PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
FEEDBACK FROM STUDY SESSION, April 17, 2023
Questions from Commissioners
• Clements: How will this be paid for? Does implementation of the Specific Plan get prioritized as part of the City’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP)? o RRM/Consultant: Specific Plan will have an Implementation Action Plan with some general phasing and prioritization. It can help with future CIPs and start looking for future funding. It's a policy document and creates a roadmap. It can also support grant applications.
• Roof: The phased approach to planning will also apply to implementation? o RRM/Consultant: Yes, essentially. It will give a clear roadmap on how to go in the future.
• Roof: Has staff received feedback from business owners on 700 block of Laurel St.? o Lisa Porras, Planning Manager: The Downtown Advisory Committee has a wide range of representatives, including business owners on Laurel Street. Staff has received feedback, particularly those business operators who are not restaurant operators, with concerns about access. Staff explained that this process includes looking at how alleys can play an elevated role to provide access to these businesses should closures occur.
o RRM/Consultant: Yes, we are talking to them. In a full street closure scenario – and in the widened sidewalk scenario, both of these would allow more visibility to those businesses. There also is a balance between community education and engagement. This is component is part of an education campaign in that sense.
• Garvey: Would housing densities and those developments be impacted by closure of Laurel Street?
o Lisa Porras: Densities have been set through housing element update. One of the remaining items is building height in core which will be looked at as part of this plan.
o RRM/Consultant: Development opportunity exists whether the streets are closed or not. Whether streets are closed or not doesn’t impact the densities.
• Castaneda: Have we asked the community that given we have 2 plazas [Harrington Park and the new plaza off 600 block of Laurel], do they still want the closure of Laurel Street?
o RRM/Consultant: The community saw all of these options [Laurel closure, Harrington, 600 block plaza, and alley concepts] at same time. They were aware that there would be all of these opportunities for new public spaces.
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• Castaneda: For the alley improvements, is there any loss of parking anticipated with these changes?
o RRM/Consultant: the alleys haven’t been designed yet, so we don’t know whether there will be a loss of parking at this time.
o Lisa Porras: The City will be doing an evaluation of parking occupancy as part of this process and with that we will be able to make informed decisions as the process evolves.
• Iacoponi: Alleys- what are the strategies to permit employee and patron parking in alleys, and what are strategies to make alleys work with other priorities (e.g. walking, loading, trash, parking, access, etc.)? Seems like a conflict. o RRM/Consultant: Idea isn’t to repurpose the alley but rather to clarify where people should be. More of an organization as opposed to a trade-off. Alleyway design is more of an organization approach as opposed to trade off.
• Iacoponi: Do cities use one way traffic on alleys?
o W-Trans/Consultant: Cities can do that. There are trade-offs with this decision.
Need to look at it more closely, by making it one way there restricts access. We are looking at employee parking as part of this study.
Public Comments
• Brian Shields, Local 217 : I also attended the Coffee and Comments Open House event.
Workers are paid in cash. I ask that some level of consideration be given to people who will be doing the construction.
• Sonia Elks: Appreciate the city's outreach efforts. As a sustainable transportation advocate. Micro mobility devices (ebikes and scooters) - don't overlook micro-mobility as it's much harder to jump from car-oriented living to walking straightway, and biking and micro-mobility can bridge that gap towards transitioning to sustainable modes.
Make sure biking and micro-mobility access is thought of instead of just relying on people walking. We should not overlook micro-mobility access.
Planning and Transportation Commission feedback on 3 key questions:
A. Should the 700 block be turned into a full plaza?
B. Is there agreement on design elements for public spaces (i.e. Harrington Park and new plaza at 600 block of Laurel?
C. Is there agreement that alleys should be improved with new surface materials, lighting, gateway features, landscaping and murals?
A. 700 BLOCK, LAUREL STREET
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• Clements: I do support it being turned into a plaza. A plaza that is permanent in place.
Make things safer and lovely. Orange barriers need to go - is the sentiment of community. Investing in closure is better. I love bistro lighting; keeping it up long term is exciting.
• Garvey: Loved the interactive survey. The packet was helpful. I like the widened sidewalk option. It balances parking and other objectives. Link the 600 and 700 and 800 blocks visually so people feel like they want to down all the blocks. • That would be my consideration even if we close 700 block. However, not opposed to closing the 700 block for a plaza.
• Roof: Echo Garvey’s thoughts about connecting the 600, 700 and 800 … a promenade really invites people, promenade is cool idea more than just one block closure. 600 - 800 blocks are well connected. We should look at is as a promenade as opposed to a destination where you sit in one place. I do support conversion to full plaza but it needs to work for businesses.
