Smoky Hollow Specific Plan 2018 (web version)
5.2 Implementation Action Plan
To fully implement the Smoky Hollow Specific Plan, a series of specific
policy and regulatory actions are required. Implementation will require collaboration with local businesses, partner agencies, and the City. The Implementation Action Plan (Table 5-1) lists specific actions and provides a priority timeframe, primary responsibilities and partners, approximate costs, and potential funding sources. It should be noted that generalized phasing and cost estimates are based on baseline (2017) costs, funding sources, and logistics. Actual timing, costs and implementation will be dependent on development activity, funding and staff resources. Funding sources are further described in Section 5.3.
5.2.1 Strategic Approach to Delivering Major Infrastructure Projects
Many of the short-term and ongoing programs in the Implementation Action Plan are relatively inexpensive to deliver and will lay the groundwork for future change; examples of these programs include publicizing opportunities under the new Specific Plan and ensuring that Smoky Hollow is well-integrated with City economic development and marketing efforts. In contrast, delivering major infrastructure projects will require a multi-step, longer-term strategic approach.
The first actions to be implemented should focus on additional studies to better understand costs and potential revenues to pay for projects. A detailed engineering study should examine the costs of delivering proposed individual major infrastructure projects, including options and costs for phasing the improvements over time. A separate study should analyze projected revenues that could be generated by different funding sources, including the amount of debt that would be incurred and which stakeholders would be responsible for paying for improvements under each funding option. Taken together, these studies can then inform
a more detailed discussion with property owners and the El Segundo City Council as to which funding tools are best suited to deliver different improvements and projects to prioritize; then decisions can be made about how to move forward.
The Implementation Action Plan (see Table 5-1) identifies major physical improvements by short-, medium-, long-term, and on-going actions. However, this approach may need to be reconsidered based on the results of the engineering and funding studies, which may find that it is significantly more cost-effective to prioritize certain infrastructure projects over others, or to construct a major infrastructure project all at once instead of through a multi-step process. For example, it may be more cost—effective yet still expedient—to construct the El Segundo Boulevard reconfiguration and improvements all at once, rather than completing an interim streetscape improvement. The cost savings must be weighed against the extra time it would take to plan and construct the major improvement project, and the accompanying lost opportunity to incentivize additional investment in the immediate future by completing an interim improvement.
5.2.2 Sustainability
Smoky Hollow supports a sustainable future for local businesses and the environment. The Smoky Hollow area will evolve in a sustainable manner by decreasing reliance on automobiles, reducing the urban heat-island effect, and promoting sustainable sources of energy. The City encourages the use of solar panels, cool roofs, and tree plantings for new and existing development. The City also encourages businesses to seek out delivery, transport, and fleet vehicles that use clean and alternative fuels. Smoky Hollow is a hub for innovation – as technologies evolve, Smoky Hollow can lead the way in sustainability.
Table 5-1: Implementation Action Plan
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TIMEFRAME Short = 1 to 5 Years Medium = 5 to 10 Years Long = over 10 Years Ongoing |
COST $ = <$50,000 $$ = $50,000 to $250,000 $$$ = $250,000 to $500,000 $$$$ = over $500,000 |
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SPECIFIC ACTIONS |
TIMEFRAME |
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY/ PARTNERS |
COST |
FUNDING |
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Action 1. Amend the General Plan to be Consistent with the Smoky Hollow Specific Plan Amend the General Plan to be consistent with the adopted Smoky Hollow Specific Plan land uses, density/intensity standards, and/or policy direction. |
Short |
City |
$ |
City |
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|
Action 2. Publicize Specific Plan Changes Develop a handout describing the new Smoky Hollow Specific Plan guidelines, standards, and incentives. Publicize and distribute to area businesses, property owners, and real estate professionals as a resource to encourage reinvestment and development in the area. |
Short |
City |
$ |
City |
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Action 3. Complete a Detailed Engineering Study to Determine Costs for High-Priority Major Infrastructure Projects Identify the high-priority major infrastructure projects, and complete cost estimates for completing the projects. Include different options for phasing the improvements over time or excluding/including different components. |
Short |
City |
$$ |
City |
||
