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CC - (1) Presentation by Staff on the MOVE Culver City Quick-Build Mobility Lane Pilot Project; (2) Approval of the Design Guidelines, the Design Decision Recommendations, and the List of Key Materials Outlined in the Staff Report and in the Presentation; (3) Authorization to Staff to Finalize the Design Based on the Design Guidelines, the Design Decision Recommendations, and the List of Key Materials; and (4) Direction to the Transportation Department as Deemed Appropriate.
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Meeting Date: February 1, 2021
Contact Person/Dept: Diana Chang / Transportation Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-6566
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [] Attachments: []
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date:
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (01/28/2021)
Department Approval: Rolando Cruz (01/26/2021)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) receive a presentation by Staff on the MOVE Culver City Quick-Build Mobility Lane Pilot Project; (2) approve the Design Guidelines, the Design Decision Recommendations, and the List of Key Materials outlined in the staff report and in the presentation; (3) authorize Staff to finalize the design based on the approved Design Guidelines, the Design Decision Recommendations, and the List of Key Materials; and (4) provide other direction to the Transportation Department as deemed appropriate.
BACKGROUND
On May 18, 2020 during the City’s FY21 Budget Study Session, City Council directed City Transportation Department to capitalize on reduced traffic as a result of the pandemic by reclaiming space on the street and installing dedicated bus lanes to improve mobility throughout the City. Subsequently, Staff conducted the research and planning work and returned to the City Council on July 13, 2020 with a recommended plan to implement quick-build mobility lane pilots on three major transit and access arterials (Culver and Washington Boulevards, Sepulveda Boulevard, and Jefferson Boulevard) that can bring positive and impactful changes to mobility throughout the City.
On July 13, 2020, City Council directed staff to move forward with procuring consultant services to plan, design, and implement quick-build mobility lane (bus/bike lane) pilot projects to test and demonstrate the benefits of such infrastructure in maximizing the use of roadways and improving movement to, through and from Culver City. Through repurposing travel lanes for multi-modal transportation, the City aims to facilitate the efficient movement of people and to raise public awareness and acceptance of dedicated transit lanes, improve transit travel time and reliability, and improve access for cyclists and scooter riders. These pilot projects will also serve as an opportunity for the City to learn how the permanent infrastructure improvements would work.
Consistent with the City Council’s direction, Staff conducted a Request for Proposal process to procure such consultant services and, on September 29, 2020, City Council approved the professional services agreement with Sam Schwartz to plan, design, and implement quick-build mobility lane pilot projects.
Sam Schwartz partnered with Street Plans and together are a team with extensive experience in developing and implementing tactical transit lane projects throughout the country. They have successfully completed an extensive number of tactical transportation improvement and street transformation projects, including tactical bus/bike lane pilot projects and dedicated bus lane projects in Miami, Denver, Pittsburgh, and San Diego. Street Plans have also produced a research report for the Transportation Research Board titled “Fast-Tracked: A Tactical Transit Study” that focuses on how to use quick-build methodology to expand transit options, improve existing service, increase ridership and to support safer and more efficient use of streets. The Project Manager in Sam Schwartz has over 17 years of experience and was responsible in the planning of 12 Bus Rapid Transit corridors throughout the country, including several tactical transit lane implementation projects. He has led successful tactical transit implementation in Chicago when he managed the Bus Rapid Transit Program for the Chicago Transit Authority. He is also leading major street transformations in Los Angeles, such as in the Hollywood Walk of Fame Master Plan project. The deputy project manager in Street Plans also has over 17 years of experience and has led tactical transit implementation all over the country.
The overall project has been branded as the MOVE Culver City Project as this project’s intent is to reimagine mobility in the City. A public website, moveculvercity.com <http://moveculvercity.com/>, was immediately established to provide the public with detailed information on the project. The MOVE Culver City Project is dynamic, and is constantly evolving, with staff striving to implement the guiding principles set forth in the City’s TOD Visioning Plan (adopted in 2017) and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Plan (adopted in 2010 and updated in 2020) to design and construct holistic transportation options for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders. In concert with the recommendations of these plans, the MOVE Culver City Project envisions a reimagining of our streets as public spaces and prioritizes moving people over cars in the design of the street. Through implementing these mobility lanes, bus riders, cyclists, and emergency vehicles will all benefit from increased speeds, ease of travel, and reliability of sustainable connections to key destinations and regional transit connections, thus enhancing overall mobility throughout the City
MOVE Culver City includes three corridors: Downtown/E Line/Arts District corridor on Culver and Washington Boulevards (Downtown Corridor), Sepulveda Boulevard, and Jefferson Boulevard. The City’s Transportation Department, in coordination with Department of Public Works, Community Development and other City departments, has been implementing Corridor 1: Downtown Corridor since October 2020. The Sepulveda and Jefferson corridors will be implemented in a future phase of the project.
