planung of palms at cross
streets.
Entrv features: SpecIal entry features demarcatmg major entrances to the Dlstnct at
PICO Boulevard, Ocean Park Boulevard and Manne Street.
Bus Stop: Enhancement of bus stops With SpeCial pavmg and mformation light
box and/or shelter, trash receptacles
PavIng: Special pavmg treannent at major entrances to the Dlsmct and crosswalks.
tree wells and bus stops.
Pubhc Art: A pubhc art program will be mcluded as part of the final deSign of the
project.
In addttIon, the nnprovement plan calls for Hollister Ave between NeIlson and Mam Street to be
reconflgured from one-way eastbound to two-way to Improve access to CIty Parkmg Lot #11.
DISCUSSION
Results of Recent Pubhc Meeunes
In addttIon to the several commumty presentatIons made over the past several years, the plan was again
presented by the Design Committee and City staff to the Maln Street merchants on September 13. 1995
and to the Main Street property owners on September 21,1995 The Main Street merchants were
generally supportive of the proposed plan. while too few owners attended the September 21 meeung to
relIably gauge owner opmlOn PreVIOUS meetmgs of owners. however, have mdlcated a generally
supportIve attitude.
At the Merchants meetings, several merchants questioned whether the trees planted m the medtan mIght
cause vlSlblhty problems for the strorefronts and whether the medIan Inhibited the movement of VISItors
from one SIde of the street to the other. CIty staff responded that one of the planrung goals set forth by
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the DesIgn CommIttee IS to umfy the enure DIStnct and that the medIan serves this functIOn well.
Through careful tree selecuon and mamtenance standards, the VISlblhty of the storefronts from one sIde
of the street to the other should be mamtaIned Merchants also raised the Issue of the lack of adequate
parking for VISItors and customers, particularly dunng the summer weekends when beach-goers occupy
many of the avaIlable parking spaces m the DlstnCt. In response, City staff recommended that thIS
streetscape improvement process move forward m advance of any future parkmg study, and that a study
could be undertaken If the CIty CounCIl dIrected staff to pursue it
At least four presentations over the past two years have been made at Board meetmgs and Annual
meetmgs of the Ocean Park Commumty Orgamzauon (OpeD). All were conSIstently receIved WIth
support and enthusiasm
DIrect mml bulletms were sent to all property owners and merchants m the Mam Street dtstnct notIfymg
them of the scheduled November 7, 1995 publIc heanng before the CIty Council regardmg the proposed
streetscape 11llprovement plans and Assessment Dlstnct
CaOltal Fmancine: Aooroach
The Mam Street Streetscape Improvement Project IS eSl1mated to cost $4,800,000, which mc1udes
construction costs, deSIgn fees, supervision and overhead, contractor profit, contmgencles and future
bond Issuance costs. To finance the construction phase, staff proposes to initIally apply the entire V.S
EconomiC Development Admmlstral10n (EDA) Implementation Grant of $3,118,900 to the Mam Street
project, with the remammg $1,681,100 to be funded by a construction loan from other City funds
(whIch may mclude a cornbmatlon of General Fund momes and CDBG funds).
Upon completion of the construction phase, 80% of the total project cost ($3.84 rndhon) wIll be
refinanced through the Issuance of Assessment Bonds, Certificates of PartlClpatlOn, or snnilar debt
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instruments. and the Cay construcUon loan Wlll be repaid from debt mstrument proceeds. The remammg
20% of total project cost ($960,OCIO) wIll be considered a grant award to the Main Street project,
consistent Wlth City CouncIl's establIshment of the CommercIal Streetscape Fmancmg Program (CSFP)
on August 8. 1995. As a result of thIS refmancmg, approxImately $2 I millIon in EDA monies will be
aVaIlable for re-mvesUllent m other commercIal streetscape improvement projects, per the terms of the
City's CSFP By using the entIre EDA ImplementatlOn Grant as short-term constructlon financmg for
Mam Street then refinancmg a large portIOn of the Grant through the Issuance of some debt mstrument,
the Clty WIll be able to draw down EDA funds WIthin the requITed time frame of the Grant and recycle
the funds to help other commercIal dIstncts whIch are not yet ready WIth approved deSIgn plans.
