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SR-820706-JHA:JJ:BP Council Mtg.- 7-6-82 JUL 6 1982 Santa Monica, California TO: City Council/Redevelopment Agency FROM: Staff SUBJECT: Beach Improvement Plan -- Ocean Park Redevelopment Project. Introduction This report transmits the proposed beach improvement portion of- the off-site improvement program and recommends that the Agency/ Council direct the Staff to evaluate the Consultant's report and prepare a recommendation including a financing and implementation plan. Background On June 15, 1982 the City Council considered the interim beach improvement plan and requested cost estimates for various components of the plan. Following the June 15 meeting - the plans were placed on display at the Ocean Park Branch Library and on June 17th the Consultant team held another open house to hear further ideas and responses to the plan. Discussion Significant plan changes since the June 15th meeting which have resulted in reduction of the total project cost include reduction in the number of proposed structures, and in the area of grass originally proposed for the South Beach Area, The overall cost of 1 JUL 6 3982 the project has been reduced from 5.8 million dollars in the interim plan to 4.4 million. The following funding sources can be utilized to finance the proposed improvements: 1. Proceeds from settlement with Lincoln Property Company: $7,000,000 2. A tax allocation bond issue funded from the estimated 1.4 million dollars annual tax increment flow from the completed Redevelopment Project: $7,000,000 3. Net revenue from the land sale proceeds for Phase II of the project: $1,000,000 Total $15,000,000 Recommendation It is recommended that the Council/Agency review the proposed plan changes and direct the Staff to evaluate the Consultant's report and prepare a recommendation including a financing and implementation plan. Prepared By: JOHN H. ALSCHULER City Manager JOHN JALILI Assistant City Manager 2 OCEAN PARK BEACH IMPROVEMENT PLAN ~' a~. , ~ ~ ~ r~ SUMMARY, June 28, 1982 Y~y~~'~ e'': During the last several weeks the consultant team to the~~ City of Santa Monica has been working on a preliminary improvement plan for the beach and parking areas from Venice north to Bay Street. We have conducted meetings with the City staff, the State Coastal Commission, reviewed previous community recommendations and held three evening Open House Workshops to gather additional community ideas. Considerable time was spent in the important task of gather- ing and analyzing traffic and parking data for the area. On May 19 and 20 the first open house evenings were held. Residents from the project worked on questionnaires and sketched ideas on base maps. Their maps were energetic and imaginative and guided much of the planning represented in our interim presentation. The ideas and images of these design v~orkshops were synthe- sized in the development of our interim plan which was pre- sented to the City Council on June 15, 1982. It was our goal then as now to develop a beach improvement plan which responds to the community and staff concerns and is feasible within the constraints of cost and the guidelines of the Coastal Commission. Following the June 15 presentation of our interim plan, our drawings were on display at the Ocean Park Branch Library. On June 17 -we held another Open House evening to hear further ideas and responses to the plan as it was developing. During the first two Open House evenings we heard a wide array of concerns. The areas most often mentioned were as follows: Traffic/Circulation -minimize the impact of beach parking on neighborhoods -reduce speed of traffic in parking lot and on Barnard Way -narrow or partially close Barnard Way -narrow Ocean Park Boulevard and increase the size of sidewalk Beach Access -upgrade pedestrian access to beach -pedestrians are often intimidated by traffic on Barnard Way and in parking lots -separate pedestrian, car and bicycle circulation when possible SUMMARY - 2 Views -minimize image of vast field of parking lots while preserving ocean views Park Activities There have been a great range of suggestions. The most frequently mentioned include: -a range of uses for different age groups; more children's play areas, more recreational uses for the elderly (especially in the southern end o£ the beach), more areas for barbecue, quiet shady areas, more beach volleyball nicer benches -better separation of pedestrian, bikes and skaters -better food stands or cafes -vendors selling food and local crafts -rental kiosk for beach equipment -the feeling. and activities of the park should change with the seasons and weather Image and History -the beach and park areas should have a strong image that is meaningful for the neighborhood even as Palisades Park does for northern Santa Monica -the history of the area is important to the residents and for the beach area Safety and Security -lighting and patrolling of the area are important for increased community use In addition to these concerns, the City gave the consultant team a list of policy parameters to guide the planning: No additional operating costs to the City or the Agency. Possible net additional revenue to the City and the Agency from concessions. Access of the neighborhood to the proposed park. SUMMARY - 3 . Park usages compatible with adjacent residential communities. Park usage for seniors. No significant impairment of residential views. Maintenance of obligation for coastal access. Maintenance of obligations for parking. Balance of visitor and residential interests. Minimize traffic impacts on adjacent streets. Maximize green space and maintain neighborhood scale. During the Open House evening of June 17 