The MOVE Culver City Project is being performed through a quick-build pilot implementation process which includes a condensed schedule, temporary materials, and a best-in-class community engagement approach. The quick-build implementation process was adopted as it allows for a nimble and agile approach. Designs can be piloted and monitored prior to permanent implementation to test the efficacy of these improvements and the impacts on mobility throughout the corridor and adjacent neighborhoods. This approach will also allow for adjustments to address potential issues once implemented.
DISCUSSION
Downtown Corridor Project Overview
The Downtown Corridor Project (herein after referred to as “the Project”) builds upon the guiding principles of the 2017 TOD Visioning Plan, which recognized the collective desire of the community to implement alternative mobility options for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders and also highlighted the opportunity of shifting the center of entry into the City via the Metro E Line light rail and the need to connect our downtown and Arts Districts to the rail line. Additionally, the City’s 2020 Bike and Pedestrian Action Plan (BPAP) highlighted the critical need to improve active transportation (non-motorized means of transportation such as walking and cycling) and included recommendations for dedicated and separated bike facilities in this corridor, connecting the LA Metro E Line Culver City Station to the Duquesne dedicated bike lane and Ballona Creek Bike Path. This project offers a near-term alternative that also provides separated street Right-of-Way for cyclists from the general traffic.
The Project will create mobility lanes on both directions on the 1.3 mile stretch of Culver Blvd. and Washington Blvd. between Culver/Duquesne and Washington Blvd./La Cienega Ave. This corridor will connect Downtown Culver City with Arts District and the Metro E Line Culver City Station, supporting major commercial and job centers. Several transit lines currently run on this corridor, including Culver CityBus Lines 1, 5, 7; Metro 17; Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Route 17 and Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s Commuter Express 437.
In addition to enhancing the infrastructure for transit, bikes and scooters, the Project will enhance mobility services by implementing a Circulator service and a Microtransit service, which will leverage the existing mobility lanes to provide faster, more frequent and more reliable service throughout the Downtown area. The Circulator service will launch when the mobility lanes are fully operational, followed by the Microtransit service at a future time that has yet to be determined. The Project will also fast track the improvements of all bus stops in the corridor and create three gateway mobility stops at the termini of the corridor (City Hall and Arts District) and at the E Line Culver City Station. With all these infrastructure and mobility services improvements, the Project will create feasible, attractive, and sustainable mobility options in the project area for the public to connect to destinations.
Since October 2020, the Project has gone through a comprehensive public engagement and design development process. The following section of the staff report provide detailed information on the public engagement process, the project Design Guidelines and process, summary of comments received, the Design Decision Recommendations, art-inspired street treatments, materials, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemption, authorization for additional contingency costs for the Sam Schwartz professional services agreement, and next steps for the Project.
Public Engagement
The Project has included a robust public engagement process. The Project maintained a direct connection to the City Council through the guidance of the standing Mobility, Traffic, and Parking Subcommittee (Mobility Subcommittee). The Project engaged community stakeholders and received regular design feedback with the creation of the Community Project Advisory Committee (CPAC).
The CPAC included community stakeholder group representatives from the four residential neighborhoods in the corridor, the three business associations that have members in the corridor, several special interest groups like Bike Culver City and Culver City Unified School District, and city residents from other City committees such as Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), Disability Advisory Committee, and the Cultural Affairs Commission. The CPAC was engaged with bi-weekly meetings to assist with design, public outreach, and implementation of the Project.
Throughout the process, the team created multiple virtual public meetings to meet with the residential and business communities, which included the following:
• Community Workshops were scheduled regularly to get input from residents and specials interest groups. The meetings included an introduction of the project, a meeting to seek individuals design preferences, review and feedback for multiple designs and will continue with input needed for the final design and implementation of the project.
• Business Roundtable - the Business Roundtable group included representatives from small businesses, major employers, and representatives from the Downtown Business Association. The Project team engaged this group monthly to provide status updates and present and seek feedback on the project designs.