Staff and outside finanCIal consultants have analyzed the annual assessments likely to be reqUIred to pay
the annual debt service on the permanent financmg for this project In addmon, staff, consultants and the
Mam Street DesIgn GuidelInes Steering CommIttee have prepared a recommended fee structure for the
payment of the annual assessments Based on data supplIed by the County Assessor. staff is currently
estimatmg the annual assessment to be leVIed agamst MaIn Street property owners as approxnnately $.75
per square foot per year for ground floor commerCIal space, WIth rates at half that level for upper floor
commercIal space, and apprmumately $.08 per square foot per year for vacant lots and surface parkmg
lots.
These prelIminary assumpuons are subject to adjustment once constructlon plans have been finalIzed,
bIds obtamed and mdtvIdual property owners have had an opponumty to reVIew the County Assessor's
data for accuracy. These prelIminary figures have been receIved favorably by merchants and property
owners at publIc meetIngs.
Parkmg and Business Improvement Area
In addItion to the capItal Improvement project, both staff and the DeSIgn CommIttee are recommendmg
the establIshment of a new Parkmg and Busmess Improvement Area (PBIA) to proVIde on-gomg
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maintenance for the Improvements. It IS unportant that one-time capItal expendnures be matched wnh
on-going fundmg for up-keep of the new improvements as well as for marketing and promotion of the
Mam Street Distnct. In addItlon to provIdmg enhanced levels of mamtenance for the new streetscape
rmprovements, the PBIA could fund marketing and promotion actIVItIes for the Mam Street DIStrIct,
sponsor speCIal events, and perform other functIons authonzed under the CIty's enabhng Ordmance
Except for the maIntenance actlvIUes, these tasks are SImIlar to those currently earned out by the eXlstIng
Mam Street Parkmg and Busmess Improvement Area. The eXIStIng PBIA, winch was establ1shed
pursuant to State law, would be replaced with a new PBlA formed pursuant to Ordinance 1606 wlnch
authonzes the estabhshment ofPBIA's.
The PBIA would be funded by an assessment on merchants wItbm the project area. The new PBIA
would be fmancIally admIllistered through a CIty contract WIth the Chamber of Commerce, contInumg
the current relauonshIp under the eXIstIng PBIA. An elected Board of Mam Street merchants would
estabhsh an annual expendIture budget and would be responsIble for unplementIng PBIA actiVlties, m
conformance WIth performance reqmrernents to be set forth ill a ServIce Agreement between the CIty and
the Chamber. A proposed budget for the new PBIA IS not yet [maltzed, however, lmtlal estlmates
indIcate that the program could be adequately funded by an annual fee m an amount equal to 50% of the
current Business LIcense Tax
BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
In the event that CIty Councll adopts the recommendauons m thIS Staff Report. outsIde consultants WIll
be retained to assist m the preparauon of necessary documents related to the estabhshment of the
proposed Mam Street Streetscape Improvement Project and the Marn Street Parkmg and Busmess
Improvement Area. EXIStIng budget authority wIthm the Resource Management Department 15 suffiCIent
to accompl1sh these tasks. No addItIonal budget authonty IS requested at thIS tIme. Staff will return to
CouncIl for confirmatIon of the fundmg source(s) for the $1,681.900 to complete the constructIOn phase.
and for the Issuance of some debt mstrument for final financmg of the proJect.
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RECOMMENDA TION
It IS recommended that the CIty Councll'
1. Approve, in concept, the plans for the Mam Street Streetscape Improvement Project, and,
2. Approve. m concept. the capItal fmancmg approach for the capItal nnprovements, and,
3. Approve, in concept, the plan for the estabhshment of a new Main Street Improvement
Assessment Dlstnct and a new Mam Street Parkmg and Busmess Improvement Area, and,
4. DIrect Staff to prepare a Resolution of Intentlon to estabhsh a Main Street Streetscape
Improvement Assessment DlstnCt, together with all necessary documents and publIc notices
reqUIred for such a Resoluuon, and,
5. DIrect Staff to prepare a Resolutlon of Intenuon to Estabhsh a New Mam Street Parking and
Busmess Improvement Area, whIch shall replace the eXIsting Main Street Parking and
Busmess Improvement Area.
