Visions for Downtown San Luis Obispo

Summary of Work Done By Cal Poly Class CE 527

Presented to the Public and TV on May 25, 2005 in the City/County Library

The goal for CE 527 was to produce and document useable concepts of sustainable mobility for downtown San Luis Obispo, on a planning, design and operations level for the year 2050. The main focus was to incorporate traffic calming, smart growth principles, and increase the presence of pedestrians and bicyclists without restricting travel patterns at a citywide level. These proposals also address modal split, pedestrian and bicycle boulevards, public transportation, road network, parking concepts, and transit oriented design. Results are based on the assumption that the population and commercial activity will double by the year 2050. For convenience, the center of San Luis Obispo was divided into the following sections:

The class was divided into five design teams, each responsible for creating their own proposals. The major points of each design are the following:

Group 1: A Design for the Future of Mobility in Downtown San Luis Obispo

A West Town Transit Oriented Development (TOD) was proposed at the location where Marsh and Higuera Streets meet. This development would be created to serve as the primary gateway into downtown from the south. The environment would be altered to include green space, higher density, a parking structure to capture motorists before they enter downtown, and mixed use. The Bus Terminal would serve as the west side anchor for the new Downtown circulator.

West Town TOD

Higuera, Monterey and Marsh Street typologies have been altered to discourage, but not restrict, vehicular modes of travel. Bulbouts are added, sidewalks are expanded, bike lanes created, the number of travel lanes reduced, and one side of parking will be transformed into a transit only lane. This will increase the efficiency and reliability of the bus circulator, increasing the appeal of this alternative mode.

Santa Rosa Street exists currently as a natural barrier of downtown expansion. It is currently uninviting and unsafe for pedestrians. In order for downtown to expand to uptown, which is necessary to accommodate the predicted growth, Santa Rosa will need to be traffic calmed. The proposal here is to add trees, landscaped medians, and reduce the number of lanes through the sections that intersect downtown.

Morro Street will be transformed to provide an accessible pedestrian and bicycle boulevard. It will connect the Palm and Marsh street parking structures with the downtown core, providing visitors safe access to their vehicles while encouraging them to step out of their vehicles.

The Up Town Transit Center, located on the corner of Monterey and Pepper Streets, would provide a direct connection from the rail line to the downtown area. This area would be pedestrianized to provide a welcoming atmosphere to encourage rail passengers passing through to stop and walk around. This block would incorporate mixed-use, a parking structure, a multi-modal hub, access for alternative modes of transportation, and green space.

Group 2: Sustainability now makes for a beautiful tomorrow

The major road network proposals include the closure of Higuera Street and the making of Marsh Street into two-way with parking on both sides creating a much more calm atmosphere for pedestrians and bicyclists as Marsh Street would significantly slow down with these measures of traffic calming. To accommodate deliveries, trucks would be allowed onto Higuera Street only between specific times and would only park on the northern side of the street to keep the truck traffic as minimal as possible. The Higuera Street closure will enhance the pedestrian’s experience in downtown by increasing pedestrian zones.

For the bicyclists, there are similar ideas as for the pedestrians. A dedicated bike lane down the middle of Higuera Street, next to the light rail line is proposed. This will be a place for bicycles to be able to move quickly along the street, but also maintain safety for the pedestrians that are nearby by keeping all of the bicyclists in a central location.

Three ideas for special projects were pursued. The first idea was for an amphitheater to be located in the downtown to provide a nice place to sit and each lunch, read a book, or to have a concert in. It was found that the northeast corner of Broad Street and Marsh Street served as a perfect location as it is currently a small surface parking lot and public restroom facilities.

The second idea is the addition of “green paver roads”. The concept behind the green paver road is to add green into the downtown area without completely changing its future possibilities. From an aerial perspective, one would see a green path that would lead from the different activity centers already identified in the downtown. Research found that one could easily replace some of Higuera Street with pavers that would allow grass to grow between them while still maintaining the structural qualities necessary for trucks to travel over them.

