SR-031108-3C~~~
City Council Report
City of
Santa Monica
City Council Meeting: March 11, 2008
Agenda Item:
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Craig Perkins, Director -Environmental and Public Works Management
Subject: Concept Design for the 20th Street and Cloverfield Boulevard Street
Improvements Project
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council provide direction on the concept design for the
20th Street and Cloverfield Boulevard Street Improvements Project.
Executive Summary
On December 11, 2007, staff presented a concept design for the 20th Street and
Cloverfield Boulevard Street Improvements Project. City Council requested staff to
return to another City Council meeting and present additional information on the
proposed concept design. This report presents an overview of the proposed concept
design elements and discusses issues previously raised by City Council during the
concept design presentation.
The 20th Street and Cloverfield Boulevard Street Improvements Project is intended to
provide various streetscape enhancements on 20th Street and Cloverfield Boulevard,
between the Santa Monica Freeway and Pico Boulevard. Following several community
meetings, the attached concept design has been developed to address safety, traffic
and aesthetic improvements on these major arterials. The concept design includes
planting of new trees and parkway landscaping, installation of pedestrian lighting,
installation of colored concrete sidewalk sections, curb extensions on Cloverfield
Boulevard, traffic signal modifications and streetlight circuit upgrades. Following
Council direction, a community meeting with all stakeholders will be scheduled. Staff
anticipates returning to Council for design approval in early summer.
Discussion
On April 25, 2006, City Council approved a contract with Ahbe Landscape Architects,
Contract No. 8581 (CCS), in an amount not to exceed $450,000 for the design of 20th
Street and Cloverfield Boulevard Street Improvements Project. Ahbe Landscape
Architect's first task was to develop a community involvement program to maximize
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participation from local stakeholders in the development of the design concepts. Public
workshops were conducted to solicit ideas and concerns from the community and to
build a consensus on the design concepts. Three public workshops were held at the
Virginia Avenue Park on November 16, 2006, January 11, 2007, and August 14, 2007.
The first two workshops included both an afternoon youth session and an evening
public session. A public notification program was conducted to raise awareness of the
project in the adjacent neighborhoods and to encourage participation in the workshops.
A total of sixty-four community members attended the meetings. The following media
sources were used to inform the residents, businesses, and property owners about the
public workshops:
^ Radius Mailer: A bilingual (English/Spanish) meeting flyer was mailed to
approximately 1500 residents, businesses and property owners. A special flyer
designed to encourage attendance at the youth meeting was also distributed at
the Virginia Avenue Park Teen Center.
Grassroots canvassing: The project's public relation consultant team
canvassed the community on January 5, 2007, largely focusing on the local
businesses and storefronts. On January 6, 2007, additional canvassing
focused on Virginia Avenue Park users and patrons of the Virginia Avenue Park
Farmer's Market. In addition, flyers were handed out at Virginia Avenue Park
and notices were posted in storefronts.
Phone calls: Phone calls were made to the Pico Improvement Organization,
Pico Neighborhood Association, Virginia Avenue Park Advisory Board, and to
Edison and Grant Elementary schools. Both the Pico Improvement
Organization and Pico Neighborhood Association distributed the flyer via email
and at their regular meetings. In addition, both schools posted the flyer on their
respective Parent Teacher Association website.
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Media advisory: A media advisory was developed and sent out by the City to
local broadcast and print media including The Ocean Park Gazette, The Mirror,
The Argonaut Newspaper, The Lookout, Santa Monica Dailv Press, and KCRW
Public Radio Station. Meeting information was also posted on the City's
website.
Based on community input, a concept design was developed which consists of
elements to improve pedestrian accessibility and safety and aesthetics along these
thoroughfares (Attachments 1, 2, 3 and 4). The concept design includes planting of
new trees and parkway landscaping, installation of pedestrian lighting, installation of
colored concrete sidewalk sections, curb extensions on Cloverfield Boulevard, traffic
signal modifications, and streetlight circuit upgrades. The following is a description of
the design elements:
Street Trees: The recommended street trees for Cloverfield Boulevard are Pink
Trumpet Tree (Tabebuia ipe) and Chinese Fringe Tree (Chionanthus retusus). The
recommended street trees for 20th Street are Sweetshade (Hymenosporum flavum) and
Goldenrain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata) (Attachment 5). Street trees were selected
based on their suitability to the site, performance under the site conditions and nursery
availability. The Community Forest Management Plan calls for the Crape Myrtle
(Lagerstroemia Indica) to be the replacement tree for the section of 20th Street between
the Santa Monica Freeway and Pico Boulevard. The Community Forest Management
Plan does not call out a recommended replacement species for the same section of
Cloverfield Boulevard: The proposed species for both streets were selected by Ahbe
Landscape Architects and reviewed by the City Arborist for their appropriateness to the
existing growing conditions. Both streets have limited grow space with Cloverfield
Boulevard having two (2) feet of available grow space and 20th Street having three (3)
feet of available grow space to accommodate street trees that won't displace sidewalks
curbs or gutters. Consequently, this limits the number of choices to less than ten (10)
tree species. After reviewing the potential species that could produce significant canopy
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cover, those potential species were also evaluated on their performance in a coastal
setting with a high volume of traffic and the associated pollutants that are generated in
these corridors. This factor further reduced the number of species that would work well
in these areas. The availability of potential tree species in local nurseries was
confirmed resulting in the recommendation of the street trees for this project.
