HomeMy Public PortalAbout03) 7A Selection of Design Options for Las Tunas Drive Safety Enhancement and Beautification ProjectCity Council
December 27 , 2012
Page 2
Metropolitan Transportation Authority Call for Projects (2013 Call for Projects).
3 . On November 14, 2012, FTS conducted the first community meeting with about
200 attendees at Live Oak Park Community Center. Their presentation
introduced possible streetscape elements and roadway configurations that could
transform the thoroughfare into a downtown destination, while also providing a
review of current challenges and market realities to be considered as the City
pursues economic development opportunities along the corridor. The meeting
concluded with an interactive workshop that solicited public response on the
presented concepts .
4. On December 4, 2012, the City Council authorized funding consultant Avant-
Garde to submit the Project for three grant applications through the 2013 Call for
Projects . Given its objective to transform Las Tunas into a sophisticated ,
pedestrian friendly downtown, the Project has a likely chance to compete for up
to $6 .5 million in federal, state and local transportation funds . The applications
a re due January 18, 2013.
5 . On December 19, 2012, FTS conducted the second community meeting w ith
roughly 100 attendees, again at Live Oak Park Community Center. FTS
presented three streetscape scenarios for Las Tunas, developed based on input
received at the first community meeting . The des ign concepts primarily focused
on modifying road and parking configurations, as well as integrating multi-modal
amenities required by City policy (i.e., recommendations identified in the Bicycle
Master Plan , Downtown Parking Study and Traffic Calming Study). Like the first
meeting, community membe rs concluded with an interactive exercise, submitting
input on the three design options including gateway monuments and landscaping
schemes.
ANALYSIS:
With the City currently pursuing an aggre ss ive program of community planning to
situate Temple City for the next 50 years, the Las Tunas revitalization effort presents
a key opportunity, addressing economic development, civic engagement and
infrastructure renewal. While primarily involving physical improvements, the Project's
addition of safety and beautification amenities will create an attractive environment
that will ultimately draw visitors and community members to shop , dine and
congregate locally-in effect promoting downtown businesses , elevating community
prestige and increasing residents ' qual ity of life .
The following discuss ion elaborates on the need for the Project, and FTS ' proposed
design concepts that provide tangible opportunities for the corridor 's revitalization.
City Council
December 27, 2012
Page 3
Project Need
Over the past few months, FTS along with City staff have collaboratively worked to
review the current situation along Las Tunas (Attachments "A" and "B"). These
activities involved market analyses, field studies and the review of best practices for
similar types of revitalization projects . The following five key barriers have been
identified that prevent Las Tunas from achieving the community's goal of
transforming it into a thriving and multi-dimensional destination.
Barrier 1 : Market and Property Mismatch
The pattern of (and the market for) arteria l strip retail is well-saturated in Los
Angeles area suburbs, with a high proportion of older properties underachieving
in value where they are in less favored locations (i.e ., not next to a freeway or a
high volume arterial intersection) or have problem formats (i.e ., properties too
small, too deep, etc). Meanwhile, higher value retailers, always seeking
locations with the highest visibility and access, have not only clustered at freeway
or arterial interchanges, but have done so over recent decades in larger and
more managed anchored formats -leaving behind older strips with multiple
property ownerships to fill space at lower rents. Las Tunas has witnessed this
apparent market shift over the past few decades with now very few retail anchors
and no destination identity .
There is also a mismatch between street and property formats along Las Tunas .
The mismatch between the many small lot properties along the corridor and its
wide road width (that encourages motorists going over the posted 30 mph limit)
has persisted for the last 50 years. Many of these properties have older buildings
in a storefront format built up to the sidewalk -too close to be easily visible by
drivers with eyes on the road. They cannot market well to the road like the more
car-visible and car-accessible "strip development" format of deeply set back
buildings , a front parking lot and a tall illuminated pole sign . But converting the
small existing properties to a strip format would entail one or more courses of
selling out to an outside developer, of conversions being poorly perceived by the
community, or requiring a questionably high level of re-investment for a small
property owner given the low-strength market. With the statewide elimination of
redevelopment agencies and tax increment financing, the City has lost a major
tool to directly make change happen on private properties in concert with multiple
property owners (e.g ., property assemblage).
Barrier 2 : Piecemeal and Obsolete Planning
The Gateway Center development underway at Las Tunas and Rosemead
Boulevard will realize the City's last rema ining large retail opportunity site, tak ing
advantage of current market realities and national retailer needs . While the
adjacent Temple City Marketplace and Plaza shopping centers generate the
City Council
December 27, 2012
Page 4
highest sales and property tax revenues in the City's commercial areas, they also
lack pedestrian linkages (e.g., crosswalks) that allow customers to traverse both
centers from Las Tunas -thus presenting a possibly for even further retail
leakage. Additionally, the sparse streetscape upon entering the City from San
Gabriel creates a non-descript arrival that could deter potential national retailers
from wanting to relocate to those centers as existing public improvements may
not match their corporate brand and site selection criteria.