Prepared by.
Suzanne Fnck, DIrector of Planmng and Commumty Development
Jeff MathIeu, DIrector of Resource Management
MIke Denrus, DIrector of Fmance
Karen Gmsberg, Plannmg Manager
Howard Robmson, Real Estate!Economlc Development Manager
Paul Foley, Associate Planner
Attachment "A": LIst of Pubhc Meetrngs and Presentations
Attachment "B": Mam Street Streetscape Improvement Plan
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ATTACHMENT A
_ .,.r .
ATTACHMENT A
MAIN STREET STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENT PLAN
COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND PRESENTATIONS
COMMUNITY MEETING
Apol 3, 1993
COMMUNITY DESIGN CHARETTE
May 22-23, 1993
OPCO MEMBERSHIP MEETING
November 20, 1993
MAIN ST.lOCEAN PARK BLVD. DESIGN WORKSHOP
December 14, 1993
OPCO ANNUAL CONGRESS
Apol 20, 1994
PRESENTATION TO MAIN ST MERCHANTS
May 18, 1994
PRESENTATION TO MAIN ST PROPERTY OWNERS
July 26, 1994
COMMUNITY MEETING AND PRESENT A TION
January 7, 1995
PRESENTATION TO MAIN ST MERCHANTS
September 13, 1995
PRESENTATION TO MAIN ST. PROPERTY OWNERS
September 21, 1995
ATTACHMENT B
SF/JM/HRlC.\WPMAOMam Street 11/14195
Council Meetmg. November 14,1995
5t.t 1'P&a MCth
f1A
Santa Mf6'1f' f~_
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Mayor and City Council
City Staff
Supplemental Staff Report Regarding Mam Street Streetscape Improvement
Plan
INTRODUCTION
ThIs Staff Report IS supplemental to the November 7, 1995 Staff Report regardmg the Mam Street
Streetscape Improvement Plan. ThIS repon has been prepared In accordance wIth Cuy CouncIl d1fecuon
to staff at the November 7, 1995 City Council meeung.
DISCUSSION
Staff IS requestmg CIty CouncIl reVIew of the conceptual plans for Mam Street. Staffs
recommendatlons do not mclude the formal adoptIon of a new assessment dismct at thIS tIme, but rather,
authonty to prepare necessary documentatlon pertammg to such a dIStrICt. Staff beheves It IS prudent to
seek CIty Council dIreCtIOn on tills Issue before mvestmg sIgmficant1y more ume and money on the
preparatlon of draft resolutIOns and supporrmg documentatIon as reqmred under eXIStlng City
ordmances At Its November 7, 1995 meetmg, CIty CounCIl asked staff to dISCUSS several tOpICS In
greater dewl These tOpICS are as follows:
CEOA ReaUlrements
The Mam Street Streetscape Improvement Plan calls for the rehabilitaUon and enhancement of the
streetscape envIronment and mvolves no major alteratIon to the roadway, SIdewalks, or mfrastructure.
The Streetscape Improvement plan IS therefore, categoncally exempt from the prOVISIOns of CEQA m
accordance WIth the State's CEQA GUIdelInes as follows:
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~uPPL.eMestJr
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MOV 1'1 ms
,"
ArtJ.cle 19. Caregoncal Exempuons
Secuon 15301. "Class I consIsts of the operanon, repair, mamtenance or mIllor alteratIon of
existIng publIc or pnvate structures, facilitles. mechanIcal eqUIpment, or topograptncal
features. mvolving negligIble or no expansIOn of use beyond that prevIOusly eXIStIng,
mc1udmg but not limIted to:
(c) EXIstmg hIghways and streets, sIdewalks. gutters, bIcycle and pedesrnan [nu1s, and SImIlar
fac1l1tIes except where the aCtlVIty w1l1 mvolve removal of a scemc resource mcluding but not
InDIted to a stand of trees, a rock outcroppmg or an hIstone buIldmg."
