PISMO BEACH COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Agenda Item #12.A
SUBJECT/TITLE:
DIRECTION ON JAMES WAY BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT
RECOMMENDATION:
Provide staff with direction on how to proceed with a James Way Beautification Project.
BACKGROUND:
One of the City Council’s top goals is to “build on the strength of our local community to preserve the City’s ‘Classic California’ charm and ensure an exceptional quality of life for residents.” The priorities for this goal over the next two years are to:
Invest in neighborhoods, including road, sidewalk, and park improvements Relocate tennis courts located at the site of the future public safety center and add basketball courts/pickleball courts to offer improved recreational opportunities for residents at the new site
Complete updates to the Local Coastal Plan, General Plan and Zoning Ordinance, emphasizing issues important to the community, such as managed growth, appropriate design, and neighborhood preservation
Engage the community and communicate the benefits of a visitor economy to quality of life for residents (e.g., tourism, hospitality)
Evaluate the locations and potential expansion of recreation programs to meet community needs (i.e., mobile home community centers)
Implement community beautification strategies (e.g., James Way Beautification Plan), and establishing City policy about tree planting programs Evaluate the option of assessment districts to address major infrastructure improvements (e.g., Shell Beach drainage, undergrounding utilities) Deliver exceptional services to the public
On November 16, 2021, staff presented results from the James Way Beautification Public Workshop, which was held on October 21, 2021, to the City Council.
Based on a review of this feedback from the community, the City Council directed staff to install more trash cans, benches, and Mutt Mitt Stations and to return with a “menu” of options including approximate costs for the following items:
Installation of planter boxes at intersections
Removing the existing concrete tree wells and replacing with flush tree grates Removing concrete tree wells and filling with concrete Repairing concrete tree wells
Planting new trees in empty tree wells
Staff immediately began the process to install benches, trash cans and Mutt Mitt stations.
Additionally, on January 18, 2022, staff recommended a James Way Beautification Council Agenda 2-15-2022 12.A-1
project to the City Council that included the following additional improvements that were both responsive to citizen input and met the goals of the project description provided by the City Council:
Installation of all 18, 15-foot end of block planter boxes Installation of all 50 missing trees (staff estimates that 20% of the tree wells may have concrete under them that would have to removed)
Repair 20 of the most damaged tree wells
This project had an estimated cost of $544,116. Staff also provided an alternative project that would install the following:
Installation of 8 of the 18, 15-foot end of block planter boxes Installation of all 50 missing trees (staff estimates that 20% of the tree wells may have concrete under them that would have to removed)
Repair 20 of the most damaged tree wells
The alternate project had an estimated project cost of $313,716. The City Council discussed the recommended project, including options for amending the project, received public input, and directed staff to enlist the help of a landscape architect (LA) and come back with a project that would remove all of the concrete between the existing fence line and sidewalk, and to turn that area into a planter which was flush with the sidewalk on the ocean side of the street only. The Council’s direction was to have the LA prepare a rendering of what a section of the corridor would look like with the new planter planted with trees and drought tolerant and/or native plants.
Since the January 18, 2022 meeting, staff has been working with Bianca Koenig of BEK Collective, who has over 18 years’ experience as a professional LA throughout California, including San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Monterey Counties working with both public and private sector clients. Staff also prepared an engineer’s estimate for the probable cost of the project.
Proposed Project
The proposed project would remove the concrete from between the fence line and back of sidewalk on the ocean side of the street, excavate/evaluate existing soil and amend and/or replace it with appropriate growing medium to provide a suitable growing medium for the new plants. The project spans from Shamrock Lane (Hilton Garden Inn) to Crest Drive (Post Office) and is approximately 4,000 linear feet long and would install approximately 20,000 square feet of new landscaping and 66 trees. By comparison, the Shell Beach Streetscape Project is also approximately 4,000 linear feet long and installed 8,000 square feet of landscaping and 83 trees. A rendering of the proposed project is provided in Attachment 1, with two different options for the street trees. Attachment 2 is a letter from BEK Collective explaining the different plants that were selected for the project and explaining the need for irrigation for both plant establishment and ongoing plant care.
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The rendering demonstrates that the project being presented would make a drastic improvement to the Streetscape along James Way. It would add to the appeal of the neighborhood by adding substantial drought tolerant landscaping that would enhance the aesthetic of the corridor by adding textured color and hiding the private fencing. The proposed landscaping is appropriate for the coastal environment, is lower maintenance, and even though permanent irrigation is required, it would require infrequent watering once the landscaping has taken root.