Lastly, with the changing of Marsh Street into a two-way street, it was found that the mid-block crosswalks would become a problem. A skywalk was developed that would go from the second level of the Marsh Street parking garage, across the street to the second level above Copeland Sports. It was decided that the area above Copeland’s could easily function as a food court and a central activity center for the downtown area.

Group 3: Sustainable Mobility

Phase I – A new Pismo-Pacific one-way couplet is to be established to divert the thru-traffic outside of the central downtown area. This one-way couplet is to be a main new route for traffic traveling through downtown. Once this traffic has been diverted, the projects proposed for the central downtown area can be started. For example, two-directional light rail will be added along Santa Rosa Street and two lanes of vehicular traffic will be accommodated in each direction. Monterey Street will become a major east-west arterial to the east of Santa Rosa. Broad Street and South Higuera Street will carry vehicular traffic to the south side of San Luis Obispo. Light rail will be included along both of these routes as well. Buses and bus stops in the downtown area will be given preferential treatment in this area. One-way light rail lines will be added to each of these roads.

To encourage bicycling, a bicycle station is to be installed in the Morro Street closure project area. The bicycle station will provide cyclists with a place to meet, lock up bikes, and make bike repairs. The downtown transit center is located only two blocks away from the bicycle station. Bicyclers can comfortably use the light rail to get into downtown SLO, pick up their bike at the bicycle station, and ride the rest of the way to work.

Phase II – Redesign of traffic flow on Higuera Street and Marsh Street can be established once Phase I is complete. The new traffic design will allow for the activity centers and light rail to be established. There will be many street closures in the downtown area. Higuera Street will be closed to vehicular traffic between Osos and Chorro Street. The light rail and bicycle traffic will still be permitted in this area. Morro Street will also be closed from Marsh to Monterey Streets. Garden Street between Higuera and Marsh will be closed and built up into a pedestrian gathering area.

Phase III – Surface parking lots are to be removed to provide space for new mixed use buildings. All existing surface lots will be slowly phased out and replaced with green space or new commercial buildings. Many of the street parking areas in the Downtown will be removed. Street parking will only remain on one side of both Higuera and Marsh. A new underground garage will be build under the proposed Macy’s in uptown. A new structure on the west side of Downtown will allow ample parking all around Downtown.

Phase IV – Through the Garden Street closure a pedestrian activity center can be established. The plaza will be built as an extension to the current Copeland shops. It will be located between Osos Street and Morro Street between Marsh and Higuera Street. The lower level of the plaza will house shops and restaurants. The second and third floors will be primarily filled by offices, including medical, dental, and law offices. Lastly, the upper floors will be occupied by condos and apartment flats.

Group 4: Sustainable Simplicity

Now – It was proposed to reduce the number of lanes on both Higuera and Marsh Streets from three to two. It is also proposed to build up the portions of Osos Street and Pismo Street that will connect Santa Rosa Street to Santa Barbara Street. The new route can prove more efficient in delivering these commuters to their destinations while simultaneously detouring them around downtown, leaving the CBD more pedestrian-friendly.

Searching for parking should be easier. It is proposed to confine all downtown parking to structures located along and only accessible from a ring of roads surrounding downtown. This ring will be made up by Santa Rosa, Marsh, Nipomo and Palm Streets. They will effectively serve as a cordon to keep traffic from crossing downtown. It is planned to have five parking structures in the future for downtown: two on Palm, a new one on Santa Rosa near the Uptown Crossing Shopping Center, the existing Marsh garage, and a new garage farther south along Marsh to grab people as they exit the freeway before they hit downtown. On-street parking will be eliminated in the downtown core.

2025 – The road scheme could be accomplished, which entails new routing of vehicles in the downtown area. Nipomo and Pacific should be upgraded to serve as part of the cordon around downtown. The connection upgrade between Osos and Santa Barbara Street will be completed by this time, creating a traffic bypass for downtown. The pedestrian zone will be open, but not necessarily completed. At least one of the proposed parking structures needs to be erected by this time to serve the people living in downtown as residential space will be available in mixed use buildings. The Railroad Bicycle/Pedestrian Path will have crossed the freeway and extended all the way to Cal Poly.