Traffic Cuculanon
The eXIStlng roadway configuratIon on Mam Street WIll not be changed by the streetscape unprovement
plan. The medIan will be located wItlu.n eXIstmg stnped areas whIch IS now a two-way turn lane There
will be breaks in the median to allow rum movements at mtersectIons and major parkmg lots. For these
reasons, staff feels that the landscaped medIan wIll not have sIgmficant Impacts on traffic clfculatlOn
LandSCll~ Medran
The medIan IS mtended to umfy the street whtch IS charactenzed by a commerCially mtensIve secuon
south of Ocean Park Blvd and a resldenua1foffice onented sectIon nonh of Ocean Park Blvd The
medIan IS also [he fearure whIch prOVIdes a bnk to the CIVIC Center area. The proposed landscapmg for
the median mcludes a combmauon of palm trees and lacy, tlowenng trees wluch are mtended to enhance
the aesthetics of the d.1stnct while allowing for VISual access across the street The Mam Street DeSIgn
Committe feels that the median IS an unportant element of the plan for t he above reasons.
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NotIficatIon to Affected Partty~
Since 1993. staff has sponsored an on-gomg senes of public meetings. presentatlons and workshops
deSIgned to el1clt mput from property owners. merchants and neIghborhood reSIdents regardlllg the Mam
Street area generally. and the streetscape plan and Its fmancial implicauons speCIfically. These meetIngs
were detaIled as Attachment "A" to the November 7. 1995 staff report on thIS tOplC. The public meetIngs
were notIced by a vanety of methods mcludmg door-to-door t1yer nouficauons to over 7000
neIghborhood reSIdents and store-tO~store hand-delIvery to merchants.
All property owners were mailed nouficauons of both the September 21, 1995 Owners' MeetIng and the
November 7, 1995 CIty CouncIl presental10n of the Streerscape Plan All merchants were ffi31led
nonficatlOns of both the September 13. 1995 Merchants' MeetIng and the November 7. 1995 City
Council meeung These nOUces clearly stared that the proposed streetscape unprovements would be
funded through the estabhshment of an assessment dIstnct. At all publIc meeungs smce December.
1994, staff has made presentatIons on projected costs m the range of $.06 to $.10 per square foot per
month ($ 72 to $1.20 per year). Current esumates are for an assessment of approXlmately $.06 per
month, or approXlmately $.75 per square foot per year.
A second recommended fee to suppon on-gomg mamtenance, markeung and promouon IS contemplated
as a levy on Mam Street merchants IS currently antICIpated at an amount equal to 50% of the merchant's
Busmess License Ta.x. PresentatIons on thlS fee have been made at two merchants General Meeungs. at
several Merchant ASSOCIatIOn Board meeungs, and were also presented at the September 21, 1995
Owner's MeetIng. In additIon to these public presentauons, the Design Review CommIttee, the Main
Street Property Owners ASSOCIatIOn and the Mam Street Merchants ASSOCIatIon have asSIsted staff m
dissemmatmg mformatlOn regardmg the proposed fees through on-gomg dISCUSSIons WIth mdIvIdual
members of theIr constItuency groups.
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StatI plans to maIl officIal nOUfIcatIons of the proposed fees to all affected owners and merchants
subsequent to Cny Counct! approval of the conceptual plan and authonzatIon to proceed WIth assessment
dlstnCt formatIon proceedings. Both State law and CIty ordinances reqUIre detailed notIficatIon to all
affected partIes pnor to the establIShment of a new assessment distnct. The assessment dIstnct formatIOn
proceedings, currently antIcIpated for a January, 1996 City CouncIl presentatIOn, will include a
Resoluuon of Intenuon to establish a Mam Street Streetscape Improvement Assessment DIstnct,
supported WIth all necessary documentS and public nouces reqUIred for such a ResolutIon.
