Consultants suggest cafes, cleaner alleys as solution
THIRD STREET PROMENADE — A $58,400 survey performed earlier this year to determine how to fix the Third Street Promenade has already prompted officials to make changes. However, bigger problems still loom, and if ignored, the outdoor mall’s economic viability could crumble, consultants say.
Project for Public Spaces, a New York-based consulting firm that attempts to maximize a community’s public spaces to its advantage, was hired last year and suggested several ways to make the Promenade a more vibrant and economically viable business district.
The Promenade Uses Task Force, a committee comprised of merchants and city politicians, worked with the consultants to address immediate issues, such as the loss of restaurants and locally-owned stores on the Promenade.
Based on recommendations from consultants, the task force (and subsequently the City Council) adopted some new regulations that make it easier for a restaurant to open on the Promenade. They also lifted restrictions on outdoor dining and expanded the vending cart operation, using the kiosks more to merchants’ advantage. Among other changes, they limited retail storefronts to discourage additional chain stores.
But there were many suggestions that have been either tabled by city officials or are no longer being considered. A report given to city officials earlier this year by the consultants summarizes what most people already knew — that the Promenade isn’t operating to its full potential and has experienced a distinct shift over the past three years that has alarmed both merchants and city officials.
The consultants attribute the decline to several factors — most of the stores being corporate, a dearth of restaurants, too many loitering transients. In addition, the alleys — the main thoroughfare leading from the parking structures — leave much to be desired.
“The best thing about the alleys now is their potential,” the report states. “They smell overwhelmingly of urine, have views of dumpsters more than businesses and have little signage. Also, there is nothing of interest to people in them — almost no businesses open... and no activities take place there.”
At a minimum, PPS suggests that the alleys should be better maintained, lighting should be improved and local artists should paint murals on the walls. Beyond the appearance of the alleys, PPS suggests that art shows, vending and cafes be implemented there. Businesses should also open their doors to the alleys, which would extend the street into more of a district.
“I think the alleys need to be upgraded,” said City Councilman Herb Katz, who served on the task force. “You have to find ways to hide the trash.”
The original plan for the Promenade called for the development of the alleys and adjacent streets into one district. The goal was never achieved, but it must be revisited if the Promenade will continue to thrive, PPS concluded.
“The success of the Promenade should be allowed to spread before it ends up damaging the area,” the report states. “Third Street’s success is distorted — in a sense, artificial — because of the lack of viable opportunities for businesses to take root and thrive in adjacent and nearby streets.”
The consultants add that Second and Fourth streets are practically devoid of people.
“In effect, the disparity in retail-friendliness is partly attributable to the lack of pedestrian friendliness of other streets,” the report states. “What is needed is to replicate what was done on the Promenade to the surrounding district.”
The consultants suggest that other streets should be more pedestrian-and bicycle-friendly. Sidewalks should be widened to allow for more cafes and vehicle lanes should be narrower to help slow traffic. More on-street parking should also be considered.
If the entire downtown area is going to be an expanded district, it must be funded by a new revenue source which the consultants suggest could be raised through public money and assessments.
But if there is going to be a new district, the Bayside District Corp., which manages the downtown with City Hall, will need more money to manage the area, the consultants said.
The report also suggests that the Promenade doesn’t “appear to be a pedestrian street so much as it does as a street with pedestrians” because people avoid walking down the center. That was designed to keep people walking by store-fronts, say the consultants, but the street space isn’t being used to its full potential.
That can be remedied with creating better seating areas, hosting more public gathering events and having additional cafes, the report concludes.
The consultants also think there are too many buildings that don’t support street activity, like the city-owned garages. All buildings should have ground-floor uses that catch the attention of passersby. And the surface parking lots downtown should be used for new movie theaters because the ones on the Promenade are outdated.
Katz said that even though the consultants pointed out the obvious, the process allowed them to think “out of the box.”
“I’m an anti-consultant guy, I think we over consult,” he said. “But these guys are over-the-top good. They got us into creative thinking and out of our narrow thinking. This was one of the times the consultant was worth their salt.”
“They got us into creative thinking and out of our narrow thinking. This was one of the times the consultant was worth their salt.” — — HERB KATZ Santa Monica City councilman
The 31-page report goes into detail on how Santa Monica should implement the suggested changes and how long it should take to do it. While city leaders don’t like all of the suggestions made, it opened their eyes to potential opportunities in the future.
“I think we did learn a lot,” said Bayside Board member Rob Rader. “They told us things we knew, but also things we didn’t know.”
Kathleen Rawson, executive director of Bayside, said a lot of today’s issues were issues back in 1966 — a study then suggested that transients, lack of parking and traffic were the main problems plaguing the area.
“I have often reviewed past studies and they become historical documents,” she said. “Consultants hopefully guide you and make you think outside of Santa Monica.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 9, 2003. Read the original PDF.