New center will sport environmental design
DOWNTOWN SM For almost a year, a sign attached to the window of an empty store on Broadway has informed passers-by of better things to come for the Big Blue Bus and its loyal riders — a new customer service and transit store.
But more than seven months after a public hearing at which the project was presented before the architectural review board, the sounds of construction have yet to be heard.
“It’s a long process,” said Dan Dawson, customer relations manager for the Big Blue Bus.“Even though the Big Blue Bus is part of the city, we have to follow city protocol.”
The process requires Big Blue Bus to obtain approval from the fire marshal, fulfill a long city planning department check list, send out a request for proposals to bidders and — finally — make its choice among candidates.
City Council is expected to approve a $587,000 contract for TLD Construction at its meeting on Feb. 27, at which point the project can move forward.
After the contract is approved, city officials hope to hold the first construction meeting in mid-March, with the goal of completing the entire project in time for the summer travel season.
The new customer service center and transit store will sell EZ passes and tokens, provide trip planning information to customers, and even sell Big Blue Bus and city of Santa Monica merchandise, including Big Blue Bus T-shirts.
The store will feature environmentally friendly products, including a Big Blue Bus notepad made out of seeds. The note paper can be planted and grown into a poppy garden.
“Our goal is to make it the most environmentally friendly retail store in Downtown Santa Monica,” Dawson said.
The new site — at 223 Broadway — includes a convenience factor that the current shop lacks. The new downtown store is located within a few blocks of nearly all Big Blue Bus lines, while the current store — at the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Seventh Street — is situated in close proximity to only one bus line.
“It’s not convenient for people,” Dawson said. “We’ve heard that for many years, and we finally have been able to get a grant to move the customer service center.”
Many major transit systems in cities worldwide have opened customer service centers and stores in their downtowns. Examples include London’s Tube and New York City’s MTA.
“A lot of people have a hard time knowing where the bus center is, and it’s a long walk,” said Mark Panitz, a Mar Vista resident who struggles to commute to Santa Monica every day due to a disability. “The new center is going to be very convenient. It’ll be easier if I want to complain about a bus driver, though I hardly have complaints with the Big Blue Bus.”
The new transit store and customer service center is expected to receive a silver rating from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system of the U.S. Green Building Council. The city has adopted the LEED certification system — which acknowledges environmentally friendly buildings — as a design basis for the construction of all new public facilities in the city.
The design concept of the center is based on the Big Blue Bus itself, with a metal blue ribbon encircling the outside of the store and flowing into the counters and displays inside, said Warren Wagner, principal of W3 Architects in Venice.
The interior will be constructed from recycled material — the ground will be made out of recycled ground tires, the wall from straw board, and the counter top from recycled cola bottles.
“We’re using an interesting mix of green building materials, and we’ll have a passive ventilation strategy and day lighting strategy to create an extremely energy-efficient place to work,” Wagner said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 8, 2007. Read the original PDF.