TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Philippe Eskandar, City Manager
BY: Amber Shah, Parks & Public Works Director/City Engineer DATE: September 27, 2024
SUBJECT: MISSION STREET BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT
DISCUSSION
STRATEGIC PLAN CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS
Attractive, Complementary Business District
Engaged and Connected Residents
Fiscally Responsible and Transparent City Government
Safe Community
Well-Maintained Infrastructure
BACKGROUND
The Mission District in the northwest area of San Marino is one of the primary commercial centers of the City, with a variety of shops and restaurants. In recognition of the Mission District’s importance in the community and in an effort to enhance the overall appearance of the streetscape in the commercial area, the City Council has appropriated funds in the Capital Improvement Program for a “Mission Street Beautification” project since FY 2020-21. As part of this effort, the City retained the design services of The Arroyo Group in 2021 to develop conceptual plans for the beautification of the Mission District area. These plans were developed with the intent of helping improve business activity in the area and creating a walkable environment with a series of connected gathering spaces. The conceptual plans were presented to the City Council at its July 30, 2021, meeting. At that meeting, the Council voted to move forward with elements for public safety and pedestrian improvements, and directed staff to explore the topic further with the community at a future meeting before bringing the project back to City Council for further direction.
Due to transitions in staff managing this project following the meeting in July Steven W. Huang, DDS, Mayor
Gretchen Shepherd Romey, Vice Mayor
Tony Chou, Council Member
Calvin Lo, Council Member
Steve Talt, Council Member
2021, the project has been on hold. In order to resume moving forward with this project, staff held a community meeting on April 2, 2024, to reintroduce the project and provide members of the public with an opportunity to provide their input on potential improvements that should be prioritized and incorporated into this project. The meeting was promoted on the City’s website, weekly e-newsletter, social media, targeted emails to community stakeholders, and direct mailers to 400+ households and businesses in the Mission District area. Having received this input, staff is now seeking direction from the City Council on how to proceed with potential improvements.
DISCUSSION
On April 2, 2024, a community meeting was held at the San Marino Community Center related to the Mission District beautification. The meeting was well-attended by residents and business owners, who were able to provide input on their preferences for potential improvements. Staff provided attendees with a total of seven (7) potential improvements. Attendees were able to vote for up to four (4) improvements they would like to see prioritized (weighted from 1-4 points), and were also able to provide a “non-support” vote for an idea they were opposed to. The potential improvements were:
· Curb Bulb-Outs
· Tree Lighting
· Street Furniture
· Planter/Plant Pots
· Sidewalk Replacement
· Entry Monuments
· Street Pole Banners
Below is a summary of the scoring for each potential improvement based on voting results. A more detailed breakdown with transpositions of resident/business owner comments is included in Attachment 1.
Point Value Summary
Item Total Points from Votes Non-Support Votes
Curb Bulb-Outs 90 1
Tree Lighting 55 1
Street Furniture 41 0
Planter/Plant Pots 35 0
Sidewalk Replacement 25 0
Entry Monuments 8 9
Street Pole Banners 2 4
Based on community input, as well as budget-related considerations, staff recommends proceeding with a complete sidewalk replacement and installation of street tree lighting as the primary improvements in the Mission District area. Replacement of the sidewalk will both improve pedestrian safety as well as improve the overall aesthetic appearance of the area. Replacement of the sidewalk also provides an ideal opportunity to install the electrical conduit and related infrastructure necessary for street tree lighting at the same time, further enhancing the aesthetic improvements in the area.
Although curb bulb-outs received the highest overall score to support it as a potential improvement, they are also the most expensive option to design and construct under consideration and would likely not be able to be completed with the amount of funding contemplated for this project. Significant additional study would also need to take place in order to assess the impact of potential bulb outs on parking availability, traffic flow/turn radii, and other roadway users such as cyclists. Therefore, staff does not recommend incorporating curb bulb-outs in the project at this time based on cost, and site constraints due to limited street parking in the area.
Staff is seeking direction from the City Council on which elements the Council would like staff to include in the project. Staff recommends the City Council discuss and provide direction on the elements staff should move forward with to design and construct. After receiving Council direction, staff proceed with obtaining more specific, refined proposals for the option(s) selected.
FISCAL IMPACT & PROCUREMENT REVIEW
The City’s adopted FY 2024-25 budget includes an appropriation of $500,000 in Account No. 394-48-4600-0520 and an additional $500,000 is projected in FY 2025-26 for a total of $1,000,000 for the Huntington Drive/Mission Street Beautification project in the Capital Improvement Program budget. No new appropriation is required based on the rough cost estimates to design and construct the options recommended by staff, as described in the report.
However, should the Council select additional and/or alternative options that exceed the allocated project budget, an additional appropriation would be required in the future. It should also be noted, the original scope of the project was to be completed in two phases with beautification on Huntington Drive following the beautification on Mission Street. An additional appropriation would also be required in the future for any improvements on Huntington Drive.
Procurement review is not applicable.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney's office has reviewed and approved as to form.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council direct staff to proceed with the final design and bidding of the project to include the elements selected by Council for the beautification of the Mission District. If the Council concurs, an appropriate motion would be:
“I move to approve the following elements: complete sidewalk replacement and installation of street tree lighting (and/or any other options that may be selected by Council) to be included in the final design of the project, and direct staff to proceed with the final design and bidding of the project.”
ATTACHMENTS
1. Results from April 2, 2024 public meeting
2. City Council Staff Report presented at July 30, 2021 meeting
3. Conceptual Plans presented at July 30, 2021 meeting