Bayside Chair on the Issues

By Lookout Staff

May 31 -- A property owner on the Promenade, Bill Tucker is currently the chair of the Bayside District Board, where he has served for five and a half years. Tucker was a member of the Promenade Uses Task Force, which crafted a series of recommendations approved by the City Council to maintain a healthy mix of uses on the popular strip.
In addition, he was a member of the Parking Task Force, which hammered out a $92.5 million plan, also approved by the council, to add 1,700 new spaces Downtown by 2010.

1. What is the single most important issue facing the Bayside District and why?

We are in jeopardy of being lulled into complacency. We cannot ever rest on our laurels or rely on our past successes. We must not be afraid to evolve. Being content with what we have accomplished to date and being secure in the status quo will eventually lead us to the reversal of our successes.

The only constant in life is change; to that end, we must continue to move forward, grow and be willing to try new ideas.
Without this much needed evolution, people will become disenchanted with a stale district and will eventually consider us "old and tired." It is important to stay fresh and as much as possible, in an organic way, continue to evolve and strive to remain a destination spoken of throughout the world.

2. The latest tax figures show that sales continue to increase Downtown. What must be done to make sure that trend continues?

Our sales figures will continue to increase as we attract more local and regional visitors. This will happen as the area continues to make concerted efforts to stay fresh and move ahead. However, it is also important that we take good care of certain infrastructure issues, specifically parking and theaters.

Whether we like it or not, access to Santa Monica and our district is still primarily driven (no pun intended) by the automobile. The first and last impression our visitors receive is based on their experiences in our parking structures. Entering or leaving the structures with the frustrations of being caught in a stranglehold while waiting for a car to back out of a precious parking space needs to be corrected as quickly as possible.

I also place theaters into the infrastructure category, as the theaters truly are our anchors, just as department stores are mall anchors. It is of crucial importance that these theaters be state-of-the-art showplaces with stadium seating if they are to continue to be the ever-important anchors that they are.

3. The presence of transients has been the biggest complaint of many merchants and visitors Downtown. Is there anything the City can do to curb the problem that it hasn't already done?

Aside from asking the police to enforce all City ordinances to the full extent of the law, the transient problem needs to be clearly defined so that City officials understand that a large part of the problem is a"perception issue." The district needs to "look safe" and the public needs to "feel safe" even if police statistics show that our visitors are not in any actual danger.

Elderly citizens do not want to worry about harassment, and families do not want to be afraid to allow their children to run ahead for fear of a transient population. Therefore, the best way to counter this “perception” problem is to encourage the City to strengthen its police patrol and/or to encourage the City to bless an Ambassador program. With this increased police and/or Ambassador presence, the District will look and feel safer than it does today, and visitors will feel more secure.

4. The transit mall and now improvements along 2nd and 4th streets are part of an ongoing effort to lure shoppers to the streets surrounding the Promenade. Has this been successful? What else can be done?

New and exciting future tenants opening on 2nd and 4th streets will eventually be a magnet that will draw patrons to both the transit mall and to 2nd and 4th streets. The wide transit mall sidewalks on Broadway and Santa Monica Boulevard are good infrastructure components, but by themselves are not enough nor are they successful in attracting tenants/patrons.

We must look to the redevelopment of the parking structures, which should have pedestrian friendly retail spaces on the ground level, and foster a more synergistic retail shopping experience. Combining the redevelopment of the parking structures with City improvements such as interesting lighting along 2nd and 4th streets also will be an enhancement to the District.

5. The development of Santa Monica Place is the subject of an extensive public process. What opportunities and potential problems does it pose for the Promenade?

Depending on what happens with the redevelopment of Santa Monica Place, the Promenade and the entire Bayside District may benefit from this program. Specifically, if the redevelopment includes a large component of housing, the District could benefit from an increased customer base without the burden of providing more parking. The same is true with a large office or hotel component.

Also, if the redevelopment is such that the project is an attraction in its own right, then Bayside will benefit from the proximity of this "new attraction." Similarly, if the redevelopment includes a "fourth" Promenade block, then it too will be adding to the evolution of the District. And as long as the Promenade's capital improvements are updated concurrently, this would add to the positive evolution of the District.

Contrary to the benefits which may be precipitated by the redevelopment, negatives could be created if the redevelopment does not tie into the District, or if all the new parking is created under the project without building other new parking throughout the District. Similarly, it may be adverse to the District as a whole if the new development includes a fourth block that is policed in a different fashion than the three existing Promenade blocks.

6. What is your vision for the Bayside ten years from now?

In ten years, I envision a District that will be energized by the Promenade, but will have grown and has reached out to perhaps include Ocean Avenue, 2nd, 4th, and 5th Streets. Also, depending on what is developed by the Macerich Company, the District may also include Santa Monica Place.

Although this expansion may necessitate a new definition of the Bayside District, it could lead to sustaining a healthier pedestrian environment that is not bound by artificial walls. The District will spread its arms to encompass a wider circumference, creating a larger but less crowded urban living room experience.