Curb Extensions/Medians: One of the key elements of the concept is the installation of
curb extensions along Cloverfield Boulevard. The existing parkway/sidewalk is not wide
enough to accommodate the proposed streetscape improvements. The curb extensions
are intended to improve the pedestrian experience by providing a buffer area for
parkway landscaping between the sidewalk and street. During the concept design, the
possibility of installing medians on Cloverfield Boulevard was reviewed. The existing
street right-of-way is not wide enough to accommodate both curb extensions and
medians while maintaining two lanes of traffic in each direction. The attached cross
section (Attachment 6) of Cloverfield Boulevard shows the existing and proposed
conditions. It may be possible to install a landscaped median on Cloverfield Boulevard
near the Freeway since the width of the street increases in this area. However, a
landscaped median in this location is not recommended since it will be difficult to
maintain due to heavy traffic flows. Additionally, this location is partially in Caltrans
right-of-way and would require a Caltrans encroachment permit. Curb extensions and
medians are not recommended on 20th Street as the existing street right-of-way is not
wide enough to accommodate either curb extensions or medians while maintaining two
lanes of traffic in each direction, on-street parking and left turn lanes at Delaware
Avenue. Additionally, the existing parkway/sidewalk is wide enough to accommodate
the proposed streetscape improvements.
Circulation and Public Safety: In the past, there was concern with safety in this
neighborhood associated with the ability of vehicles to quickly enter and exit the area.
The ability to modify circulation or alter turn patterns by using design elements to
improve safety was reviewed. On Cloverfield Boulevard, the implementation of curb
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extension or medians reduces the overall width of the traveled way making it more
difficult to quickly reverse directions to exit the neighborhood. The implementation of
either of these options will not significantly modify circulation or turn patterns. On 20tH
Street, no reduction of the traveled way is recommended; therefore circulation and
turning patterns do not change. Staff will seek further input from the Police Department
on this issue.
Parking: The addition of curb extensions on Cloverfield Boulevard will encroach into the
street parking lane since the existing sidewalk is too narrow to accommodate both an
accessible walkway and landscaped parkway. There are forty-one (41) existing street
parking spaces on Cloverfield Boulevard and the Installation of curb extensions will
eliminate nineteen(19). The existing parking spaces on the east side of the street will
be reduced from twenty (20) to eleven (11). The existing parking spaces on the west
side of the street will be reduced from twenty-one (21) to eleven (11). It may be
possible to retain only one or two of the eliminated parking spaces, depending on
adjustments to the curb extension specifications that will be made during the
preparation of the final design drawings.
Sidewalks: The concept design proposes replacing sections of the existing concrete
sidewalk with enhanced colored concrete paving bands. The paving bands are
proposed on both 20~h Street and Cloverfield Boulevard. The location of the enhanced
paving bands coincides with the new street tree locations.
Crosswalks: The concept design considered the addition of crosswalks at various
locations to improve pedestrian safety. A traffic study was performed evaluating
additional crosswalks. Additional crosswalks at unsignalized locations are not
recommended since the proposed crosswalks would not improve pedestrian safety.
Lighting: During the public workshop, the community expressed concerns about
pedestrian lighting and street lighting in the project area. In order to provide enhanced
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lighting in the project area, an upgrade to the existing series streetlight circuit is needed
and will require additional budget authority. The upgrades to the street lighting circuit
are not part of the original scope of work contemplated for this project. The selection of
the pedestrian lighting fixture was discussed at the public meetings. Community
meeting participants requested a light fixture that would be unique for the area, instead
of matching the pedestrian lighting on Pico Boulevard. The proposed post-top lighting
fixture was supported by the community. The proposed fixture has a top cap to
preserve a dark sky and the fixture has been used successfully in other areas of the
City.
Traffic Signals: Traffic signal equipment in the project area requires upgrades to be
consistent with the future Citywide Advanced Traffic Management System. The traffic
signals at the intersection of the Santa Monica Freeway off-ramp and 20th Street and
the intersection of Pico Boulevard and 20th Street require complete upgrades. Traffic
signal modifications are also required due to the proposed street improvements at the
intersections of Delaware Avenue and 20th Street, Santa Monica Freeway on-ramp and
Cloverfield Boulevard, and Virginia Avenue and Cloverfield Boulevard. The modification
to the traffic signals are .not part of the original scope of work contemplated for this
project and will require additional budget authority.
Bicvcle Lanes:
The concept design considered the possibility of adding bicycle lanes to Cloverfield
Boulevard and 20th Street. The addition of dedicated bike lanes is not possible due to
the width of the existing streets. The attached cross sections (Attachment 6 and 7) of
Cloverfield Boulevard and 20t" Street show existing and proposed conditions. Review
of the cross sections illustrate both streets are too narrow to accommodate an
accessible walkway, landscaped parkway, parking and a designated bike lane.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
The original budget for the project was $5,500,000. The preliminary cost estimate to
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upgrade the series streetlight circuits is $500,000. The preliminary cost estimate to
upgrade the traffic signals is $700,000. These upgrades increase the total estimated
project cost to approximately $6,700,000. As part of the next steps, staff will identify
funding options that may exist for these upgrades and return with budget
recommendations once the design process has been completed.
Prepared by:
Mark Cuneo, P.E., Principal Civil Engineer
Approved:
~~a~
C ig Perkins
Director -Environmental and Public
Works Management Department
Council:
P~tamorit Ewell
~ ity Manager
Attachment 1. Cloverfield Boulevard, Concept Plan, South
Attachment 2. Cloverfield Boulevard, Concept Plan, North
Attachment 3. 20th Street, Concept Plan, South
Attachment 4. 20th Street, Concept Plan, North
Attachment 5. Plant Materials
Attachment 6. Cross-Section of Cloverfield Boulevard
Attachment 7. Cross-Section of 20th Street
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Additional
attachments
available for review
at City Clerk's
Office.