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Action 4. Complete a Revenue Projections Study Analyze projected revenues that could be generated by different funding sources for the major infrastructure projects. Develop recommendations for sources to be used and how they should be applied to different improvements. |
Short |
City |
$ |
City |
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Action 5. Capital Improvement Plan Integration Identify applicable capital improvements from this Specific Plan in the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Update based on priorities outlined in this Implementation Plan with each budget cycle. |
Short |
City |
$ |
City |
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Action 6. Acquire Grant Funding Research and apply for Federal, State, and regional grant funding programs that offer funding for improvements in Smoky Hollow.. |
Ongoing |
City |
$ |
Federal State SCAG Metro Grants |
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Action 7. Positive Business Climate Marketing Ensure that El Segundo’s economic development activities aggressively market Smoky Hollow’s strong competitive location and supportive regulatory climate for users in a variety of industries, such as creative and multimedia industries. |
Short |
City |
$$ |
City |
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Action 8. Crosswalk Enhancement Pilot Project Work with property owners and businesses to identify crosswalk enhancement locations along Franklin Avenue. Implement a pilot project to make visual enhancements to crosswalks, which could include a community art competition to design crosswalk art and other roadway intersection paintings. |
Short |
City |
$ |
City Federal State Grants Metro Private |
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Action 9. Parklet Pilot Project Work with property owners and businesses to identify locations for temporary parklets. |
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Action 10. El Segundo Boulevard Streetscape Improvement: Short Term Implement roadway restriping to accommodate an eight-foot parking lane on the north side of El Segundo Boulevard while maintaining a four-lane configuration. |
Short |
City |
$$ |
City |
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Action 11. El Segundo Boulevard Streetscape Improvement: Mid Term Implement street tree plantings within the parking lane along El Segundo Boulevard as feasible, and incorporate drought-tolerant landscaping. |
Medium |
City |
$$ |
City Grants Private |
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Action 12. El Segundo Boulevard Reconfiguration: Long Term Remove the four-foot landscape strip on the south side of El Segundo Boulevard to accommodate a wider sidewalk on the north side of the street. This adjustment will double the sidewalk’s width to eight feet. Implement sidewalk improvements (e.g., street tree plantings in curb bulb-outs, street furniture, bicycle racks, and pedestrian scale lighting), improve drought-tolerant landscaping, and create pedestrian amenities where feasible. |
Long |
City |
$$$$ |
City Grants Private |
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Action 13. Grand Avenue Streetscape Improvement Implement roadway restriping to accommodate two 11-foot lanes and two 13-foot shared lanes for cyclists and automobile parking (sharrows) on Grand Avenue. Work with Metro to develop wayfinding signage to improve access to the Mariposa and El Segundo Metro Green Line Station. Add wayfinding signage to Downtown and the Marvin Braude Bike Trail. |
Short |
City Metro |
$$ |
City Grants Private |
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Action 14. Franklin Avenue Streetscape Improvement: Phase 1 Implement sidewalk improvements (e.g., street tree plantings, parklets, street furniture, bicycle racks, and pedestrian scale lighting), and create pedestrian amenities where feasible. Add creative crosswalks to complete Franklin Avenue vision for short-term improvements. |
Short |
City |
$$ |
City |
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Action 15. Franklin Avenue Streetscape Improvement Phase 2 Implement a “woonerf” or living street concept for Franklin Avenue to include two multi-modal lanes shared by automobiles and cyclists, parking lanes that integrate tree planters, and two six-foot curbless sidewalks. Integrate enhanced paving along Franklin Avenue, pedestrian lighting, and parklets. |
Medium |
City |
$$$$ |
City |
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Action 16. North/South Streets Reconfiguration Reconfigure (re-stripe) key north/south running streets to provide a 20-foot one-way travel lane and a 20-foot angled parking lane to increase on-street parking capacity. |
Short |
City |
$$ |
City |
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Action 17. North/South Streets Streetscape Improvement Implement streetscape improvements (e.g., street tree plantings, parklets, street furniture, bicycle racks, and pedestrian scale lighting), and create pedestrian amenities where feasible. |
Short |
City |
$$ |
City |
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Action 18: Establish New Funding Mechanisms Using the results of the previously completed engineering cost estimates and revenue projections, work with property owners, businesses, and developers to establish mutually agreed-upon funding mechanisms, such as a Property-Based Business Improvement District (PBID) or Business-Based Business Improvement (BID), and other district-based funding tools. |
