May 16, 2024
Letter to City Council per Shell Beach sidewalks item on next agenda.
Dear Pismo Beach City Council:
RE: Shell Beach sidewalks, specifically sidewalks of commercial properties that front on residential streets
Note in this photograph of Leeward Avenue that there are no sidewalks on Leeward Avenue where these commercial properties wrap around onto the residential side street.
Leeward Avenue is one of the busiest residential streets in Pismo Beach. In addition to approximately 35 residences and the attraction of the ocean at the end, it has the Shell Beach Veteran’s Building, the Shell Beach Library, a parking lot, and comings and goings to a church on the next street.
At the corner of Leeward Avenue and Shell Beach Road, we have residential foot traffic walking in the street, co-mingling with moving vehicles that are exiting and entering the street. Although just about every other street in Old Shell Beach was improved by the Streetscape Project, gaining at least bulb-out to bring foot traffic at least around the corners to provide safety for pedestrian traffic, Leeward Avenue was left with no place for pedestrians to legally walk.
If you do not require either of these commercial properties to install sidewalks, you could, and should, be held liable for any accidents or injuries involving pedestrians hit by vehicles at this intersection.
You have, ‘post-Streetscape’, again permitted the grandfathered two-story structure on the left in this photo to encroach into the right of way without providing a sidewalk, nor any form of access. The motel on the right has built a wooden trash enclosure in the sidewalk right-of-way and has fenced the property to the curb, leaving no room for pedestrians.
I am asking you to maintain your ability to rectify the situation and provide a sidewalk along the Leeward frontage, at least on the motel side, should the motel come in for a building permit of any kind in the future. However, if you pass the ordinance as presented in your packet, the motel will be exempt from providing a sidewalk along the Leeward frontage in the future. Thus, Leeward Avenue will have a permanent bottleneck, continuing to force pedestrians into the street to mingle with vehicles coming around the corner off of Shell Beach Road, as well as with traffic entering Shell Beach Road from Leeward.
I also urge you not to presume that all the streets in Old Shell Beach are hopeless and too antiquated to ever accommodate sidewalks, particularly as the encouragement of ADUs will increase traffic and density over time. I urge you to include a ‘waiver of the right to protest future assessment districts for sidewalks and utility undergrounding’ for all substantial projects.
Thank you for considering these concerns,
Effie McDermott