el camino real master plan

Transcription

1 el camino real master plan Adopted by the San Mateo City Council September 18, 2001 The City of San Mateo SMWM

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3 el camino real master plan 0 executive summary page issues and opportunities page el camino vision page streetscape plan page design guidelines page land use page implementation page appendix page 155

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5 executive summary

6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TEAM ORGANIZATION EL CAMINO COMMITTEE: EL CAMINO TECHNICAL COMMITTEE: Mike Berube... Committee Chair Pauline Turski... Vice Chair CITY STAFF: CONSULTANT TEAM: Larry Atkinson Scott Bottari Stephen Brothers Chris Carstens Georgette Guerra Karen Herrel Sue Lempert Dave Lyons Art Mangold Celiane Milner Carol Moore Frances R. Nelson Charles Perry Barbara St. Martin Maxine Terner... Alternate Robert Webste... Alternate COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT: planning division Mary Gallagher...Chief of Planning Aarti Shrivastava...Associate Planner DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS: Darla Reams...City Engineer Gary Heap...Associate Engineer SMWM design & management Karen Alschuler...Principal-in-Charge Evan Rose...Project Manager David Schellinger...Urban Designer JAY WOOD CLAIBORNE URBAN REVITALIZATION AND URBAN DESIGN design & policy : Jay Claiborne...Principal MUNDIE AND ASSOCIATES economic & market analysis Suzanne Lampert...Vice President OPTRANS Transportation Analysis: Larry Patterson...Principal 2El Camino Real Master Plan SMWM

7 Building upon the year long efforts of the El Camino Real Committee (ECRC), the City of San Mateo, and the SMWM Team, this El Camino Real Master Plan (Master Plan) is a vision for the future of El Camino Real south, from SR92 to the Belmont city border. The Master Plan is a framework for decision making for developers, designers, city officials, and concerned citizens interested in making San Mateo a better place to live and work. The Master Plan contains five chapters which outline the array of actions needed to bring the plan to fruition including a comprehensive Vision, a Streetscape Plan, Design Guidelines for private development, Land Use recommendations, and an Implementation program. The Master Plan begins with a brief summary of the Settings & Opportunities report, a companion document that is a comprehensive exploration of the history of El Camino, the role it plays in San Mateo, and a catalogue of existing conditions. The summary articulates the key issues that the Master Plan addresses as well as some of the opportunities that El Camino provides for the City. Drawing on these issues and opportunities, the Master Plan articulates the overall Vision for El Camino: to create a positive identity for San Mateo, further its role as a major traffic arterial through the City, and provide the infrastructure upon which to build a vibrant mixed-use community. Facilitating the overall vision, are more detailed goal statements for the seven distinct districts along the length of El Camino which address land use, transportation issues, overall identity, streetscape character and market conditions. The Streetscape Plan outlines a range of improvements for the public right-of-way that will make the corridor safer and more attractive for all users thereby serving as a catalyst for private reinvestment. A key component of the Streetscape Plan is a landscaped median that will unify the street and set a positive and inviting tone for El Camino and the City. Complementing the landscaped median will be a series of "theme intersection" improvements at locations with the largest pedestrian volumes. These improvements include public sector elements such as street furniture and redesigned transit stops, as well as private improvements such as redesigned buildings and enlarged pedestrian areas at the intersections. Recognizing the importance of on-street parking to the success of small-scale retailers along El Camino, the plan includes a phased approach for the streetscape improvements which will require the relocation of on-street parking. The first phase provides landscape medians and intersection improvements where there are no impacts to existing on-street parking. The second EXECUTIVE SUMMARY phase continues the streetscape improvements in conjunction with the replacement of the on-street parking with new public lots along the corridor. An additional phase involves joint efforts between the City and the Joint Powers Board (JPB), which oversee Caltrain operations. This phase includes a potential redesign and relocation of the Hillsdale/Bay Meadows Caltrain station and a possible pedestrian crossing in the south portion of the study area. These joint improvements may be implemented at any time throughout either of the two phases of public improvements, as they are not directly tied to changes within the right-of-way. Complementing the public sector improvements, the Design Guidelines address the character of private development along El Camino. The guidelines implement the vision by providing design directions for a range of building components including facades, setbacks, overall building form, parking location, and commercial signs. The guidelines also address specific design issues at theme intersections as well as within each of the seven districts within the study area. The Land Use chapter outlines four development alternatives for the corridor that parallel to the City's concurrent Land Use and Transportation Study and that make recommendations for preferred land uses and densities that will support the community based vision for El Camino. The Master Plan identifies a range of land uses from 3El Camino Real Master Plan SMWM

8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY infill retail to larger scale mixed-use transitoriented developments (TOD s) around the two Caltrain stations as well as a range of residential densities, from lower scale infill mixed-use development averaging dwelling units/acre to the TOD's which range between dwelling units/acre. This section also includes a brief overview of current zoning practices in San Mateo and possible constraints to the implementation of the Master Plan. The last chapter of the Master Plan, Implementation, presents a number of tools that the City can use to achieve their vision for El Camino which range from restructuring the planning and approval process to the adoption of a redevelopment area. A list of potential funding sources is also provided. Finally, there is a list of recommended implementation strategies that the ECRC feels will make this vision for an improved, vibrant El Camino Real a reality. Figure 0.1 Existing street condition in the northern part of the study area around 25th Avenue. Figure 0.2 The same section as in Figure 0.1 with streetscape improvements. Figure 0.3 Existing street condition in the southern part of the study area around 37th Avenue. Figure 0.4 The same section as in Figure 0.3 with the streetscape improvements. 4El Camino Real Master Plan SMWM