The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About4/16/2019 Item 13, Cooper (2) From:Allan Cooper < To:Schwartz, Luke Subject:Re: 2011 Downtown Pedestrian Plan Dear Luke and Adam - Thank you for contacting me. Attached below is a pdf file of Save Our Downtown's Draft Pedestrian Plan. If you have difficulty opening this file (because of its size) please let me know. - Allan , To help prot ect your priva 104_16_19...pedestrianplan.pdf cy, … On Tue, Apr 16, 2019 at 9:48 AM Schwartz, Luke <LSchwart@slocity.org> wrote: Mr. Allan Cooper, I just saw the Council Correspondence that you provided regarding the Strategic Budget Direction item on the Council Agenda tonight. You mentioned a Draft Downtown Pedestrian Plan that Save our Downtown provided in 2011. Do you have a copy of that plan that you can pass along to supplement the community outreach activities that we will be conducting over the next year as part of the Active Transportation Plan development? Adam Fukushima (cc’d) is leading the ATP effort and can share materials with the project team. Thanks, Luke Schwartz Interim Transportation Manager Public Works Transportation Planning/Engineering 919 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-3218 E LSchwartz@slocity.org T 805.781.7190 slocity.org 1 -- Allan Cooper, Secretary - Save Our Downtown, San Luis Obispo, CA Website: www.SaveOurDowntownSLO.com 2 Save Our Downtown ______________________________________________________________________________ Seeking to protect and promote the historical character, design, livability and economic success of downtown San Luis Obispo. To: Luke Schwartz, San Luis Obispo Interim Transportation Manager and Adam Fukushima, Staff Liaison to the Active Transportation Committee Re: Save Our Downtown’s Draft Downtown Pedestrian Plan From: Allan Cooper, Secretary Save Our Downtown Date: April 16, 2019 Dear Luke and Adam - Per your request, I am hereby forwarding you Save Our Downtown’s Draft Downtown Pedestrian Plan. Of course some of this information is dated as we prepared it eight years ago. As you can see, it is formatted for the most part as an outline and in no particular order. However, this is the result of two years work involving a diverse group of residents including yours truly, a retired Cal Poly architecture professor, David Brodie, another retired Cal Poly architecture professor, two graduate students in Cal Poly’s City and Regional Planning Department, Lana Russell-Hurd and Justin Shui, a Cal Poly professor of landscape architecture, Evangelos Evangelopoulos, a former Cal Poly dean of student affairs, Russ Brown, a retired nurse, Dixie Cliff, a retired dermatologist, Dr. Ivan Cliff, a psychoanalyst, Dr. Joseph Abrahams, a dance therapy instructor, Elisabeth Abrahams, a retired opera singer, Liz Thyne, and others whose current or former occupations I cannot recall including Todd Katz, Linda Groover and Sara McEre. As you already know, we would very much like to remain involved in the development of this Pedestrian Transportation Plan which you will be pursuing in conjunction with your update to the Active Transportation Plan. Thank you for contacting us, feel free to ask us any questions you may have and we look forward to further collaborating with you on this important work program. -Allan __________________________________________________________________________________ Downtown Pedestrian Plan & Revised Downtown Concept Plan: a)Why we need a pedestrian plan: i)A pedestrian plan would ideally: • provide continuous visual interest along the walkways in the form of adjoining shop fronts, street furniture, paving patterns, vegetation, etc. • insure that pedestrian walkways are comfortable, both physically and psychologically in the form of solar access, views, rain and wind protection, etc. • create more short blocks - frequent places to cross and frequent choices of direction (i.e., as indicated in the Conceptual Physical Plan for the City's Center) • insure that public services (i.e., public rest rooms, parking garages and mass transit stops) are within easy walking distance • insure that walkways would connect points of historic and natural interest • insure traffic calming along pedestrian paths • provide audible pedestrian signals and curb ramps • mitigate against a ‘fence effect’” that makes crossing high traffic volume (or wide) streets difficult (i.e., Santa Rosa) • mitigate against incomplete or inadequate sidewalks • make underpasses and overpasses inviting (i.e., Broad St./Highway 101 underpass) • create pedestrian pick-up and drop-off locations ii)To determine need for a pedestrian plan, research would go into: • the location of pedestrian/vehicle/bicycle collisions and mitigate (and research reasons for pedestrian collisions • school-related (i.e., Mission Prep) pedestrian activity and hazards • walking rates iii)Community outreach would involve: •public workshops •a Citizen's Pedestrian Advisory Committee •joining forces with the San Luis Obispo County Bike Coalition (whose mission is: "to transform San Luis Obispo County into a safer and more livable community by promoting cycling and walking for everyday transportation") 547-2055 •joining forces with the SLO Mass Transit Committee iv)Revisit and coordinate the proposed pedestrian plan with: • A Conceptual Physical Plan for the City's Center (this plan MUST be up-dated and adopted) • existing and proposed locations of parking garages • proposed location and design of mid-block connections for the Chinatown Project and the Garden Street Terraces Project • precedents and best practices for pedestrian plans in other cities (i.e., Oakland and Sacramento) v)In conclusion this is what we hope will change with it's adoption: • less ad hoc planning for the location of proposed parking garages (i.e., locating the garages wherever the City happens to own land) •less ad hoc response to the Conceptual Physical Plan for the City's Center (resulting from the fact that this plan has never been formally adopted or updated) • more stringent requirements insuring that proposed walkways have solar access, are protected from inclement winds, are comfortably wide and are buffered from traffic and trash pickup b)Why we need to make revisions to the Downtown Concept Plan i)Pedestrian access and environment quality features we need to preserve that are articulated in the Downtown Concept Plan •Treat sidewalks, and other paths as urbanized parks. • Improve existing streets by providing trees, benches and other furniture, lighting and improved sidewalks (street sidewalks will remain the primary pedestrian routes). • Open up new pedestrian access routes in the middle of blocks (primarily between Marsh and Higuera Streets and in the blocks adjacent to the Government Center). •Extend pedestrian access along San Luis Creek with minimal interference to riparian habitat. •Maintain and enhance safety from crime; design improvements with appropriate lighting visibility and other public safety features. • Provide directory signs for pedestrians. ii)Antiquated Features of Downtown Concept Plan •Historical property "graveyard" •"Gateway" treatment