Table 1 below shows the estimated costs of the various options proposed for James Way.
Table 1. Estimated Costs for James Way Improvements
Item
No. Item Unit of
Measure
Estimated
Quantity
Item Price Total
(in figures) (in figures)
1 Erosion Control LS 1 $5,000.00 $5,000.00
2 Pedestrian/Traffic Control LS 1 $5,000.00 $5,000.00
3 Sawcut 4,000 LF x 2 LF 8,000 $3.60 $28,800.00
4 Demo existing planter boxes EA 50 $700.00 $35,000.00
5 Demo 5' wide concrete (4,000 LF x
5' wide) SF 20,000 $3.50 $70,000.00
6 Plant New Trees every 60' (4,000
LF) EA 67 $500.00 $33,500.00
7 Soil Preparation and Amendments SF 20,000 $2.50 $50,000.00 8 Irrigation SF 20,000 $20.00 $400,000.00
9 Landscaping SF 20,000 $10.00 $200,000.00
10 Hot tap 10" water main EA 4 $3,219.00 $12,876.00
11 Irrigation Controllers, with SS
Pedestal EA 4 $7,500.00 $30,000.00
12 Water Meter and Box EA 4 $1,700.00 $6,800.00
13 Bonds, Mobilization, Insurance and
Miscellaneous (5% of Construction
Costs)
LS 1 $43,848.80 $43,848.80
Subtotal $920,824.80
14 Design, Plans and Specs (10% of
Construction Costs) LS 1 $92,082.48 $92,082.48
15 Contingency (15% Construction
Costs) LS 1 $138,123.72 $138,123.72
16 Project Administration (20%
Construction Costs) LS 1 $184,164.96 $184,164.96
17 Inflation (10% Construction Costs) LS 1 $92,082.48 $92,082.48 18 1 Year Maintenance SF 20,000 $0.20 $4,000.00
TOTAL CONSTRUCTION BID ESTIMATE $1,431,278.44
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Table 2 below shows the cost of the items which staff has already moved forward with.
Table 2. Cost for In-Progress
Item Total
Number
Cost Per
Item Total Cost
Install trash cans 10 $1,800 $18,000
Install re-purposed benches 7 $300 $2,100
Install new benches 7 $1,500 $10,500
Install Mutt Mitt Stations ($900/year to restock) 4 $250 $1,000 Total $31,600
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council discuss options for the James Way Beautification Project and provide staff with direction on how to proceed. The project before the Council would make a significant impact to the beautification of this neighborhood and is consistent with the City Council’s goal of beautifying the community.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no immediate fiscal impact to providing staff with direction on how to proceed.
However, the following provides the potential fiscal impact if Council approved the proposed project.
The FY 2022 General Fund Adopted Budget includes $300,000 for the James Way Beautification project. Staff estimates that the project presented could cost $1,466,608 based on the estimated costs for the project components, leaving a $1,166,608 budget shortfall. The following table lists the various recommended project costs.
Recommended Project Budget $300,000
Postcard mailers for public workshop $1,230
Trash cans, benches and Mutt Mitt Stations $31,600
BEK Collective $2,500
Proposed Project $1,431,278
Estimated Project Total $1,466,608
Projected Budget Short Fall ($1,166,608)
In addition to the $1,166,608 needed to complete the project, there would be an additional ongoing financial obligation of $4,000 per year for landscape maintenance and $200 for cellular service for SCADA communication with the irrigation controllers.
In order to support the proposed budget shortfall, staff could use General Fund unassigned fund balance to support this project. There are adequate funds available for this purpose.