Throughout the first three months, the team conducted multiple field surveys and scheduled field meetings to understand the specific challenges of our local businesses and residents. In addition, multiple one-on-one meetings were held at the request of stakeholders, five public Design Studio Hours were held, and the project team attended existing committee meetings (such as the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and Cultural Affairs Commission meetings).
There were 33 total public engagements (Attachment 1) in the 70-day design phase. During this process (October 22, 2020 - January 1, 2021), the project team received 328 public comments via meetings/website/e-mail and 90+ individuals provided comments. In addition, thousands of people were reached through GovDelivery, social media, postcards, fliers, and emails during the design phase. See Attachment 2 for a sample of notices sent to the community.
Design Guidelines
With the Guidance from the Mobility Subcommittee and the CPAC, Staff established a set of design guidelines that were developed at the outset of the project and evolved in light of comments received through the public engagement process. These include the following:
1. Corridor 1: Downtown/E Line/Arts District Project Boundary
The Project boundary is established to be between Culver Blvd./Duquesne Ave. and Washington/La Cienega Ave.
2. Utilize Quick Build Implementation Approach
The Project will be done as a quick-build implementation pilot, which allows for a cost-effective agile approach to test the elements of the project. The City will implement the mobility lane utilizing cost-effective temporary materials, monitor the effects of the mobility lane, and make necessary adjustments, to address potential issues during the pilot period. The robust project monitoring will employ constant reporting and evaluation to provide recommendations both for design updates during the pilot period and for the future recommendations.
3. Stay Within the Physical Boundaries of the Right-of-Way.
As a quick build project, no major construction is anticipated beyond striping, plastic bollards, paint, and selective signal upgrades.
4. Maintain Existing Auto Access and One General Purpose Lane.
The Project will maintain all current turning movements and access for general purpose traffic. As such, the Project will maintain one general purpose lane throughout the corridor.
5. Utilize Design Typologies Based Upon Local Context.
The Project will implement dedicated and physically separated bus and bicycle lanes where possible. In segments where there are constraints and/or other factors to consider, the Project will implement shared bus and bicycle lanes. The design will be sensitive to surrounding contexts to enhance the travel benefits, safety features, and multimodal enhancements included in the Project. The contextual approach will reduce impacts, especially parking/loading zones where off-street parking supply is limited.
6. Fast Tack Bus Stop Improvements to Correspond with the Project Launch.
The Project will also fast-track bus stop improvements for all bus stops in the Project corridor to correspond with the launch date for the Downtown Corridor mobility lanes. The Project also will also include establishing and improving three Gateway Mobility Stops at the mobility lane termini (City Hall and Arts District at Washington Blvd./La Cienega Ave.) and at the E Line Culver City Station. The Gateway Mobility Stops will include furniture, signage, micromobility drop off zones, art-inspired sidewalk treatments, lighting, and potential connectivity to other mobility services.
7. Utilize Tactical Materials.
As a quick-build project, the Project will be constructed using shorter-term, temporary materials to allow for adjustments. These materials will last for the pilot project period.
8. Implement art-inspired street treatments.
Temporary art-inspired treatments will be implemented primarily at curb extensions, crosswalks, and at the Gateway Mobility Stops in the form of asphalt/sidewalk art. These elements will enhance the neighborhood character throughout the corridor as part of the pilot phase.
9. Establish a Continuity of Bus Lanes in the Corridor.
The mobility benefits rely upon the continuity of the mobility lane throughout the 1.3 mile corridor. Exceptions, such as conflict zones and mixing zones, will be required, but the project will create a continuous mobility lane in both directions from Culver Blvd./Duquesne Ave. to Washington Blvd./La Cienega Ave.
10. Create a Continuity of Bike Facilities throughout the corridor.
The mobility benefits rely upon the continuity of the mobility lane throughout the 1.3 mile corridor. Exceptions, such as conflict zones and mixing zones, will be required, but the project will create a continuous mobility lane in both directions from Culver Blvd./Duquesne Ave. to Washington Blvd./La Cienega Ave.
11. Implement New Circulator Service.
The project will also implement a new circulator service that runs through the entirety of the corridor. This service will enhance the current transit connectivity and is a necessary component to shift the mobility paradigm through convenient and reliable transit service in the corridor and match the physical improvements that are implemented as part of this project.
The aforementioned Design Guidelines provide the guidance on the development of the design and ensure that the Project design reflect the goals and key considerations of the Project. Staff is seeking the City Council’s approval on these Design Guidelines.
Summary of Comments
The Project received significant input from the community and City Staff during the 70-day design process from October 22, 2020 - January 1, 2021. See Attachment 3 for summary statistics and a detailed list of the comments received. Below is a summary of the major comments received that helped to inform the design:
• Create continuous mobility lane throughout the 1.3-mile project corridor
• Wherever possible, prioritize physically separate bike lane and dedicated bus lane
• Maintain primary access points, including parking garages, streets and driveways
• The outdoor dining area on the north side of Culver Blvd. in Downtown Culver City to be retained
• Improve pedestrian facilities at major intersections
• Ensure emergency vehicle access
• Arts District - maintain on-street parking
• Culver Studios - maintain left turn lane to access the property
• Sony Studios (Animation) - maintain center turn lane for access in/out of the property
• Maintain left turn lanes for major employers and parking garages
• Toyota/Honda - accommodate space for on-street service queuing
• Culver Hotel - accommodate valet. Concern about safety risk due to the mix of movements between general automobile, bus, and bike in the valet zone in front of the hotel.
• DBA - the loading zone on the south side of Culver Blvd. east of Irving Pl. is used frequently for the restaurants.
In addition to the comments related to the design, the Project has received input related to the overall Project:
• Downtown Business Association - due to the concern traffic impacts and potential impacts to the businesses in Downtown, DBA requested that the portion of the Project on Culver Blvd. between Duquesne and Ince not be part of the initial Project implementation, and that consideration for this segment be deferred for the remainder of 2021.
• Culver Hotel - concern about traffic impacts and valet operations.
• Hackman Capital - ensure access to Culver Studios and Culver Steps will remain. Originally, the properties have access from Main Street and both directions of Culver Boulevard. Now the access is only through the eastbound Culver Boulevard.
• Westside Cities Council of Governments (WSCCOG) - the WSCCOG supports the project as this project will provide sustainable transportation options as well as promote healthy, connected, and equitable communities.
The Design Process and the Design
The Project design has gone through several iterations as a result of the robust public outreach process and solicitation of community input. From Version 0 through Version 4, the Project design has gone through multiple rounds of review with CPAC, Business Roundtable, individual stakeholder groups, the public, and City Staff (Public Works, Transportation, Community Development, Fire, and Police). The project design was also posted to the project website for public comments throughout the design process.
The Project design considered a variety of alternatives to implement the mobility lane on Culver and Washington Boulevards. All of the design alternatives, in addition to design alternatives provided by the community, were discussed at the public meetings and individual meetings in order to come to a final recommendation. The final recommendation includes a shared bus/bicycle mobility lane, where space was limited (Downtown & Arts District), and a separate bus and bike lane where space opened up (approximately ½ mile surrounding the E-Line station). The mobility lane will be implemented on the curbside, with exceptions on northbound Washington between Ince and Culver/Canfield (to allow for the bus/bicycle movement into the existing westbound mobility lane) and in the Arts District (to allow for the retention of street parking). The design assumed that the outdoor dining on the north side of Culver Blvd. in Downtown Culver City will remain as-is. See Attachment 4 for segment by segment design plans (Version 4).
Design Decision Recommendations
The Project design considered a variety of alternatives to implement the mobility lane. Any variances from the design guidelines are identified and highlighted in the attached design recommendations. Additionally, through the public engagement process, there were situations where the design team received some conflicting comments from stakeholders (e.g. remove street parking versus maintain street parking) and have documented these instances and the recommended design decisions required to finalize the design. The design decision recommendations are explained in detail in Attachment 5.
Art-Inspired Street Treatments
The Project will install temporary art-inspired street treatments that will enhance the aesthetics and the sense of continuity and placemaking for this corridor. These improvements will enhance the community character and create a fun element that complements the community businesses and destinations through the corridor. Some examples of potential treatments include using colorful paints to create interesting art patterns at curb extensions, crosswalks, and bus stops. See Attachment 6 for examples of such street treatments.
Designs for of street treatment locations identified in the plan will be developed by project designers in collaboration with members of the community. The process starts with the distribution of a visual preference survey (the survey is available on the Project website from January 21 to February 11) that seeks to solicit input from the community about themes, landmarks, motifs, or other types of inspiration that might help inform the design. After the survey close in mid-February, the Project consultant team will begin the process of compiling the results and using them to develop sketches of potential designs. The survey results and any thematic elements will be shared at the CPAC meeting on February 11. Based on the feedback from the CPAC meeting, the Project consultant team will develop the designs. There may be one design for all locations along the corridor or separate designs for the Arts District and Downtown. These decisions will be made after consultation with the public at the Community Virtual Workshop #3 on February 18. Once design(s) are chosen, Street Plans will create drawings and diagrams that explain how the drawings will go from paper to pavement.
The Project intends to involve community volunteers in the installation of these street treatments. Due to the uncertainty of the pandemic situation, the installation of the street treatments may occur after the mobility lanes are installed.
Materials
The quick-build implementation approach utilizes tactical materials, such as paint and delineators and other temporary materials that are easy to remove and adjust, as necessary. This approach has been utilized in other similar projects and is an inexpensive but effective approach to implement mobility improvements.
Attachment 7 contains a list of key materials for the Project. Staff is seeking the City Council approval on this list prior to the procurement of these materials. As some materials have long procurement lead time, Staff will proceed with procuring these materials soon after receiving City Council approval.
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Exemption
The Project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Class 1 - Existing Facilities Categorical Exemption (14 CCR § 15301) and statutorily exempt pursuant to Public Recourses Code (PRC) Section 21080.25.
The Project is consistent with a Class 1 Categorical Exemption, as it consists of improvements on existing highways and streets where there is negligible or no expansion of use and the addition of bicycle facilities, including bicycle-share facilities and bicycle lanes, transit improvements such as bus lanes, pedestrian crossing, street trees and other similar alterations that do not create additional automobile lanes.
Further, the Project qualifies for a statutory exemption under PRC Section 21080.25, as it includes (1) the installation of pedestrian and bicycle facilities, which includes bike lanes, either as separated bike lanes or shared bus/bike lanes; (2) the installation of a transit prioritization project, which involves the installation of dedicated transit or very high occupancy vehicle lanes, and shared turning lanes; and (3) the conversion of one general purpose lane to a bus lane. The Project also meets the additional criteria required to assert the exemption under PRC Section 21080.25, as it is located in an urbanized area, is located within existing public right-of-way, does not add physical infrastructure that increases automobile capacity, does not require demolition of affordable housing units, and will be carried out by a skilled and trained workforce. There are other requirements for projects greater than $100,000,000 which do not apply in this case because the Project does not exceed that threshold.
Staff has prepared a Notice of Exemption for the Project, which will be filed with the Office of Planning and Research and the Los Angeles County Clerk’s Office.
Next Steps
Upon the City Council approval, Staff will proceed with finalizing the design and preparing the construction bid documents and will return to the City Council for approval of the bid specifications at a future date. Staff will proceed with procuring the materials for construction and will return to the City Council for contract approval in the future. Staff anticipates having the construction contractor in place to start construction in May 2021 with anticipated construction completion and go-live in May/June 2021. Post go-live, the pilot project will be monitored and evaluated over a minimum of a 12-month period, during which adjustments to implemented mobility lanes may be made as necessary. Staff will return to the City Council with findings and a recommendation for the future in FY2023.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
Staff have estimated $742,000 for the entire project construction costs, including the works associated with making adjustments to the mobility lane on the north side of Culver Boulevard in Downtown Culver City (pending future City Council decision on the outdoor dining) as well as contingency fund for pilot adjustments.
The costs of the construction will be funded through the Measure M Multi-Year Subregion Program funding obtained through the Westside Cities Council of Governments. A mid-year budget adjustment will be made in late February to reflect the revenue and expense for the construction. Staff is working on line item estimates of the construction costs and will return to the City Council on this item in the future. All expenditures related to materials and supplies will be charged to capital account 203.80000.732120.PS017, while all contract related expenditures will be charged against capital account 203.80000.610400.PS017.
ATTACHMENTS
1. List of Public Outreach Activities
2. Sample of Notices Sent to the Community
3. Summary Statistics of Comments During Design Phase and Table of All Comments Received
4. Design Plans
5. Design Decision Recommendations
6. Art-Inspired Street Treatment Examples
7. List of Key Materials
MOTIONS
That the City Council:
1. Receive a presentation by Staff on the MOVE Culver City project;
2. Approve the Design Guidelines, the Design Decision Recommendations, and the List of Key Materials outlined in the staff report and the presentation;
3. Authorize Staff to finalize the design based on the approved Design Guidelines, the Design Decision Recommendations, and the List of Key Materials; and
4. Provide other direction to the Transportation Department as deemed appropriate.