at intersection of Higuera and Marsh Streets iii)Features Not Shown on Downtown Concept Plan •Pedestrian path hierarchy (suggesting phasing priorities for pedestrian enhancements) •Paseo between Marsh and Higuera through the proposed Garden Street Terraces project •Paseo between Monterey and Palm through the proposed Chinatown project •Naman Family Trust development: paseo connection to creek from Chorro •Creekwalk enhancements •Location of Morrow/Palm Street Parking Garage •Location of the proposed Nipomo/ Monterey Street Parking Garage •Constraint maps showing: (a)pedestrian hazards (including areas where collisions occur, dimly lit or hidden areas susceptible to crime, constricted passageways, poorly maintained sidewalks, etc.) (b)pedestrian arrival points (i.e., garages, bus stops, public elevators, likely paths leading to Downtown from Cal Poly, to Downtown from Railroad Square, and to Downtown from the RR ROW pedestrian/bicycle path and "motel row", etc.) (c)pedestrian points of interest (i.e., public restrooms, ATM's, services, government offices, popular shopping paseos, cultural institutions, bars, coffee shops, etc.) (d) key vistas (i.e., vistas of the peaks, of Cuesta Grade, of the creek, of landmark buildings, etc.) (e)location of adverse and favorable winds (f)noxious odors and (g)views to be buffered (h)sun constraints •Revisions showing the following proposed and existing: (a)lighting (b)location of art in public places (c)universal access (d)mid-block crosswalks (e)vest-pocket parks/plazas/patios (f)widened sidewalks by virtue of removing on street parking (i.e., along Garden Street or Higuera Street) (g)intersection bulb-outs (h)planting (i)paving patterns (j)underpass/overpass improvements (k)pedestrian islands (l)landscape devices to frame and shield views and buffer winds (m) park trails (i.e., Mission Plaza) (n)location of history walk information plaques (o)location of other signage (p)pedestrian pick-up and drop-off areas (q)parking garage location (r)recommended location of future parking garage(s) c)Vision, goals and objectives •Goals by 2035 (a)70% decrease in pedestrian/vehicle collisions (b)20% decrease in motor vehicle travel downtown, relative to the City as a whole, while increasing pedestrian, bicycle and public transit trips (c)20% increase in green space land use and public art installations (d)Increase of 10 clean air days in calendar year d) Results from Save Our Downtown’s April 30, 2011 Discovery Walk On April 30th, 2011, Save Our Downtown hosted more than 30 locals to a walk around Downtown. From residents to students, City ofﬁcials to neighbors, design enthusiasts to transportation planners, everyone was invited to learn a little and share a little about their perceptions of the Downtown. Our shared experiences revealed the important qualities that make location a special place and the features that could further amplify the core features of this charming environment. Recurring statements about the features of Downtown are listed below. What was appealing? •Historic architecture •Trees and planters •Outdoor seating •Quality sidewalks •Textured crosswalks •Bulb outs •Public art - painted boxes and sculptures •Views of the mountains What was not appealing? •View of parking lots •Lack of mid-block crossings •Trafﬁc •Narrow sidewalks •Sidewalk clutter •Vacant buildings •Dumpsters in the open Where would people linger? •Where seating, both public and outdoor dining, are present. •Where natural elements like the creek, creek sounds, and greenery are present. •Where there are other people. e) Brainstorming results from May 7, 2011 Walkability Workshop (a)What discourages walkability? (items preceded by number of votes) 10 High-volume, loud car traffic 7 Absences of mid-block crosswalks 6 Lack of necessity goods stores (i.e., hardware and grocery stores) 4 Uneven paving 3 Leaf blowers 3 Uninteresting retail 3 Not enough restrooms or signage directing visitors to restrooms 2 The homeless 1 Fencing for sidewalk cafes 1 Obnoxious college students 1 Messes on curbs and sidewalks 1 People not knowing how to walk 1 Poorly maintained tree wells 1 Inadequate bulb outs 1 No marked crossings in high traffic volume areas 1 Insufficient signage for parking garage exits 1 Broken up sidewalks 0 Smelly garbage bins 0 Not enough blinkers at crosswalks 0 Wintry winds 0 Not enough "discovery" (i.e., not enough meandering paths) 0 Parking structure exits 0 Lack of shade 0 Confusion resulting from lack of signage pertaining to shopping opportunities, etc. (b)What encourages walkability (items preceded by number of votes)? 7 Wider sidewalks 5 Centralized, off-sidewalk bike parking 5 Dog friendly (i.e., waste bag dispensers, water pans, etc.) 4 Well lit at night 3 Nice, changing pavements 3 Narrow streets 2 Less clutter 2 No loitering outside bars 2 Trees 2 Vegetated drainage (bio-swales) 2 Clean sidewalks 2 Enforcing laws against skateboarders 1 Heirarchical lighting plan 1 Well-lit, attractive window displays 1 Diagonal or scramble crosswalks 1 Public art 1 Flowers in tree wells 1 Pictures on recoiling trash bins 1 Additional bike parking 1 Window shopping 1 Appropriate, well-spaced benches 1 Events 1 Few vehicles 0 Pedestrian maps 0 Lit up trees 0 Traffic signals for pedestrians AND bikes 0 Speaking crosswalk 0 Subterranean or unobtrusive trash bins 0 Slower settings on crosswalk timers 0 Flower boxes 0 Variety of shops 0 Drinking fountains 0 Music 0 Shops with windows 0 Interesting people 0 Clearly demarcated path from Cal Poly to Downtown 0 Lack of construction activity f) Best practices (a)Arcata, CA (University town) (b)San Rafael, CA (c)Palo Alto, CA (University town) (d)Portland, ORE (e)Eugene, ORE Overlying Framework That These Pedestrian Plans Have In Common (i)Reduce vehicular traffic (ii)Extended support of public transportation (iii)Promote physical health (iv)Promote social, civic and cultural engagement (v)Support commerce (vi)Safe accessible and designed to increase diversity of use with an emphasis on older people (vii)Continuous, connected walkways that access key destinations (viii)Walking network that is functional and sensible (ix)Seamless links to neighborhoods (x)Designed in a way that calms traffic (xi)Lingering points (xii)Enhance the urban forest, enhance sustainability (xiii) Provide venue for "art in public places" g) Typical Elements of Pedestrian Friendly Streets (f) Streets that are interconnected and small block patterns provide good opportunities for pedestrian access and mobility (g) Narrower streets, scaled down for pedestrians and less conducive to high vehicle speeds (note: street trees at the sides of streets create the perception of a narrower roadway) (h) Traffic calming devices to slow traffic (See Toolkit Section 8) or if appropriate, reduced speed limits • Median refuge islands to provide a refuge area for crossing pedestrians (i)Public spaces and pedestrian “pockets” adjacent to the main pedestrian travel way, that provide a place to rest and interact (sidewalk cafes, benches, etc.) (j) Awnings/covered building entrances that shelter pedestrians from weather (k) Planting