3rd Street Mall Plan Gets Mixed Reactions

A $4.5-million proposal that would open Santa Monica’s pedestrian-only Third Street Mall to automobiles in the evenings, when foot traffic is sparse, has produced mixed reactions from property owners and merchants.

About 150 people attended the first of a series of public meetings last week, when city consultants unveiled plans for public areas of the three-block outdoor mall, on 3rd Street between Broadway and Wilshire Boulevard.

Built in the mid-1960s, the mall is now viewed by many as an eyesore that attracts almost as many transients as shoppers.

The most controversial element of the plan, which will be discussed again at a public meeting July 16 and is subject to approval by the Santa Monica City Council, is the suggestion that cars be allowed to drive through the mall when pedestrian use is minimal.

Questions on Safety

Some merchants like the idea because it would provide Southern California’s automobile-dependent residents with better access to mall stores. But others said that allowing cars might jeopardize pedestrians and make the mall just like any other street in the city.

“People cannot get to us,” complained one restaurant owner.

But another merchant said he is concerned about cruising and traffic jams.

Using portable barricades that could be easily moved to allow automobile traffic would give the city flexibility, said Thomas H. Carroll, executive director of the Third Street Development Corp., a nonprofit agency formed by the city to oversee the renewal of the troubled mall.

“This plan is anything but a fait accompli, “ said Peggy Curran, director of the city’s Department of Community and Economic Development. “This is the beginning of the process. We are anxious to build community consensus on a direction for the new mall.”

The plan to allow two lanes of vehicle traffic on two of the three blocks of the mall was presented Wednesday night by consultants ROMA Design Group, Halcyon Ltd. and Jaykim Engineers.

Seedy Ambiance

When the consultants asked members of the audience to name what they consider to be the most memorable aspect of the mall, one person drew laughs when he responded, “the bums.”

But the mall’s seedy ambiance is no joke to businessmen or city officials, who hope that a $10-million renovation will help Santa Monica cash in on the mall’s economic and recreational possibilities.

About $4.5 million of the funds will be used for improving public areas by installing lighting, trees, fountains and allowing automobile access.

About $4 million would be used to provide 300 additional parking spaces, bringing the total near the mall to 3,000. The rest of the money would be used for alley improvements, consultants’ fees and other expenses.

The $10 million is available from a 1986 bond issue, with the debt to be serviced by assessments paid by mall property owners, officials said.

Approval Sought

Planners hope to gain council approval for the entire renovation by the end of the year and to start construction by mid-1988, Curran said.

The outdoor mall’s retail sales performance is only a fraction of Santa Monica Place, an enclosed shopping center just south of the outdoor mall, she said.

With ready access to the Westside’s affluent population and with the beach nearby attracting about 2 million tourists a year, officials believe that the Third Street Mall could be much more prosperous.

ROMA consultants said Wednesday that allowing auto traffic will help the large outdoor mall achieve a “critical mass” of visitors, which they said is necessary to create an inviting environment. Because the Third Street Mall is so large--80 feet wide and 2,000 feet long--it often has the appearance of being deserted even when people are present, and that discourages others from shopping there, the consultants said.

The consultants suggested lining the mall with tall palm trees to give the area visual impact from a distance. They said that shorter trees such as jacarandas would provide shade and create a canopied walking space for pedestrians.

Length a Problem

While the trees would help break up the width of the mall, the consultants suggested that the length of the mall could be made to appear less intimidating by creating distinctive features on each of the three blocks, such as a large water fountain, a pavilion for public events, or an information booth.

The 1400 block of the mall, nearest Broadway, would probably remain restricted to pedestrians, while the 1200 and 1300 blocks would have a two-lane vehicle access, according to the consultants’ plan.

The proposal has been reviewed by a committee composed of Third Street Development Corp. staff, city staff members, representatives of property owners and merchant organizations, and city Councilmen Dennis Zane and Herbert Katz.

When consultants first told the committee about the idea of allowing automobiles, members were worried that this might destroy the pedestrian orientation of the mall, Carroll said. But the idea gained support among members after consultants said that automobiles could help attract more shoppers, he said.

Eventually, if pedestrian traffic grows sufficiently, the city could again ban automobiles on the mall, planners said.

The next public hearing is scheduled at 7 p.m. July 16 at 1328 2nd St.