CostlBenefit AnalvSIS
Counell members have asked for some eVidence that the fundIng mvested ill the proposed streetscape
unprovement plan WIll have the Intended effect of improvmg the economIc clImate of the MIDn Street
area A formal costlbenefit analysIS was not completed for thIS project. whIch IS seen pnmanly as a
street beauuficatIon plan. One of the major goals of the plan IS to beautify the street and create a
pedestnan-onemed. VIllage-lIke atmosphere, III conformance WIth the gmdelmes establIshed In the Mam
Street Master Plan adopted by the CIty CouncIl ill 1991. A second goal, and one which IS expected to be
a natural outgrowth of the first, is to strengthen the economic vttalIty of the dlStnct.
In developIng the conceptual Streetscape Plan. staff turned to several sources of expertIse. First, staff
mvolved eXlsting MaIn Street propeny owners and merchants. who know theIr bus10esses and
customers best, to mform the deSign process WIth elements they felt would be successful 10 attracung
shoppers and VISitors to the area. Second, urban deSIgn consultants WIth expenence In commerCIal
streetscape Improvement projects were retamed to work With staff and the owners. merchants and
resIdents on the DeSIgn ReVIew Steenng CommIttee m developmg a plan WhICh fit Within acceptable cost
parameters and could reasonably be expected to delIver the mtended economlC benefits. Thud,
partICipants ill the process studied successful urban reVltalizatlon models. from our own Bayslde DlStnCt,
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to Pasadena's Old Town. to find appltcable models. Staff IS further encouraged by the fact that the Mam
Street plan IS not mtended to radIcally change a failing. blIghted commercial stnp. but IS designed to
build upon and emphasIze the eXlstmg chann and umque character of the Mam Street disUlct. TIus plan
seeks to poslUon Mmn Street to take fun advantage of an lmprovmg Southern Cahfomla economy and
local mfrastructure projects mc1udmg the CiVIC Center. the Pier, other beach area Improvements bemg
pursued by the Cay and a possIble PICO Boulevard improvement plan
Future ActIOns
Staff hopes to return to CIty CouncIl m January. 1996 WIth the ImtIal reports and resoluuons reqmred for
the estabhshment of an assessment distTIct At that ume, mdlvldual parcel assessments wIll be more fully
refmed. At least two more pubhc meetIngs would be requrred before the assessment dlStnct formauon IS
fully approved. Staff would be workmg With the commumty dunng thIS penod to finalize streetscape
deSIgn plans and Busmess Improvement Area plans. and would hope to be ready With final plans by late
Summer, 1996 Upon CouncIl approval. the plans would be put out to bid. With construCUon begmnmg
that Fall, and takmg mne to twelve months to complete The final project could hopefully be completed
by Fall, 1997.
Concurrently a study of the current parking condiuons ill the Mam street area will be conducted. A
supply/demand study would be completed. mcludmg current base-Ime data. analYSIS of peak hour
demand, sub-area condmons. addlUonal parlang SIte Inventory and IdentificatIOn of pOSSIble parlang
opUons
RECOMMENDA nON
As stated m the November 7. 1995 staff report, It IS recommended that the City CouncIl.
1. Approve. In concept, the plans for the Main Street Streetscape Improvement ProJect, and;
2 Approve, ill concept, the capItal fmancmg approach for the capItal improvements, and,
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3. Approve, In concept. the plan for the estabhshment of a new Mam Street Improvement
Assessment Dlstnct and a new Maln Street Parking and BusIness Improvement Area, and;
4. Drrect Staff to prepare a ResolutIon of Intenuon to establish a Mam Street StreelSCape
Improvement Assessment DIstnCt, together with all necessary documents and public notIces
reqUIred for such a Resolunon, and;
5. Drrect Staff to prepare a Resolution of Intenuon to Establish a New Mam Street Parkmg and
Busmess Improvement Area. wruch shall replace the eXlsnng MaIn Street Parking and
Busmess Improvement Area.
In addItion to these recommendatJ.ons. staff further recommends that City CounCIl direct staff to prepare a
study of parlang condmons In the Mam Street dIStrict
Prepared by.
Suzanne Fnck, DIrector of Plannmg and Community Development
Jeff MathIeu, Director of Resource Management
Howard Robmson, Real EstatelEconoffilc Development Manager
Karen Gmsberg, Plamung Manager
Paul Foley, ASSOCIate Planner
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