buffers, with landscaping and street trees that provide shelter and shade without obstructing sight distances and help to soften the surrounding buildings and hard surfaces (l) Street lighting designed to pedestrian scale (shorter light poles with attractive fixtures that are effective in illuminating the pedestrian travel way but not obtrusive or harsh) (m) Wide and continuous sidewalks or separated walkways that are fully accessible h) Common Residential Traffic Management Program Actions Reducing: Traffic volumes, Vehicle noise, Visual impacts and Traffic speeds (a)Traffic circles, traffic diverters (b)Variable-spaced paint stripes (c)Landscaping to block through views (d)Strict speed enforcement; spot safety improvements (e)“Speed Watch” program; (f)Speed humps/tables i)What exists •Recommend using a Pedestrian Environmental Quality Index (PEQI) to assess the quality of the physical pedestrian environment (see: http://www.sfphes.org/ HIA_Tools_PEQI.htm) •Existing pedestrian circulation hazards (i.e., narrow sidewalks, mid-block crosswalks, missing curb cuts, uneven pavement, etc.) s (a)Note metal doors embedded in the sidewalk are a hazard (b)Corner of Morro and Pacific (no stop, busy and no crosswalks) (c)NW-SE windy streets (d)The highest number of pedestrian collisions occur at left and right turns in front of pedestrians (suggesting the need for more bulb outs) (e)The second highest number of pedestrian collisions occur at midblock (suggesting the need for more midblock crosswalks) (f)The third highest number of pedestrian collisions occur at unmarked crosswalks (suggesting the need for more marked crosswalks) (g)The highest rate of vehicular collisions occur at the Marsh and S. Rosa intersection (h)Previously, the highest rate of vehicular collisions occurred at the Marsh and Osos intersection (i)The second highest rate of vehicular collisions occur at the Chorro and Marsh intersection (j)Other high collision rates for vehicles occur at Chorro and Higuera, Chorro and Palm and Palm and S. Rosa (k)Corner of Chorro and Palm: olives on sidewalk from trees (l)Corner of Broad and Palm; corner of Montery and Broad: no curb ramps (m) Corner of Higuera and Broad: visual clutter caused by 3 magazine racks, bike rack and trash can (n)North side of Higuera between Broad and Nipomo: unpaved tree well in front of McClintock’s (o)North side of Higuera between Broad and Nipomo: visual clutter in front of West End Espresso caused by magazine racks, bike racks and trash can (p)South side of Nipomo between Dana and Higuera: 4 unpaved or ungrated tree wells (q)South side of Monterey between Broad and Nipomo: Children’s Museum staff parking: driveway surface cracked; Leitcher House surrounded by unsightly chain link fence and tall weeds (r)North side of Monterey between Chorro and Morro: in front of Stephen Patrick Designs: unpaved tree well (s)South side of Monterey between Chorro and Morro: in front of Beverly’s Fabrics: unpaved tree well (t)North side of Higuera between Osos and S. Rosa: across from Thai Classic: 3 smelly dumpsters, 8 trash cans and unattractive surface parking lot (u)South side of Higuera between Osos and S. Rosa: 4 trash cans for Firestone and Thai Classic (v)Midblock on Higuera between Morro and Osos: need for midblock crosswalk (w)North side of Higuera between Morro and Osos: in front of Louisa’s: visual clutter caused by 6 newsracks (x)South side of Higuera between Morro and Osos: in front of Cal Poly Store: asphalted tree well needs cosmetic improvement (y)South side of Higuera between Morro and Chorro: in front of Solstice, Papyrus and Express: 3 bare dirt tree wells (z)North side of Higuera between Morro and Chorro: in front of Fiore: bare dirt tree well (aa)South side of Chorro between Higuera and Monterey: in front of Chamber of Commerce: bare dirt tree well (bb)North side of Chorro between Higuera and Monterey: in front of Nautical Bean: constricted walkway; outdoor dining should be enhanced with planters (cc)North side of Chorro between Palm and Monterey: in front of Gaugh Adobe: constricted walkway (dd)North side of Chorro between Palm and Monterey: in front of Ja Nene: cracks around treewell (ee)North side of Monterey between Osos and Morro: visual clutter caused by 6 newsracks (ff)Both sides of Monterey between S. Rosa and Osos: bare dirt tree wells (gg)North side of Higuera between Osos and S. Rosa: bare dirt tree wells (hh)Mid-block Higuera between Osos and S. Rosa: need a mid-block crosswalk (ii)Corner of Monterey and Osos: need a crossing signal box (jj)Monterey between Osos and Morro: constricted sidewalk due to large trees (kk)Intersection of Monterey and Broad (next to Mission Plaza): need sloped curb (ll)Intersection of Monterey and Broad (next to Art Museum): no marked crosswalk on Monterey (mm)Monterey between Broad and Nipomo: constricted sidewalks (nn)Corner of Monterey and Nipomo: no marked crosswalks (oo)Higuera between Osos and Morro: visual clutter constricted passage caused by magazine racks, trash containers and trees (pp)Chorro between Higuera and Monterey: constricted passage caused by three parking spaces and restaurant dining (suggest eliminating on-street parking) (qq)Intersection of Higuera and Garden: need a flashing light crosswalk, need a traffic light (rr)Intersection of Marsh and Nipomo: no marked crosswalks (ss)Marsh between Nipomo and Broad: constricted passageway due to trees (tt)Intersection of Marsh and Garden: no traffic lights; no marked crosswalk (uu)Marsh between Garden and Chorro: constricted passageway due to trees (vv)Intersection of Marsh and Morro: no pedestrian cross box (ww)Intersection of Marsh and S. Rosa: no pedestrian cross boxes •Existing location of public toilets downtown (a)Public toilets (these need signage and access should be made visible to a public right-of-way) (i)Mission Plaza: open approximately 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M.; handicap accessible but needs repair; doors are hidden from view (ii)City/County Library: open during library hours; Tuesday: open 10:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.; Wednesday through Saturday: open 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.; handicap accessible (iii)Chorro St. Parking Garage (corner of Paciﬁc and Morro): open 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M.; handicap accessible (iv)Broad St. parking lot: closed indeﬁnitely (v)Mitchell Park: open 8:00 A.M. – 10:00 P.M.; handicap accessible (vi)Senior Center (Santa Rosa and Buchon): open 9:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.; handicap accessible (vii)Art Museum: 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.; closed Tuesdays; handicap accessible (viii)History Center: open 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.; closed Tuesday; handicap ramp accessible from Broad St. (ix)County and City government buildings: open 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.; Monday through Friday (x)SLO Mission off the back garden: open 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. daily; handicap accessible (b)Private facilities (i)Barnes and Noble: open