As the City's other retail area, Las Tunas presents existing (and potentially
hidden) assets and opportunities. In the case for its four-block downtown core
from Cloverly to Golden West, the small-lot "Main Street" layout of contiguous,
non-thriving storefronts (as exemplified by a high proportion of spaces occupied
by offices and marginal uses taking advantage of relatively low rents) can easily
conclude a mismatch between the properties and the arterial roadway format of
Las Tunas. While Temple City and its neighboring towns-Arcadia, San Gabriel,
Rosemead, Monterey Park-have plenty of strip retail, the Las Tunas downtown
core holds a key opportunity (and layout) to become a true village setting with
human scaling, street life and shared customers. These elements create the
basis that typically starts with restaurants and cafes. By bringing in foot traffic
and activity, they can eventually begin to support specialty or niche retail. Civic
uses (which the downtown already has) add relevance and community
orientation, and history adds a deeper meaning . Claremont Village is one
example that has grown in place , whereas Victoria Gardens in Rancho
Cucamonga is an example that was built-from-scratch by a develope r where no
such settlement pattern previously existed. In both cases, such settings have
positioned themselves to appeal to changing age, income and cultural
demographics that used to expect to travel farther for village settings, but would
welcome having them in their hometown or close nearby.
Barrier 3 : No Reinvestment Catalyst
Retooling Las Tunas to become a narrower street with more accommodating
sidewalks and bikeways to support a walkable, more multi-modal setting will too
address the street's past misfit with small parcelization and storefront buildings.
Since Temple City is small, largely built-out and "landlocked" without immediate
freeway proximity or a rail transit stop , enabling the corridor and its downtown
core to compete as a walkable village destination positions the City for a niche
market not availab le in towns immediately nearby.
The City's ownersh ip and control of public streets (which can comprise 20% or
more of all land in any given city) often makes it the largest single landowner. In
a static condition of an older and underperforming strip corridor, many small
property owners will "sit on the sidelines" and avoid the risk of leading with
investment in their properties by themselves. However, they will more willingly
follow the "icebreaking" lead of a larger entity instigating change, especially
City Co uncil
Dece mber 27 , 2012
Page 5
where neither substantive prfvate investment nor v isible change has occurred for
years.
Fi nally, the City's successful record of attaining grant funding for multi-modal
street improvements positions it for more success ; this is the nature of
competitive funding grants. Relevant funding programs for street investment
today are those that grow from federal and state policies supporting
sustainability, the reduction of greenhouse gases, trip reduction and multi-modal
mobility. These elements make street investment a strong direction for a
"leveraged" approach to funding, in contrast to the relative lack of funding and
tools for government initiatives to directly aid and enable private investment.
Barrier 4: No Brand, No Place Image
While downtown revitalization may help increase revenue from sales and
property tax , it often has an outsized effect in establishing a success image for
the community, affecting desirability and property values as a whole . Since Las
Tunas also includes major entrances to Temple City, as well as settings for its
highest value retail cluster, its enhancement can similarly have a major influence
on the City's leadership and place image.
From a messaging and branding standpoint, there is a market-based validation of
sustainability and the availability of multi-modal transportation, which together
have been targeted as appealing values in rea l estate . These values are also
allied with the awareness and preferences of "knowledge workers" and
millennial-generation households linked with innovative and driving industries in
the Los Angeles region . Those households are made up of individuals and
families with good jobs who are already seeking the desirable schools and high
quality of life that Temple City has to offer. It is another component of leveraging
the value of street investment and funding sources that the Project can bring.
Barrier 5: Lack of Safety and Aesthetic Amenities
An integral part of revitaliz i ng a downtown is creating attractions and providing
amenities that wou ld draw community members and visitors to discover and
enjoy local businesses. While Las Tunas with its contiguous storefronts has great
potential to become a vibrant pedestrian activity center, the existing street setting
is neither conducive to nor inviting of pedestrian activity. As such , improvements
will be necessary to foster a lively, "village" environment that is appealing,
walkable and accessible.
Currently, the lengths of crosswalk crossings vary from 70' to more than 11 0'
curb-to-curb. At wider intersections, slower-walking seniors and those with
disabilities are often unable to cross completely before the signal turns red.
Meanwhile, long distances between marked crosswalks pose a barrier that
prevents visitors from fully enjoying the diversity of downtown businesses-as
City Council
December 27, 2012
Page 6
customers parked on one side of the street are not likely to visit businesses on
the other side. Notable instances include those segments between Muscatel and
Rosemead Boulevard (1 000'), Sultana and Rosemead Boulevard (630 '), Sultana
and Lorna (600'), and Golden West and Baldwin (1 ,240 ').