Medium |
City Property Owners Business Owners |
$ |
City Property Owners Businesses |
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Action 19: Transportation Management Association (TMA) Establish a TMA to implement travel and parking demand reductions in Smoky Hollow, in conjunction with the related improvements described in the following actions. The TMA’s work would closely coordinate with the activities of the parking benefit district, if the latter is created. |
Short |
City |
$ |
City Property Owners Businesses |
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Action 20: Establish Parking Benefit District The parking benefit district will create a mechanism to oversee and guide reinvestment of parking permit revenue, fee revenue, and other sources in order to increase the supply of parking in Smoky Hollow, reduce parking demand, and improve management of existing spaces. The benefit district will establish a process for business permit parking, making parking spaces available via permit, on a first-come/first-serve basis, or arising from a change of land use/occupancy, and/or building additions. |
Medium |
City Property Owners Business Owners |
$$ |
City Permit, Fee, and Fine Revenue Property Owners Businesses |
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Action 21: Establish Parking In-Lieu Fee Provide for the establishment of a parking in-lieu fee where new developments, changes of occupancy, and additions to existing buildings in the district have the option of paying an in-lieu fee as a substitute for providing on-site parking. Revenue generated by the in-lieu fee program can be used to fund the new parking facilities or to fund improvements that reduce automobile parking demand, such as pedestrian, bicycle, and transit improvements recommended in this Specific Plan, as well as maintenance and operations of parking facilities. |
Short |
City Property Owners |
$$ |
Property Owners |
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Action 22: Parking Monitoring Program Via the TMA and/or parking benefit district, establish a parking monitoring program to track parking supply and demand in Smoky Hollow and assess performance of the area’s parking standards. Establish timeliness to re-assess Specific Plan implementation and standards and make modifications as needed. |
Medium |
City |
$ |
TMA City |
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Action 23. Key Intersections Crosswalk Improvements Implement crosswalk improvements at key intersections in Smoky Hollow to increase pedestrian safety and branding. These improvements should be prioritized based on the results of the engineering cost study and available funding. |
Medium |
City |
$$ |
City Property Owners Businesses |
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Action 24. Transit Improvements Coordinate with transit providers to provide additional or extended routes through Smoky Hollow. Ensure that bus stop layouts, street furniture, shelters, and signage |
Medium |
City Metro Beach Cities Transit |
$$$ |
City Metro Beach Cities Transit Federal Funding |
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Action 25. Expand the El Segundo Lunchtime Shuttle Bus Expand the existing El Segundo Lunchtime Shuttle to create a new shuttle route |
Medium |
City |
$$ |
City Metro Beach Cities Transit Federal Funding TMA |
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Action 26. Bicycle and Pedestrian Connectivity. Continue to develop and implement bicycle and pedestrian improvements in Smoky Hollow, including bicycle parking along key north/south streets and bicycle signage and sharrows on bike-friendly streets. These improvements should be prioritized based on the results of the engineering cost study and available funding. |
Ongoing |
City |
$$ |
City Federal Funding |
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Action 27. Multimodal Marketing. Via the TMA, promote multimodal transportation to create awareness and opportunity for commuters to take the train or bicycle to work. |
Short |
City Metro |
$ |
TMA City |
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Action 28. Shade Trees and Open Space Continue to prioritize the provision of open space and planting trees. Emphasize planting of trees to shade sidewalks in order to mitigate the heat island effect and encourage pedestrian activity. These improvements should be prioritized based on the results of the engineering cost study and available funding. |
Ongoing |
City |
$$ |
City |
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Action 29. Partnerships Establish an environment of collaboration and partnership between the City, other public agencies, key stakeholders, and community to help ensure the implementation of this Specific Plan. |
Ongoing |
City Property Owners Business Owners Metro SCAG Caltrans |
$ |
City |
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Action 30. Expand Marketing of Smoky Hollow through Event Programming Coordinate with City’s existing programs and activities to highlight and include Smoky Hollow, and work with Smoky Hollow businesses–or business representatives such as a future PBID/BID–to expand and market events such as the El Segundo Art Walk, and create new events that highlight the district. |
Ongoing |
City Property Owners Business Owners |
$$ |
City Businesses |
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