store hours; handicap accessible (ii)Basement of Novo’s Restaurant: closed for repair (iii) Basement of the Network Mall: not handicap accessible (iv) Ross Department Store locating in changing area: open store hours; handicap accessible (v)CVS Pharmacy: open store hours; closed for repairs; handicap accessible •Location of pedestrian arrival points (a)hotel lobbies (b)garage stair and elevators (c)major paths leading from adjoining neighborhoods & Cal Poly (d)bicycle parking (e)transit stops (f)employee on-street and off-street parking •Location of walking destinations (a)Children's Museum (b)SLO Art Museum (c)Creamery (d)Garden Street (e)Court Street (f)Downtown Centre (g)City and County ofﬁces (h)City/County Library (i)ATM's •Location of adverse and favorable winds Inclement winds generally originate from the northwest and are channeled along streets running perpendicular to Monterey, Higuera and Marsh Streets. For this reason it is notable that there are currently located wind buffers in the form of glass partitions where Court Street intersects Monterey to shield al fresco diners from the cold winds. The streets running perpendicular to Chorro are generally cooler during the summer months when the hot Santa Lucia winds blow from the northeast. These streets also beneﬁt when temperatures are high from the cooler, offshore breezes originating from the west. •Dimly lit or hidden areas susceptible to crime at night Enhanced street lighting should be placed where crimes are mostly committed. Therefore more lighting should be placed along the 600 and 700 blocks of Higuera Street as the majority of downtown alcohol-related property thefts, non- aggravated assaults and alcohol offenses are centered around F.McLintock Saloon and Dining (located at 686 Higuera Street). Similarly, more lighting should be placed along the 1000 block of Chorro Street as most of the other alcohol offenses downtown are centered on Bull’s Tavern and Luna Red. Chorro, Court and Morro Streets need enhanced street lighting as this is where the majority of sexual assaults are located in the Downtown Core. •Location of existing widened sidewalks, bicycle racks, intersection bulb-outs, pedestrian islands, plantings, seating, etc. (a)Southeast corner of Nipomo and Monterey: in front of Children’s Museum: beautiful landscaped bulb-out (b)South side of Morro between Monterey and Higuera: 12 beautiful planter pots •Location of major pedestrian paths (depending on the time of day) (a)Daytime trafﬁc: parking garages; Palm and Garden St. is pedestrian friendly; Higuera is the most walked; City/County Library Courtyard and adjoining public transit area (b)Marsh California and Johnson are pedestrian unfriendly (c)Night trafﬁc is a different story: Nipomo, Morro, Garden (Downtown Brew and Al Anon) and Chorro crosswalks are very active at night; also Court Street, Downtown Center paseo, Art Museum, Mission Plaza, movie theaters on Palm and Marsh •Noxious odors (a)Bubble Gum Alley (b)Behind Mo's (c)Near Bamboo Bantu store on the creek, (d)Black Horse coffee shop (e)Across from Classic Thai restaurant (f)City Hall (g)City/County Library •Location of empty or otherwise underused newspaper racks (a)Near the corner of Garden and Higuera (b)In front of the Palm Theater (c)In front of Luna Red (d)In front of the Wineman Hotel •Location of well-used newspaper racks (a)In front of Pete’s Coffee j) What is needed: •Parameters for the species selection of street trees: 1) esthetically pleasing; 2) provide character; 3) provide identity; 4) soften the downtown appearance; 5) encourage people to linger; 6) provide a positive greenhouse effect; and 7) provide visual focal points. Attention should be paid to the design of tree grates, to the sculptural effect achieved through trunk and branching patterns. In order to address wind mitigation trees should have full canopies in front of tall buildings to mitigate the down- and through-drafts. The selection of species should favor trees that are tall (to optimize shading) and fine-textured. Depending on the location, trees should be evergreen (to shade year-round and provide wind screening) or deciduous (to shade only in the summer and allow sunlight through in the winter); trees should cause minimal root problems and minimal litter. Trees with lighter foliage and trunk color should be selected for the downtown. Trees should have smooth bark textures (non-shedding) and be relatively low-maintenance in terms of trimming and drought tolerance. If possible, natives should be selected (i.e., oaks, redwoods, bishop pine, California laurel, California myrtle). •Recommended street tree planting on a street-by-street basis: (a)Marsh St. & Garden St.: bioswales (with naturalistic planting “clusters) (b)Garden St.: “garden”-like plantings on Garden (with naturalistic planting “clusters”) (c)Palm St.: Native “palms” (d)S. Rosa St. (“rosa” means “rose” in Spanish): “Red”-woods, which are a shade of red…and rose bushes down the median strip, such as are planted in San Marino. Palms down the median strip? (e)Monterey St.: “creek-like” or “mission-like” planting on Monterey (i.e., citrus trees) (f)Higuera St. (means “ﬁg” in Spanish): “ﬁg” trees (g)Morro St. (means “small rounded hill” in Spanish) plantings should vary depending on location: “mound-like” plantings?; Morro Manzanita? “mega” potted plants over creek. (h)Ficus trees along that stretch of Morro abutting the City parking garage & the proposed Chinatown project (i)Osos St. (means “bear” in Spanish): Osoberry or Indian Plum? (j)Chorro St. (means “jet”, “spurt” or “trickle” in Spanish): other water features such as the bear pond in front of the Mission? Non-sun-blocking trees because of the sidewalk cafes (false chestnut?) (k)Broad St. (a boulevard is a beautiful, broad street, lined with rows of “stately trees): Walnut Tree?; Tulip Tree?; Broad Leaved Paperbark? (l)Nipomo St. (means “the foot of the hills” in Chumash): Nipomo Mesa lupine? Landscape that “frames” the hills •Inventory of existing street tree plantings (a)Marsh St.: sickly carrotwoods, evergreen oaks (in front of P.O.), Canary Island pine (Morro & Osos) (b)Garden St.: equal numbers of jacaranda, ﬁcus and carrotwood (c)Palm St.: melaleuca (Chorro & Nipomo), madrone (Chorro & Morro), cork oak (in front of City Hall), jacaranda (in front of Library), ﬁcus (Osos & S. Rosa), juniper (in front of County Courthouse Annex) (d)S. Rosa St.: madrone (Monterey & Palm), sickly carrotwoods (e)Monterey St.: ﬁcus, coral tree (in front of Court St.), madrone (in front of new County Courthouse) (f)Higuera St.: ﬁcus (g)Morro St.: ﬁcus, 1 jacaranda (in front of Palm/Morro garage), no trees (Higuera & Monterey) (h)Osos St.: evergreen oaks (Marsh & Higuera), madrone (Higuera & Monterey), sickly carrotwood (Monterey & Palm), magnolia (in front of County Courthouse) (i)Chorro St.: sickly carrotwood, 2 jacarandas (j)Broad St.: madrone (Monterey & Marsh), olive (Monterey dogleg), melaleuca (Palm & Monterey) (k)Nipomo St.: madrone (l)Paciﬁc St.: madrone, a few jacarandas (Garden & Chorro), podocarpus and madrone (Morro & Osos), maple (Osos & S. Rosa) •Location of "gateways" Gateways are located at the City’s entry points and help to define boundaries and enhance the City’s identity, while reinforcing a sense of place. In some instances, this is accomplished using an attractive monument or a landscaped median. Gateways may also include developments with significant and attractive architectural features, projecting positive images. For example, taking the Highway 101 off ramp onto Monterey Street clearly projects a positive image and is an excellent example of an important gateway. Issues related to “Gateways” include the following: Gateways located in the northern and eastern (mentioned above) portions of the City are more clearly defined. The gateways in these areas have characteristics that create a sense of arrival by means of changes in the character and appearance of the area. An example is the sudden change from rural to urban development as one approaches the Cal Poly campus at Highland Avenue along Santa Rosa Street. Formal streetscaped medians further announce a person’s arrival in the City. In entering the City, a sense of arrival does not occur at the intersection of Marsh and Archer Streets. A small fountain there hardly demarcates that this could be a gateway (though this was its intention). Nor does a sense of arrival occur at the intersection of Monterey and Santa Rosa Streets or Broad and Upham Streets. Many businesses in the South Broad Street area identify themselves as being in the Edna Valley or in the Country Club/Rolling Hills area due to the lack of differentiation with our community to the North. There are a number of gateways identified by landscaped median monument signs along Highway 101. Even with these posted entry points, they do not meet the definition of a gateway since they do not convey a sense of arrival in the City. There is one point where the sense of arrival is clear. For example, the southern part of the City has a distinctive gateway arriving along the less traveled Orcutt Road at the Johnson Avenue and Orcutt Road intersection. •Existing and proposed location of lighting based on circulation hazards (a) Existing lighting plan (below) is remiss in not showing lighting in alleys, in parking lots and in public open spaces •Location of key pedestrian views and vistas (i.e., peaks, Cuesta Grade, the creeks, landmark buildings, etc.) and identiﬁcation of landscape devices to frame/shield views and buffer winds (a) View of San Luis Mountain ▪Northwest corner of Broad and Marsh (surface parking) ▪Northeast corner of Higuera and Nipomo (surface parking lot next to West End Espresso) ▪Midblock and south side of Nipomo between Higuera and Monterey (creekwalk behind McClintock’s) (b) Location of future pocket parks based on key pedestrian views and vistas ▪South corner of Higuera and Nipomo: eliminate parking lot ▪West End Coffee Shop parking lot ▪Creamery parking lot •Nodes or activity centers Nodes are areas of compatible and intensive activities. Nodes typically have identifiable boundaries which, through unique design characteristics, provide a clear sense of place. A well- defined node, containing sharply defined boundaries, is very effective in promoting unity of design, purpose, and aesthetics. Key design issues related to nodes in the City include the following: Some nodes in the City are intended to serve as district centers as indicated in the Land Use Element; Mission Plaza is an example. The District Center concept was developed to promote the concentration of assorted activities in specific areas of the City. Each of the district centers has excellent automobile, bus, and pedestrian access since they are intended to be destination points. Some examples of nodes include the City/County Library which is in close proximity to numerous government agencies; the Children’s Museum, SLO Art Museum and Historical Museum provide a mix of institutional uses; and a number of evolving recreational nodes such as the Creek Walk extension between Broad and Nipomo Streets. Some locations are considered nodes because they are anticipated to be centers of activity in the future. In reality, many of these areas currently have a weak presence and lack the activity, intensity and visibility characteristics of a node. These areas may be designated as nodes or landmarks, but they presently do not function as a node. Examples of this are the Creamery, Garden Alley and the Cheng Chinese Garden. •Location of proposed history walk information plaques o Murray Adobe o Mission San Luis Obispo o Mission Plaza o Sinsheimer o Muzios o Rose Alley o JP Andrews o Old Country Courthouse o Fremont Theater o Obispo Theater o Lubliner & Schartz Building o Higuera Street o Wineman Hotel o Tower Building o Johnson Block Building o Maino Building/Tank Farm Fire o Warden Block o Bubblegum Alley o Creek Walk o Children’s Museum o The Creamery o Soda Water Works o Harmony Valley Creamery o Haye/Latimer/Leitcher Adobe o SLO Museum of Art k) Design guidelines that are missing in the current Community/Downtown Design Guidelines should include: •Easy way-ﬁnding for universal access •Underpass/overpass improvements •Landscaping and paving patterns for cross-walks, pedestrian islands and intersection bulb-outs •Park trails (i.e., through Mission Plaza and beyond) •Consolidating newspaper racks, trash cans, bicycle racks, etc. •"Urban design" principals including an understanding of the characteristic proportions of buildings downtown, the "tripartite" composition typical of 19th century building elevations (i.e., a base, a middle and a top), the important role played by "backdrop" architecture, the characteristic morphology of speciﬁc building types and the spatial proportions characteristic of each street. •Responding to micro-climate issues created by street and building orientations. •Consider terracing buildings and sloping roofs toward public open spaces or natural features to ensure that the visibility of new developments from natural features and open space areas are minimized. •Utilize landscape as an important aesthetic and unifying element throughout the Downtown Core. •Maximize natural ventilation, sunlight, and views. •Use landscape to support storm water management goals for ﬁltration, percolation and erosion control. Use landscape to provide unique identities to streets. •Encourage the provision of approximately ten percent of a project’s net site area as public space. l) Implementation and policies •Additional mandatory requirements for Downtown project submittals (a)Plan submittal requirements for any project in excess of (to be deteremined) sq. ft. located in the Downtown Core: (i)physical model (ii)digital model (using the downtown digital model that the City has on ﬁle) (iii) elevations of existing contiguous buildings •Links to, and future collaboration with, the SLO Circulation and Land Use Elements, links to the Bike Committee Plan Update and Mass Transit Plan Update, coordination with the Signage Program; coordination with project review procedures; coordination with ArtsObispo’s Art In Public Places program and coordination with the County Bicycle Committee (i)Bike Committee Plan 1) Advocate incorporation of grade separated crossings (including 2 over Highway 101) and all seven new bicycle boulevards for BOTH pedestrians and bicyclists as indicated 2) Incorporate traffic circles, one way chokers, raised medians and bulb outs at intersections leading into bike boulevards to enhance traffic calming for BOTH pedestrians and bicyclists 3) Provision of bike racks encourages pedestrian activity downtown. We need more than the current 24 racks that are downtown. Advocate centralized bike parking and a parking management system that provides advanced real time electronic monitoring of available bike parking spaces (see Nippon Signal technology) 4) Advocate that the Bike Plan Update be coordinated with the development of a draft SLO Pedestrian Plan (ii)SLO Circulation Plan (the bold, italicized type indicates our suggested additions to this plan) 5.0 Policies 5.0.1 Promote Walking •Walking should be encouraged as a regular means of transportation for people who live within a 20-minute walk of school, work, or routine shopping destinations. 