the majority of those attending had not been present at the first two design workshops. It is not surprising, therefore, that there were a number of new ideas and reactions. Many respondants considered the plan to be a very good synthesis of input to date. There was a group, however, who had serious reservations about various aspects of the interim plan. The major areas of their concern are as follows: -views from Fraser: More than half the participants at this open house were residents from Fraser. They were concerned that their views would be interrupted by the proposed park. -move improvements away from Fraser: Suggestions ranged from moving park improvements south of Fraser to reducing. the size and facilities of the park, to,redistributing them up and down the beach. -too much structure: This concern primarily related to a concern for the interruption of the view from the streets, especially Fraser. -too many trees: This concern was voiced for reasons of view as well as a concern of some that trees and grass would attract "undesirables." SUMMARY - 4 -too expensive: A number of individuals wished to use a significant amount of the money in question for other purposes, such as a community arts center and affordable housing. -distribute activities: There was the suggestion that a range of activities for different ages could be located at various points along the beach. -more bathrooms: There was concern that there be ample bathrooms, well distributed (others did not want any additional bathrooms). -less grass and uses in front of Sea Colony -a greater development of sand dunes and a natural ecosystem at the southern part of the site -possible visual connection from the civic center to the beach. Following this workshop we had additional meetings and dis- cussions with a number of participants who had expressed an interest in further involvement. Since that time we have further developed and modified our interim plan and have tried to satisfy as many of these concerns as possible while maintaining the basic planning ideas that developed in the first two community workshops. As before, we have integrated the community input with the guidelines of the city staff and the concerns of the Coastal Commission PLAN SUMMARY In developing our preliminary plan we have tried to emphasize the areas of consensus in the community, while working within the guidelines of public agencies and the realities of budget. The main components of the interim plan can be summarized as follows: Roadway Modifications Narrow Barnard Way to two lanes plus bike paths Narrow Ocean Park to two lanes while widening sidewalks and grass parkways Upgrade pedestrian crosswalks across Barnard and install a pedestrian-activated light at Barnard and Ashland. SUMMARY - 5 Traffic analysis is a critical factor for a successful plan. Our program for analysis included field study of existing conditions with 24-hour machine counts and peak hour inter- section counts to determine traffic volumes. We also conducted a study of beach users' origins and route choices, as well as a parking utilization survey on an hourly basis. A detailed report on traffic and parking analysis is addended. Greenbelt Establish a greenbelt along Barnard G7ay from Bicknell to Nielsen This can be landscaped to buffer the neighborhood from the beach parking and provide such amenities as a jogging path and lookouts to the beach. Parking Lots Interrupt long lanes of parking with tree-lined roadways which continue the pattern of neighborhood streets. These will make for clearer pedestrian access from the neighbor- hood while establishing visual connections from the neigh- borhood to the beach. Undulators at these points will prevent speeding in the lots. Areas of the lots adjacent to the park can be closed off and used for additional recreation at off peak times. A landscaped parkway isolates the parking lot from all beach activity. Promenade/Bikeway A generous bike and skaters path is separated from the parking by a landscaped parkway. A pedestrian promenade is raised to isolate it from the bike path. It is wide enough for vendors to push their carts with- out distrubing the pedestrians. At key access points the promenade expands to accommodate people moving to and from the beach, as well as benches shaded by trellis and trees. A broad, low wall forms a continuous bench along the pedestrian path. At various points along the way a range of beach activities for different ages is suggested (e.g., children's play structures, places for surfboards and climbing structures, beach volleyball). None of these uses involves the reduction of the sand area. SUMMARY - 6 Ocean Park A four acre park is centrally located at the end of Ocean Park Boulevard. This ends the visual axis of the boulevard and provides the main location for active recreation. The area for the park is established by consolidating and slightly reducing the amount of parking in the lot. This .park includes: broad fields for ball games and frisbee, increased facilities for barbecues, shaded tables, facilities for children's play, new bath and shower facilities, promenade areas for vendors, and the possibility of a revenue generating restaurant just south of Ocean Park Boulevard. An office for City staff is proposed near this. The latter could also have an open roofed-over area for community or other events. South Beach Activities and Dunes A quiet activity area is located near the south end of the site providing such uses as shuffleboard and horseshoes and picnic areas. This is located in close proximity to the senior housing. To the north is another children's play activity area and between them a proposed sand dune area. Landscape Several principles have guided the use of landscape materials. Low profile canopy trees are used to establish the visual and access corridors that extend from the neighborhood streets to the beach and to relieve the broad expanses of parking area. Each corridor is planned as a different species, so that each street has an identity. The only other use of low canopy trees is for shaded areas in the park at Ocean Park Boulevard and at the senior and children's areas in the southern end of the site. These are sited to maintain maximum views from the neighborhood while providing shaded activity areas for beach users. Tall, thin palms (washintonia Robusta) are used at intervals to mark the edge of the beach. Palms are also used to mark Ocean Park Boulevard as a visual and pedestrian connection to the beach. Shrubbery is avoided altogether for security reasons. Plant materials are to be selected for appropriateness to the locale (either natives or coastal species) as well as for drought resistance. SUMMARY - 7 Modifications since June 17, 1982 It is important to note the significant plan modifications that have been made subsequent to the June 17 Open House: Views from Fraser: An open view corridor from Fraser has been established by reorganizing some of the planting and built elements of the main park. Reduction of number of proposed structures: The only closed structures proposed for the park are a possible restaurant/cafe which could generate revenue for the city and a small building to house city offices plus an area for open air meetings or community events. Bathroom and shower structures would be as open as possil and have been reoriented to minimize the impact on the ocean view. Distribution of activities: The central children's play area is not as large as originally proposed. Additional areas for children's play and sand activities for other age groups are located near the ends of the corridors that access the beach. South Beach area: The area of grass originally proposed for this area is considerably reduced in our current plan. This allows for a sand and ocean view from Sea Colony. At the southern end of this area the senior activities are maintained and at the northern end a smaller area is planned for tot lot activities. A large area between these two uses is proposed for the development of low dunes and possibly the :use of grass. A number of participants in the workshops are excited about the visual and educational opportunities of such an idea. In addition, a number of professors at Santa Monica College have expressed an interest in planning and maintaining such a place. Parking lots: In the effort to further diminish any overflow of queuing onto the streets, we have added an additional lane (to give a total of three) at the main entrance at Bicknell. Cost: The overall cost of the proposed project has been reduced from 5.8 million dollars in the interim plan to 4.4 million in the current estimate. A cost estimate is addended to this report. The plan as now developed is still, of course, at a preliminary phase. Our goal, in simplest terms, is to try to resolve the two most important needs: to reclaim the beach for the local community who use the beach almost daily and to serve the regional users who come in large numbers though less frequently. SUMMARY - 8 Our major goals have been: -increase the accessibility cf the beach from the community -mitigate the impact of beach traffic on the neighborhood -mitigate the impact of broad expanses of parking lots -increase the efficiency and attractiveness of parking lots -increase recreational areas without a substantial loss of parking (a summary of net increases in recreational areas is addended) -provide a range of activities for various ages without decreasing the area of sandy beach. We look forward to continuing the development of this plan and welcome your comments and questions. The consultant team: P4oore Ruble Yudell Architects and Planners, Santa Monica with P.O.D., Inc. Landscape Architects and Planners and P.R.C. Voorhees Transportation and Traffic Engineers Ocean Park Beach Improvement Plan LANDSCAPED AREAS (ACRES) LOCATION EXISTING PROPOSED BARNARD 2.14 3.45 OCEAN PARK l.ll 3.94 SOUTH &E~CH AREA 0.0 ;85' BEACH IMPROVEMENT PLAN (OFF SITE) SUB-TOTALS: 3.25 8.2^4 (ON-SITE) SUB-TOTALS: 3.4 TOTALS: 3.25 SY.fn4 NET + 1.31 + 2.83 + . S + 4Y99 + 3.4 + 8.3 g, OCEAN PARK REDEVELOPMENT OFF-SITE IMPROVEMENTS REVISED PRELIMINARY PLAN JUNE 28, 1982 COST ESTIMATE SUMMARY 1. Ocean Park Boulevard- Narrowing from Nielson Way to Barnard Way (includes roadway modifications, sidewalks, 100, landscaping of parkways). 2. Barnard Way- Narrowing from Bay Street to Nielson WaY 180,00 (includes roadway modifications). 3. Barnard Way Greenbelt- Bay Street to Nielson Way (includes landscaping, jogging path, paths through to the beach). 300,00 4. Ocean Beach Park- 4 acre park at Ocean Park Boulevard (includes landscaping, paving, site furnishings, lighting, playground, restroom structures). 650.,.00: 5. Beach Promenade- Crescent Bay Park to south city limits 1.1 miles (includes wall, pedestrian walkway, bike/skate way, landscaped parkway, lighting, site furnishings). 1,100,00 6. South Beach Area - :SS'-acres at Barnard Way and south city limits (includes landscaping, paving, site furnishings, lighting, playground, shuffle board, horse- 305,0-0 shoe pits). 7. Parking Lots- 2200 car parking lot (includes lot/ facility modifications, landscaping, toll booths). 1,400;'.0 SUB TOTAL 4,035,,0 + 10% 404,00 TOTAL 4,439,( Ocean Park Beach Improvement Plar. EXISTING STRUCTURES: Buildings south of Ocean Park Blvd. Pizza stand Total: PROPOSED STRUCTURES: 6500 sq. ft. 1600 sq. ft. 8100 sq. ft. (Restaurant & City Offices) 6000 sq. ft.