Council OKs Plan to Widen Sidewalks

In a move that one City Council member said would make the downtown area resemble a great city of Europe, the City Council has voted unanimously to approve plans aimed at extending the success of the Third Street Promenade to neighboring areas.

After years of planning and community meetings, council members recently approved conceptual design plans for an estimated $5-million to $7-million project known as the Downtown Transit Mall. It calls for wider sidewalks and bus lanes along Santa Monica Boulevard between Ocean Avenue and 7th Street and on Broadway between Ocean Avenue and 5th Street. Officials say that the plans will help improve the bus system and encourage more people to use public transit.

In addition, officials say wider sidewalks will allow outdoor dining and make it easier for more people to walk around the downtown area, a welcome boost for business adjacent to the Promenade.

The plans, funded primarily by federal transportation dollars, also call for new bus shelters, lighting, trees and better maintained alleys.

But the project has not been without controversy. Several restaurateurs said they are worried because the bus lanes and wider sidewalks eliminate their zones for deliveries and valet parking. City officials plan to move those to adjacent alleys, although members said they may be amenable to changes.