5.0.2 Sidewalks and Paths •The City should complete a continuous network of sidewalks and separated pedestrian paths connecting housing areas with major activity centers and with trails leading into city and county open areas that avoid sensitive areas. 5.0.3 New Development •New development shall provide sidewalks and pedestrian paths consistent with City policies, pedestrian transportation plans, programs and standards. 5.0.4 Pedestrian Access •New or renovated commercial and government public buildings should provide convenient pedestrian access from nearby sidewalks and pedestrian paths, separate from driveways and vehicle entrances. Vehicle entrances and exits should be equipped with an audible warning system alerting pedestrians of on-coming traffic. 5.0.5 Pedestrian Crossings •To improve pedestrian crossing safety at heavily used intersections, the City should institute the following: A. Install crossing controls, where warranted, that provide adequate time for •pedestrians to cross the street (in excess of 30 seconds for crossing S. Rosa St.) and install sound indicators for the visually impaired and visual indicators showing the time left to cross. B. In the downtown, install textured cross walks and landscaped bulb- outs, where appropriate necessary to deter jaywalking and facilitate traffic calming. C. On Arterial Streets, Parkways or Regional Routes with four or more travel lanes, install planted medians at pedestrian crossings where roadway width allows. 5.0.6 Commercial Core •Sidewalk areas in the commercial core should allow for the free flow of pedestrians and should include conveniently-located rest areas with shade and seating. 5.1 Programs 5.1.1 Pedestrian Transportation Plan •The city will shall adopt a Pedestrian Transportation Plan to encourage walking and to expand facilities that provide pedestrian linkages throughout the community. 5.1.2 Sidewalk Network •The City will pursue the installation of sidewalks to complete a continuous network throughout the community. 5.1.3 HandicappedRamps •The City will continue its annual program of replacing existing curbs with handicapped ramps. 5.1.4 School Routes •The City should work with parents and teachers of elementary school students to establish a "suggested routes to school" program for bicycling and walking. 16.0.2 Encourage Alternative Transportation •Programs that reduce dependence on single-occupant vehicles and encourage the use of alternative forms of transportation should be implemented first. 16.0.4 Non-Vehicular Program Objectives •Funding for auto-related street projects, and parking structures and bicycle improvements shall be pursued in a manner that is consistent with the should not prevent the city from meeting its non- vehicular program objectives. (iii) SLO Land Use Plan (the bold, italicized type indicates our suggested additions to this plan) 2.1.3 Neighborhood Traffic •Neighborhoods should be protected from intrusive traffic. All neighborhood street and circulation improvements should favor the pedestrian and local traffic. Vehicle traffic on residential streets should be slow. To foster suitable traffic speed, street design should include measures such as narrow lanes, landscaped parkways, traffic circles, textured crosswalks, and, if necessary, stop signs, speed humps, and bollards. 2.1.4 Neighborhood Connections •All areas should have a street and sidewalk pattern that promotes neighborhood and community cohesiveness. There should be continuous sidewalks or paths of adequate width, connecting neighborhoods with each other and with public and commercial services to provide continuous pedestrian paths throughout the City. (See also the Circulation Element.) 2.1.5 Neighborhood Open Links •The City should treat streets, sidewalks, and front setbacks as a continuous open link between all areas of the City and all land uses. These features should be designed as amenities for light, air, social contact, and community identity. 4.5 Walking Environment •Downtown should provide safe, exciting places for walking and pleasant places for sitting. To invite exploration, mid-block walkways, courtyards, and interior malls should be integrated with new and remodeled buildings, while preserving continuous building faces on most blocks. Downtown streets should provide adequate space for pedestrians. There should be a nearly continuous tree canopy along sidewalks, and hanging- as well as sidewalk planters should provide additional foliage and flowers near public gathering areas. To maintain the downtown’s appeal for pedestrians, new buildings should not obstruct sunlight from reaching sidewalks on the northwest side of Marsh Street, Higuera Street and Monterey Street at noon on the winter solstice. •(Amended 2007, Council Resolution 9872) 4.6 Public Safety •Indoor and outdoor public spaces should be observable (and well- illuminated at night) from frequently occupied or traveled places, to enhance public safety. 4.7 Open Places and Views •Downtown should include many carefully located open places along major pedestrian paths where people can rest and enjoy views of the surrounding hills. Downtown should include some outdoor spaces where people are completely separated from vehicle traffic, in addition to Mission Plaza. Opportunities include extensions of Mission Plaza, a few new plazas, and selected street closures. 4.10 Parking •There should be a diversity of parking opportunities. Any major increments in parking supply should take the form of structures, located at the edges of the commercial core, so people will walk rather than drive between points within the core. Retail uses outside the core, and professional office developments, may have on-site parking for customers and clients. 