Plans to Redevelop Pico Boulevard Proceed
After a final public hearing this week, the city is moving ahead with plans to redevelop Pico Boulevard from Centinela Avenue to the ocean. Construction, funded by a $3.1-million grant from a branch of the U.S. Commerce Department, is scheduled to begin next year, said city resource manager Jeff Mathieu.
“Pico is a major traffic corridor, but does not have its own sense of place,” he said. Tentative plans, which have yet to be approved by the City Council, call for developing that sense of identity with several projects, including:
* A new fence along Woodlawn Cemetery that would allow a view of the cemetery and mountains. This three-block fence is the most controversial aspect of the plan, with many residents preferring the cemetery to remain a walled-off enclave.
* Murals along the freeway underpass at Centinela Avenue.
* Pedestrian-oriented street lamps near Santa Monica College, which would be half the approximately 24-foot height of vehicular street lights, said landscape architect Claudia Carol.
* Medians with trees and bushes to help green the street.
The project is scheduled to be completed by February 2000.
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