While one possible safety measure to address this issue is to extend pedestrian
cross times, doing so has the effect of reducing green time for through-traffic on
Las Tunas, creating traffic delays and perceptions of inconvenience among
drivers. A solution is to add mid-block crossings and corner "bulb-outs" that
would function to shorten both distances between and distances of crosswalks ,
making it easier for pedestrians to cross. Furthermore, beautification efforts
would also work toward enhancing the pedestrian experience along Las Tunas .
Along the corridor's approximate 7,570-foot length , sidewalks are mostly
treeless. The section with trees-the 4,000-foot stretch between Lorna and
Kauffman-consist of mature ficus trees that are pruned vertically such that they
provide little canopy and offer minimal shade relief to pedestrians.
In addition to creating an inviting destination, another component of a downtown
revitalization is improving access, whether by automobile, foot, bicycle or transit.
In 2011, as the City was developing its now-adopted Bicycle Master Plan,
community surveys identified Las Tunas as the second-highest requested street
corridor for bike lanes. Adding cycling facilities on Las Tunas would not only be in
alignment with community demand, but also in accordance with state law. The
Complete Streets Act of 2008 (AB 1358) requires that cities consider multiple
modes of transportation in mobility planning, rather than catering only to
automobiles .
Proposed Design Options (or Alternatives)
With the aforementioned constraints in mind and based on community input, FTS
prepared three design options for corridor revitalization . Summarized below, each
option presents various degrees of transformative change. Although the options did
share some common improvements, the specific differences are focused on the
Downtown Core (i.e., Cloverly to Golden West) with lesser effects to the Midtown
(i.e ., Sultana to Cloverly) and Eastern Gateway (i.e ., Golden West to Arcadia city
limits) segments.
Option 1: Four lanes of traffic; angled and parallel parking in the Downtown Core
This design option, summarized by Attachment "C", proposes tour lanes of traffic
through the corridor's Midtown, Downtown Core and Eastern Gateway segments
(i.e., from Sultana to Arcadia city limits). The two eastbound lanes are retained
due to the eastbound flow of evening peak commute traffic on Las Tunas, and
thus would not be affected . The center turn lane would also be retained . The
westbound lane would be reduced from two to one, in view of slightly lower
City Council
December 27 , 2012
Page 7
westbound morning peak commute traffic volumes (i.e., lower business activity
along Las Tunas was observed during the AM commute peak; many corridor
businesses do not open earlier than 9 a.m ., and some later). Preliminary traffic
analyses indicate that with the enhanced green signal times derived from shorter
pedestrian crossings and other enhancements, the current peak hour traffic flow
will be accommodated well by the single lane.
This option also configures street parking in the Downtown Core as conventional
parallel parking along the north side of the street, and as 45-degree back-in
angle parking on the south side.1 In addition, the proposed downtown angle
parking is set up with trees between parked cars and special paving so that it
functions as a flexible parking or dining zone, where businesses may opt to apply
to the City for use of the parking space as outdoor dining (functioning to add
street life and visually advertise downtown activity to passing cars). This type of
configuration has been in successful use in downtown Mountain View since
1989, and more recently in downtown Livermore since 2006 -in both cases, this
configuration has been instrumental in their downtown revitalizations. For the
north side of the street, should businesses also want to add outdoor dining, the
insertion of a "park let" platform in place of a parked car could be employed. This
approach has been successfully applied in San Francisco and numerous other
west coast cities and towns within the last few years; it does require an additional
and separate construction cost for the removable platform and planter barriers.
Implementation of this approach in the Downtown Core is estimated to result in a
net increase of three parking spaces -essentially similar to the number of
downtown curbside parking spaces today. While this approach provides a
compromise between a degree of placemaking change and maintaining two
lanes of eastbound traffic flow, it should be noted that its transformative effect
may also be somewhat diluted.
Option 2: Four lanes of traffic; parallel parking in the Downtown Core
This design option proposes the same traffic configuration as Option 1, but
designates street parking in the Downtown Core as two 13-foot wide parallel-
parked flexible parking/dining zones with trees set between parked cars on both
1 Options 1 and 3 configure angled parking as "back-in", which is the only type of angled parking that
is safe to combine with bicycle lanes. The conflict of the rear back -out movement of conventional
head -in angled parking with bicycle lanes would produce unacceptable safety conflicts. There are
multiple other safety reasons supporting the use of back-in angled parking such as keeping
passenger and goods loading towards the sidewalk and away from the street. The presence of the
adjacent bicycle lane also provides additional room to make the back-up maneuver, which is actually
simpler than the back-up maneuver for the existing parallel parking configuration on Las Tunas today.
There would be a "learning curve" issue, but an increasing number of cities across the U.S . are
adopting back-in angled parking as a safer standard, including the City of Seattle, WA which uses it
throughout all of its urban and suburban neighborhoods.