4.11 The Creek •San Luis Obispo Creek should be protected and restored, provided this can be done in a manner that minimizes human impact on creek life. Walking paths along the creek in the downtown core should be provided and extended to link into as links in an urban trail system, provided this will not further degrade wildlife habitat value of the riparian ecosystem. As properties that have encroaching buildings are redeveloped, the City should enforce a reasonable building setback from the riparian zone which permits sunlight to filter into the creek area to the extent that buildings abutting the creek shall not shade the northerly side of the creek at noon on December 21st.. (See also Resource Protection Sections in the Conservation and Open Space Element and Safety Element) Opportunities to open covered sections of the creek should be pursued. 4.16.1 Street Level Activities •The street level should be occupied by stores, restaurants, and other uses benefiting from and contributing to pedestrian traffic, such as offices with frequent client visits. Stores and restaurants may occupy upper levels. Offices not having frequent client visits should be located above street level. 4.16.3 Continuous Storefront •There should be a continuous storefront along sidewalks, at the back of the sidewalk, except for the Courthouse and City Hall blocks, plazas, recessed building entries, and sidewalk cafes and along public creekwalks 4.16.4 Building Height •Tall buildings (50-75 feet) shall be designed to achieve multiple policy objectives, including design amenities, housing and retail land uses, such as: * A major pedestrian connection between Higuera Street and the Creekwalk, Monterey Street and the Creekwalk, between Higuera Street and Marsh Street, or at another acceptable mid-block location * Directly implements specific and identifiable City objectives, as set forth in the General Plan, the Conceptual Plan for the City’s Center, the Downtown Strategic Plan and other key policy documents 4.16.6 Sidewalk Appeal •Street facades, particularly at the street level, should include night- illuminated windows, signs, and architectural details which can be appreciated by people on the sidewalks. 4.19 Implementing the Downtown Concept Plan •The City will consider including features of "A Conceptual Physical Plan for the City’s Center," as appropriate, in its Zoning Regulations, architectural review guidelines, engineering standards, and capital improvement program. (iv) Community Design Guidelines (the bold, italicized type indicates our suggested additions to these guidelines) 4.1 - Goals for Downtown Design •The primary goal of the following downtown design guidelines is to preserve and enhance its attractiveness to residents and visitors as a place where: people prefer to walk rather than drive; and where the pleasant sidewalks, shading trees, and variety of shops, restaurants, and other activities encourage people to spend time, slow their pace, and engage one another. The design and scale of buildings and their setting, circulation, and public spaces in the downtown have, and will continue to play a crucial role in maintaining this character and vitality. •Another principal goal of these guidelines is to implement the vision of the downtown Conceptual Physical Plan wherever feasible. 3. New buildings should not shade the northerly sidewalk of Marsh, Higuera or Monterey Streets at noon on December 21st. Information demonstrating this objective shall accompany all applications for architectural review as detailed on application checklists. i. Use planter walls and other pedestrian-oriented features on the ground floor such as windows, wall detailing, and public art. j. Consider the quality of natural and reflected light in public spaces within and around the project site and choose materials and colors (e.g. light colors) to enhance lighting effects with respect to available solar exposure. 5. The following guidelines are established in recognition of the particular service demands of buildings downtown. Planning for the following considerations must be done early so that proposed building designs correctly depict final construction. a. Utility boxes for phone, cable, electricity, natural gas, information systems and/or other services should be located along service alleys, within the building, or in a sub-grade vault. b. Location of back flow prevention devices and the fire sprinkler riser must be identified on project plans submitted for Architectural Review and shall be located inside the building, consistent with County Health Department requirements. c. Minimum sidewalk width should be 8-feet clear of obstructions for pedestrians (furniture, news racks, street trees etc.) across 100% of the project frontage. Minor deviations may occur where necessary to preserve street trees, or where right-of-way limitations reduce available sidewalk width. While wider sidewalks are desirable, they may not be feasible in all locations where on-street parking, loading zones or travel lanes are determined to be a higher priority, and where building setbacks are considered architecturally incompatible. E. Public spaces, plazas and courtyards. Public spaces on downtown sites should be designed as extensions of the public sidewalk by providing continuous retail frontage, pedestrian amenities such as benches (bench location should be determined based on orientation to the sun, buffered from cars and wind) and fountains, and by continuing the pavement treatment of the sidewalk. * Plazas and courtyards are encouraged within the downtown. * Primary access to public plazas and courtyards should be from the street; secondary access may be from retail shops, restaurants, offices, and other uses. * Shade trees or architectural elements that provide shelter and relief from direct sunlight and/or wind should be provided. * Courtyards should be buffered from parking areas or drive aisles by low walls, landscaping, or other features to clearly define the edges of the pedestrian space. * Ample seating should be provided. * Bicycle parking should be provided. 1. Street layout. New public streets and sidewalks should be aligned with, and be connected to those of adjacent developments to interconnect the community. a. Pedestrian orientation. Subdivision design should emphasize pedestrian connectivity within each project, to adjacent neighborhoods, nearby schools and parks, and to transit stops within 1/4-mile of planned residential areas. All streets and walkways should be designed to provide safe and pleasant conditions for pedestrians, including the disabled, and cyclists. b. Block length. The length of block faces between intersecting streets should be as short as possible, ideally no more than 400 feet, to provide pedestrian connectivity. 4. To achieve the desired lighting level for parking and pedestrian areas, it is preferred to have more, smaller scale lights instead of fewer, overly tall and large lights. Parking lot lights shall be as low in height as possible, and shall not exceed a height of 20 feet from the approved finished grade to the top of the fixture. Fixtures should be down-type lights with shields, preferably with metal halide lamps. Illumination levels at the finished grade below the each light fixture shall not exceed 10 foot candles under the fixture, and three foot candles at the dimmest point. D. Pedestrian access. Parking lots and parking garages should be designed to help direct pedestrians comfortably and safely to building entrances. 