• Castaneda: I support widened sidewalk option. Given we will have those 2 spaces [Harrington and 600 block plaza]. This would alleviate business concerns. Tie the streets together with lighting. If there is full closure however, we need to think about alleyways, so businesses have parking for customers.
• Iacoponi: Closing the 700 block presents a real opportunity as a City, to being a regional destination and give citizens and the broader peninsula something to really be proud of.
Look at other businesses in the region – it can be seen that they can be accessed by the back. Take cues of public space from other places, such as Menlo Park and the parking behind Trader Joe’s – awnings, good signage, good lighting – the thought that we can only get into the business from the front changes. Perhaps a program for businesses to have secondary access might be beneficial. If we were to implement a street closure, could support businesses in creating a second entrance, or even a new primary entrance. It seems like this is really an opportunity to change our community, especially with more housing/future residents coming in. Regarding movies in the plaza, Laurel Street closure and 2 plazas provide an opportunity to add more programs. The vitality of downtown is through all businesses and not just restaurants.
B. DESIGN ELEMENTS FOR PUBLIC SPACES
• Roof: Redesign of Harington is good idea
• Garvey: From Wheeler Plaza to Laurel Street, if there is a restaurant, will people feel comfortable walking through the seating area? More people will be parking in Wheeler
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Plaza garage, need to make it easy for people to get to Laurel. I like idea of the full plaza with an archway for Wheeler Plaza garage.
• Clement: I agree with my colleagues. For Harrington Park, because there is such a strong interest in events and music, if we can redesign that space and keep it focused on music and events. Appreciate the sunshade, and to activate it and make it more vibrant, placing the stage closer to Laurel Street is a good idea. In terms of the plaza next to Wheeler – the historic market San Pedro Market with back Plaza – all restaurants share the outside area. If there is a way to permit bikes through Laurel, that would be a good thing – don’t want anyone banned from that space. Use paving and materials to indicate where they should be. Use of archways is inviting and helpful. • Castaneda: For plaza off Wheeler - support the full plaza idea; connect to the parking behind, could be used for events, leaving it open gives it lots of flexibility. For Harrington, the full plaza idea or music and stage - you can do both, and with shading.
• Iacoponi: It would be a loss to not have any music stage in City. We can include a water feature of some kind. Loss to not have a music stage or venue in the City. The more musical oriented option. Personally a fan of water- Stanford mall and success they’ve had with water, soothing sound, kids like to play. The notion of shade trees – important and adds design connectedness. Lighting makes a difference and effective use within park spaces.
C. ALLEYWAYS
• Clements: Enthusiasm for the 700 block closure was based on well-defined approaches and accessibility in the alleys. I am not sure which businesses need space for truck delivery. Public parking near businesses is expected and asking employees to park one block further. The alleyways need tidying and can be attractive. Can include awnings and signage. Create placemaking through public art in crosswalks, art on the ground can be so lovely. The alleys are going to have to do everything. As we think through parking – cars aren’t the only thing to park in the downtown.
• Roof: Skeptical on what can be done there. What problem are we trying to solve? Is it aesthetics? Is it access to stores? Is it more parking or access to parking? If you can, solve the congestion and lack of pedestrian paths. Having some sort of functional vision of alleys would be helpful. A functional plan would be useful.
• Castaneda: We will need more parking and more access if the 700 block is closed. I like the idea of adding art, the archway, wayfinding and signage is
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essential. There will likely be loss of parking in the alley.
• Garvey: Tidying up the alley is a priority for me. Delivery trucks need to park.
Employers incentivized to park elsewhere, so the few spaces can be used for public parking. Somehow, we have to reframe the availability of wheeler plaza garage. Support art on the pavement, like wayfinding.
o Iacoponi: Feel the same as Commissioner Roof. Strikes me that we have an asset – a mile of alleyway that is underutilized. Without knowing what we want from it hard to know what we’re planning for. Parking for patrons is important or part of it. How much space is there and how it gets divided up. Alleys are the least attractive part of downtown, but they don’t have to be the most beautiful. The extent it gets enhanced visually depends on how and what we use it for. The notion of Wayfinding is important and valuable. Electronic identification of the number of parking spaces available.
• Garvey: Regarding alleyways and the Housing Element - when more housing develops, egress and ingress will be through alleyways. Access is probably the width of double garage. That space is not available in the alleys. That must be factored in and how many of these garages do we envision?
• Clements: Agree that alleyways will have to do everything. Cars are not the only thing to park. We need to encourage scooters and ebikes parking.
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