Agenda - City of Santa Monica

• Emergency and universal access: Stakeholders appreciated that the design
seamlessly meets strict safety and disabled access requirements, including
opportunities to sit or rest; improves the station ramp experience with design
refinements to the pathway and env irons; and proposes lighting, roadway and
curb designs that have been coordinated and developed with input from fire and
police personnel.
City staff and the Peter Walker Partners (PWP) design team have been working with
local stakeholders and the community since Summer 2011 to produce a streetscape
and circulation design that reflects the ideas of Boards and Commissions, area property
owners, residents and City departments and enjoys strong community support. The
project’s goals of sustainability, high quality of design and universal access respond to
core community values as represented by the five essential defining elements of the
Esplanade project:
1) Reconfiguration of the public right of way to provide multi-modal traffic
improvements - supporting pedestrian safety and congestion management
• A wide pedestrian sidewalk,
• Separated bike facility,
• Westbound vehicle/bus lanes that continue westbound movement created
by Expo; and
• Realignment of Main Street to 2 nd Street that achieves the Civic Center
Specific Plan vision;
2) Custom sidewalk paving - referencing rippling waves and sand forms, reflecting
Santa Monica’s natural environment;
3) Unique lighting - maintaining the view corridor and providing vibrancy and safety
at night;
4) Large framing trees and a multi-sensory landscape palette - identifying an
important City site;
5) Gateway designs at the street intersections of 4 th Street, Main Street and Ocean
Avenue - marking major crossroads.
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