1. Walkways should be clearly delineated by changes in the color/ texture or texture of paving materials. 2. Parking lot aisles should generally be oriented to run perpendicular to the building’s entry to allow pedestrians to walk parallel to moving cars. This strategy also minimizes the need for the pedestrian to cross parking aisles and landscaped areas. 3. The design of pedestrian access within a site should also consider pedestrian access to adjacent sites and uses. 4. The ground level of parking garages should be allocated to senior citizens E. Alternative paving materials. The City supports the use of innovative paving materials such as colored and/or stamped concrete, brick or grasscrete to help define an entry or walkway, to minimize the visual expansiveness of large paved areas, or to help save a specimen tree. However, care should be taken that walkways connecting disabled- accessible parking stalls or public sidewalks and transit stops to proposed uses are constructed with smooth surface materials that can be comfortably negotiated by people with disabilities. K. Pedestrians. Signage for pedestrians should be provided where necessary (such as indicating the location of public toilets) for orientation. Suspended and small projecting signs are good choices for business identification in the downtown. Signs near building entries should be of human scale. m) Location of major paths Paths are the means by which people travel throughout the City including freeways, streets, walkways, and bikeways. Another important function of paths is to create linkages between districts, nodes, and other destination points. These linkages may be strengthened by view corridors associated with landmarks, natural features, and open spaces. Key urban design issues related to “paths” include the following: Paths include freeways and main thoroughfares and serve as the framework for the City’s urban form. Two of these streets, Higuera Street and Broad Street, also serve as the “axis” for the City’s street numbering system. These roadways are the primary east-west, and north-south transportation routes, intersecting at the heart of downtown San Luis Obispo. Some of the “paths” have both a local and regional function. Many major paths convey a good impression of progression as one travels through the City, providing a sense of movement across hospitality, office and commercial areas or across residential and commercial. Some examples include Monterey Street and South Chorro Street which become narrower and more intense at the City core. Some paths lack important attributes, such as a distinct hierarchy of uses, scale, and density of buildings. The absence of a contextual relationship between a path and the adjacent land uses leads to a lack of cohesiveness and identity between business districts and nearby neighborhoods. A number of important paths in the City do not reflect their importance as major path. Santa Rosa Street is an example of how its character does not relate to the abutting Downtown Core district. Major paths include disruptions in the rhythm and context of development pattern. These interruptions reduce the feeling of progression of a corridor from less intense areas to the more intense City core. The presence of surface parking lots and auto sales lots on major streets like South Broad Street or mid-Higuera Street creates visual confusion. The incompatibility between a building’s original function and its current use directly reduces the character and continuity of a path. Without appropriate remodeling, adaptive reuse of single purpose structures create a disjointed feel from the character of the path and the adjacent neighborhood to the new activity. Distinct major paths in San Luis Obispo include Santa Rosa Street, Broad Street, Higuera Street and Monterey Street. Each of these corridors contain unique design features that should be reinforced, such as the medians along South Broad Street and North Santa Rosa Street, the small scale of structures along North Broad Street, and the Ficus street tree canopy along Marsh and Higuera Streets. There are a number of paths in the City that are not as significant and visible as the major paths mentioned previously, but are very important in defining the City’s form. Some notable examples include Mill Street between California and Johnson (flanked by camphor trees) and Buchon Street between Broad and Chorro Streets. A very positive feature of many paths in San Luis Obispo is their ability to communicate, to travelers and pedestrians, the identity of the districts they traverse. These paths convey a better sense of place and facilitate the creation of a strong City form. This is due, in large measure, to the unique cultural diversity and historic heritage of the San Luis Obispo neighborhoods which are portrayed by the physical attributes and character of these paths. For example, Higuera Street, Marsh Street, and Monterey Street convey a strong procession to the Downtown. Vehicle circulation is given precedence over pedestrian movement in strip oriented commercial development along South Broad, South Higuera and North Santa Rosa Streets. Significant pedestrian paths passing through the Downtown Core include Court Street, the Downtown Center, Mission Plaza, Garden Street, Higuera Street, Monterey Street, Chorro Street, Morro Street and Osos Street. These pedestrian paths have a very strong presence in the City and the community, providing a variety of amenities, such as retail shopping, office, services, and entertainment uses which complement each other and attract people. Other streets have the potential to accommodate both vehicle and pedestrian movement, especially Marsh Street and other downtown streets. n) Funding incentives o Similar to the Memorial Bench and Rack with Plaque Programs, institute: ▪a "Chicane Name" Program ▪a "Tree Grate Plate" Program ▪a "Commemorative Crosswalk" Program ▪an adopt-a-planter program ▪an adopt-a-water truck program o Provide restaurants with greater incentives to add sidewalk dining by decreasing the cost of permit fees for sidewalk widening. o Introduce variable parking pricing during peak hours o) Non-funded incentives o Monterey St.: self-guided tours (via follow the red line) o More art in public places o More benches o More sidewalk dining o Frame scenic vistas o More plantings o More public restrooms o More drinking fountains o More pocket parks o Preserve sunshine o More wind buffers (i.e. planters) o More bike parking o Heritage tree plaques o Adequate provision of trash recycling receptacles o Doggy bag dispensers p) Remove disincentives to walking o Public drunkeness o Uninhabited or poorly illuminated places o Bird and tree droppings o Blank walls o Derelict properties that are not properly screened o Unsightly parking lots o Unsightly or smelly trash containers o Make all sidewalks and curbs ADA accessible (Obtain an ADA accessibility map from the Human Relations Commission) q) Proposed revisions, additions and deletions to the Conceptual Physical Plan for the City’s Center in map form: