Recipe for Downtown's Success

By Rob York

May 18, 2010 --Downtown Santa Monica is an important community asset. It has provided Santa Monica with a vibrant public gathering spot and a level of economic strength and stability envied by other municipalities nationally. Yet we cannot take Downtown’s success for granted. We must plan and invest wisely to maintain a vital Downtown.

Why is Downtown Santa Monica Important?
Downtown greatly impacts the City’s economy and image. Community services, social programs, environmental initiatives, arts and educational support, and capital improvement projects are all tied in part to the health of Downtown. And without a vital Downtown, many ambitious public and private projects would not be possible: no major redevelopment of Santa Monica Place, no possibility of a Broad Museum, no credible potential to cap the Interstate 10 freeway between the Civic Center and Downtown and the transformation that project might bring.

Careful planning and management, or the lack thereof, can have dramatic effects on the health of Downtown. During the 1970s and 80s, the image of Santa Monica suffered in part due to Downtown’s empty, blighted buildings, worn infrastructure and a disproportionate homeless population. As a result of significant planning efforts beginning in the 1980s, Downtown experienced a major revitalization in the 1990s.

In the past 20 years, Santa Monica has seen its reputation soar and its financial position greatly improve. Its desolate city center was transformed into a case study for creative economic development. Santa Monica is now perceived as a leader in addressing the national issue of homelessness and is far less defined by its transient population.

Governments, communities, developers and planners from around the world have studied the City’s revitalization efforts. Even in the throes of a major recession, Downtown has proven resilient and helped Santa Monica maintain a fundamentally sound economy.

Downtown's critical role in Santa Monica will become even more evident as the City moves toward adopting the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE), a blueprint that will guide development for the next two decades. LUCE calls for the vast majority of the city to be protected and preserved essentially in its current state. As a result, Santa Monica will rely more on Downtown to keep the community vital.

Guiding Principles
As the City begins to review its goals for Downtown and prepares to create a new specific plan for the area, the following priorities should be considered.

Continue to Develop a Holistic, Diverse Downtown
Downtown encompasses a wide range of commercial, residential, civic and cultural uses. With Third Street Promenade an established success, the greatest opportunities lie in the rest of Downtown. Downtown has the potential to offer a broader array of local and visitor-serving uses and new neighborhoods with a range of housing types.

In order to promote active ground-floor commercial space, improved design guidelines are required. A significant portion of that space is challenged by low ceilings, recessed or blank façades, grade separations and awkward landscaping.

Relatively minor revisions to design standards and a bit more flexibility on building heights will allow for viable ground-floor space that will foster entrepreneurial businesses, a broader range of retail and services and greater pedestrian activity.

Downtown’s surface parking lots represent some of the most obvious development opportunities. Surface parking is inconsistent with a vibrant urban district and rarely makes economic sense given local land values.

The owners of these properties should be encouraged to pursue appropriate development of their sites. As surface parking lots are converted over time, Downtown’s urban fabric will be strengthened, new neighborhoods will spring up, and a greater supply of ground floor commercial space will provide opportunities for new businesses. For that to work, the process for opening a small business must be streamlined.

In addition, targeted marketing support can help current businesses by establishing and promoting smaller districts within the larger Downtown. The districts can feature unique identities centered on design, food, fashion, services, etc. For example, the area’s many home furnishings and design-oriented stores might support a more defined design district. Santa Monica’s leading position in food, the environment, and wellness can be reinforced through careful promotions and focused events.

Reinforce and Expand Downtown’s Pedestrian Orientation
A combination of continuous ground-floor activity and attractive sidewalks and crosswalks will make the entire Downtown an enjoyable pedestrian environment. Enhanced pedestrian connections to the adjacent neighborhood and natural, arts, civic and cultural resources will better integrate Downtown into the wider community.

The alleys adjacent to the Promenade represent a specific, ongoing challenge that needs further work. The alleys still serve as a key pedestrian linkage from the public parking structures. However, as the surrounding streets become more active and appealing, more of the structures’ patrons will likely choose the sidewalks of Second and Fourth Streets and leave the alleys to their more utilitarian functions.

Serve the Local Community First
Downtown must remain a local-serving resource that also serves a diverse visitor and workforce population. Without relevance, convenience and accessibility for the local community, Downtown’s success will become fragile and lose the authenticity that sets it apart from many other destinations.

Pursue a Comprehensive Approach to Transportation and Infrastructure
Downtown is both a local and regional destination. When light rail arrives in a few short years, the area will be served by the full complement of transportation options. Access and infrastructure for pedestrians, cars, bicycles and public transit must be carefully integrated to avoid potential conflicts.

Parking continues to be a challenge for Downtown. Most people still arrive by car, including local residents. After many years of study and debate, Downtown is now seeing reinvestment and expansion of its parking facilities. New parking facilities featuring improved design and the more efficient operation of existing structures can alleviate the parking stress. Real-time parking information provided to motorists at the structures and through mobile technology can assist those arriving by car to more efficiently store their vehicles and join the pedestrian experience.

Every member of the community has a stake in a vibrant Downtown. In order to maintain its critical role as a community asset, economic engine and positive image for the City of Santa Monica, Downtown needs to continue to grow and evolve.

Rob York heads York Consulting Group LLC, a real estate development consulting firm, and has been an advisor to the Board of Bayside District Corporation since 1990.