It is proposed that the construction of pedestrian bridges to cross over Santa Rosa Street. Specifically, a skywalk will be created between the new Government building and the proposed Uptown Crossing Shopping Center. If there were attractive shops and restaurants in the Uptown Crossing Center on the second and third floors, people would be more inclined to use a skywalk from the Government Center instead of just crossing at grade where risks are higher and traffic flow would be interrupted more.

Final phase – The final phase will be based around the light rail system. At the same time the ROW for trains is being added along the roads, renovation of sidewalks and the addition of the bike lanes will occur. It is envisioned to have two lines running somewhat perpendicular to each other connecting most major activity centers and population centers in SLO. Each line would have two trains running along it, always in the opposite direction. A bypass area near the center of the line would allow them to pass each other. The trains would be bi-directional so there need not be a turnaround area. Each of the trains could run its roundtrip route in one hour, allowing for a stop at each station along the line every half hour in each direction.

Group 5: Downtown 2050: Access through Better Transportation

This proposal calls for an automobile network hierarchy somewhat similar to how it exists today with a modified function. Because of the expected volume of traffic, all existing substandard ramps at Hwy 101 and Santa Rosa Rd. and at Osos St. will be eliminated to make way for a larger capacity roundabout interchange, which will route automobile traffic to six exclusive multi-modal transportation hubs/gateways into the Downtown core.

A significant increase in public transit is called for in the plan. Starting on a broad scope it is proposed that a high capacity commuter rail line will share right-of-way with Union Pacific railroad, connecting north and south counties with Cal Poly and the Downtown. This light rail network is intended to provide connections between the multi-modal gateway hubs and primary activity centers. The plan also calls for a streetcar and high capacity bus line.

This plan proposes widened sidewalks and bike lane access on Walnut, Monterey, Higuera, Marsh, Pismo, Nipomo, Broad, Chorro, Osos, Santa Rosa, Toro, Johnson, and Santa Barbara. Primary bicycle connections for the neighborhoods north and south of the downtown will be served by the Morro and Chorro bicycle boulevards. The Mission Plaza pedestrian zone is to be expanded to Monterey and Broad Streets along the creek.

To promote parking outside of downtown and allow increased space to walk and ride bicycles, surface parking in the downtown will be generally eliminated. Necessary parking spaces for handicapped and parking intensive businesses will be promoted to go subsurface. Surface parking will be routed outside of the downtown by increase high density parking garages on the major arterials with toll points near the garage to prompt drivers to park at a lower rate than entering downtown.

Perimeter access will be tolled to increase downtown revenues and fund public transit. Similar to London, England, tolls will deter motor vehicle usage mostly during the peak hours with discounts for carpooling and commercial delivery being during early morning hours 5-7 A.M. Businesses and housing units with high need for parking will be restricted to underground, self-maintained parking structures which will be required to charge at rates comparable to the city parking structures. Interior parking in San Luis Obispo will be reduced and short-term parking will be strictly enforced to allow for businesses to effectively use a very small number of spaces per block to load and unload merchandise.

Mixed use zoning will need to be increased in downtown. By encouraging housing infill within the downtown, the housing will be located in close proximity to major job sources. See rendering of the special project, below. When people live closer to where they work, they will be more likely to use a sustainable type of transportation rather than using their car.

Offering incentives for residential development within the downtown will also help create more housing options in the City. This can be done by lowering impact fees, streamlining permitting, and reducing development requirements. Since developers would be building in areas with existing infrastructure, the City could lower impact fees. These fees normally pay for the construction of new facilities to support the increased people in the project area. By building housing in the downtown, infrastructure may only need to be expanded or repaired. This will not be as costly as building new roads, water, and sewer systems to a new subdivision, thus the decreased impact fee would not severely impact the City’s finances.

“The one thing we need to do to solve our transportation problems is to stop thinking that there is one thing we can do to solve our transportation problems.”

-Robert Liberty, Executive Director of the organization 1000 Friends of Oregon

Eugene Jud

Faculty Civil and Environmental Engineering

California Polytechnic State University

San Luis Obispo, CA 93407

Phone: (805) 756-1729 Fax: ..02

ejud@calpoly.edu