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ALTERNATIVES:
1. Provide staff direction on a different project.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. James Way Beautification Renderings
2. Cover letter from BEK Collective
Submitted by: Meeting Date: February 15, 2022
Benjamin A. Fine, P.E., Director of Public Works/City Engineer City Manager Approval:
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Attachment 1
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Attachment 1
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Attachment 1
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Attachment 1
Bianca E. Koenig, PLA, ASLA Principal Landscape Architect BEK Collective PO Box 708 Cayucos, CA 93430 February 4, 2022 Ben Fine Director of Public Works / City Engineer City of Pismo Beach 760 Mattie Road Pismo Beach, CA 93449 Re: James Way Beauti ication - Approach to Landscape Improvements Dear Mr. Fine: Thank you for the opportunity to share my experience and recommendations for the James Way Beauti ication Project. James Way serves as a major conduit for Pismo Beach, linking community members to essential services through the quintessential, rolling terrain of the Central Coast and delightful views of the Paci ic Ocean beyond. Pedestrians, joggers, bicyclists, and automobiles all share the street scene among a Class II bikeway, attached sidewalk, the rhythm of raised planters, and a backdrop of wood, privacy fencing. Benches and trash receptacles were recently added to bring architectural character and a consistent, visual connection to the amenities of Downtown Pismo Beach. In order to prioritize the pedestrian scale and continue to develop a sense of place, the next step towards enhancing the streetscape would include landscaping. The potential area for landscaping extends approximately 4,000 linear feet and occupies a width of approximately four feet between the back of sidewalk and the privacy fencing. This width represents an area suitable for small to mid size shrubs at maturity. In addition, it comes with the challenges of an urban setting with impacts from heat island effect due to the large amount of adjacent hardscape, exhaust from motorized vehicles, partial shade conditions, and landscaping must also perform in a high visibility area with views from auto, bike and pedestrian traf ic. In this highly visible, publicly maintained area, goals for landscape performance may include:
● Drought tolerant, climate suitable plants
● Easy to maintain
● Year-round aesthetic interest
● Quick establishment period
● Non-invasive but resilient plant materials
● Avoid sharps and thorns
● Support pride in place
BELONGING
ENGAGEMENT
KINDNESS
805 550-7448
bekcollective.com
PO BOX 708, CAYUCOS, CA 93430
Council Agenda 2-15-2022 12.A-10
Attachment 2
To serve the above goals, the landscape approach would be best accomplished with ornamental plantings from container grown nursery stock. When working with container grown nursery stock, the plants travel from the nursery (where they typically receive weekly waterings since germination) to the jobsite. Depending on plant selection and local weather conditions, nursery grown plants will require supplemental irrigation at a minimum, for an establishment period of about 2-5 years. In addition, shrubs, groundcovers, and especially trees will also require supplemental irrigation during successive years of drought conditions. The most ef icient and reliable method for delivering supplemental irrigation will require installation of a permanent irrigation system. Please note: even “temporary”irrigation systems require the same infrastructure and equipment as a permanent irrigation system. An investment in a permanent irrigation system allows for maintenance requirements that are consistent with best management practices and within the typical scope of work and experience of landscape maintenance staff. With an irrigation system in place, water can be applied with great ef iciency and reliability to each plant from the touch of a button. Relying on hand watering for establishment and drought conditions requires weather monitoring, labor hours, additional travel, and an inconsistent application of water. From past experience, this more often than not results in the loss of plant material and/or landscaping not performing at desired expectations for visual appearance. For a large-scale, high-pro ile project such as James Way, I highly recommend a permanent irrigation system to protect your investment in plant material, to minimize water use, and to help maintain expectations for quality and aesthetics of the landscape. The attached renderings were prepared with the following plant species in mind. These plants can be found performing reliably throughout Pismo Beach and were selected based on all of the goals itemized above. Proposed plant selections may include: Crassula ovata - Jade Plant, Asparagus densi lorus ‘Myers’ - Myers Asparagus, and Senecio serpens - Blue Chalksticks. For tree selections, the artist’s renderings are intended to represent Pyrus kawakamii - Evergreen Pear and Syagrus romanzof iana - Queen Palm. Succulent varieties (Jade and Chalk Sticks) offer great ability for long-term drought resistance, tolerance of variable sun/shade conditions, ease of maintenance, and bring a coastal character to the landscape design. The Asparagus fern also provides those same attributes and brings a color and texture contrast for heightened interest along the streetscape. Two tree types (Evergreen Pear and Queen Palm) are proposed as options for screening or highlighting distant views where appropriate along the streetscape. There are certainly many choices for determining the inal approach to improving James Way. Based on the goals stated above, I would like to propose those itemized herein and in attached exhibits. I am happy to respond to any questions or feedback you may have. I commend the City for investing in the environmental and social health of their public spaces and look forward to the beauti ication of James Way.
Sincerely,
Bianca E. Koenig, PLA, ASLA Principal Landscape Architect CA Lic. No. 5081
BELONGING
ENGAGEMENT
KINDNESS
805 550-7448
bekcollective.com
PO BOX 708, CAYUCOS, CA 93430
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Attachment 2