City Council
December 27, 2012
Pag e 8
sides of the street (Attachment "D"). Zones of these widths would enable easy
parallel parking maneuvers, create comfortable outdoor dining settings and
maintain the symmetry of the street (and same opportunities for businesses on
both sides) -as well as avoiding the implementation of angled parking.
Nevertheless, this alternative results in a net loss of approximately 42 parking
spaces, creating an economic deterrent and conflicting with the existing parking
deficits noted in the City's Downtown Parking Study.
Option 3: Three lanes of traffic; angled parking in the Downtown Core
This design option proposes three lanes in the Downtown Core and to a portion
of the Midtown segment (i.e ., starting at or to Encinita), due to the need for traffic
movement transitions (Attachment "E"). The three lanes (i.e ., one lane in each
direction and a left turn lane) create a very short pedestrian crossing of only 40',
and completely changes the character of the Downtown Core to be more
dominated by pedestrian space than moving vehicle lanes; it also enables angled
parking on both sides of the street, configured as flexible zones previously
described (thus netting an increase of 27 parking spaces). Bulb-out areas at
corners would also be of substantial size, enabling s ignificant green spaces and
small gathering plazas . This design option creates the greatest transformative
effect for the Downtown Core as it supports a more intimate , walkable village
main street not found in Temple City or neighboring cities -while also making the
Downtown Core a new regional desti nation. The single lanes of traffic in each
direction have again been analyzed to move approximately the same peak traffic
volumes .
Improvements Proposed for All Options
Contrary to the incremental differences between each of the design options, they
also propose the same common improvements , which are summarized below.
• All existing crosswalks are to receive corner bulb-out extensions into Las
Tunas (but generally not onto side streets), to shorten crosswalk distances
and make waiting pedestrians more visible to drivers. Shorter crossing
distances also mean long er green time for Las Tunas drivers , in conjunction
with re-evaluated signal timing (identified in each of the design options).
• New mid-block crossings (without the cost and delay of full-signalized
intersections) are proposed at four locations to break up long lengths of
blocks without crosswalks . In the Western Gateway and Midtown segments ,
the new crossings will utilize existing or new medians that enable flashing
lights to achieve safe crosswalk locations . At the Eastern Gateway, new
"pedestrian refuge" medians will trade off two left-turn pockets -at Agnes and
Rowland -to enable a crosswalk at each of those intersections.
City Co uncil
Dece mber 27, 2012
Page 9
• Lane widths will be narrowed to the minimum standard of 1 0', which is sti ll
adequate for large vehicles and buses . Reducing the widths will allow for
proposed multi-modal amenities, while also creating a safety opportun ity for
motorists to stow down .
• The center turn lane will be preserved in all design options with the existing
exception of landscaped medians in the Western Gateway segment and new
minor exceptions for landscaped medians in the Eastern Gateway segment.
• As was done with the Rosemead Bou levard Enhancement Project, all bus
stops will be re-positioned (where possible) to the far side of the intersection
to enhance traffic flow. At the Temple City/Las Tunas intersection in
particular, a "queue jump" lane will be provided to allow buses to get through
the intersection faster.
• All proposed options add two Class II bicycle lanes (striped lanes) along the
corridor, thereby implementing recommendations of the City's recently
approved Bicycle Master Plan.
• Existing ficus trees will be rep lac ed with a continuous canopy of deciduous
trees . Ficus trees are no longer favored as a street tree species in Southern
California due to their destructive root system and unavoidable buckling of
sidewalks and street paving . The replacement tree sp ecies will be selected
for its tolerance of urban conditions, lower water demand, less-dense foliage
habit, and ability to provide shade for pedestrians while also promoting
business sign visibility.
• The design options incorporate architectural gateway features at the Western
and Eastern Gateway segments as an identity-enhancing opportunity and
strategy. These features will also repeat the same architectural theme with
smaller elements in the Downtown Core.
CONCLUSION:
The analyses and design options contained in this memorandum address both the
City and commun it y's goal to transform Las Tunas into a vibrant <;jowntown and
reg ional destination. Tonight's requested action for the Council to select a design
option will move the Project toward realizat ion, allowing staff to prepare a grant
application for construction funding under the 2013 Call for Projects.
City Council
December 27 , 2012
Page 10
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Council's selection of a design option will have no immediate impact to the
adopted FY 2012-13 City Budget. However, if the Council does not approve a design
option or if the Project is temporarily postponed, the City could lose a timely and
favorable comprehensive funding opportunity upwards of $6.5 million for
construction costs.
ATTACHMENTS:
A. Summary Display: Existing Conditions
B. Summary Matrix: Existing Conditions
C. Summary Matrix: Design/Alternative Option 1
D . Summary Matrix: Design/Alternative Option 2
E. Summary Matrix: Design/Alternative Option 3