Pedestrian Access Improvement Project:
Downtown Street Furniture Palettes |
December 2010 Report:
The process of developing the Downtown Street Furnishings Palette included seven meetings with the community and stakeholders, and three Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meetings. Those attending included property and business owners from both Railroad Square and Courthouse Square areas, and residents from the surrounding historic neighorhoods. The TAC was formed at the beginning of the process and included members of City Staff representing various City Departments. At each meeting, attendees provided topical input and identified preferred furnishing selections.
This project is not intended to be a streetscape design, however, is intended to identify specific furnishings and generate opportunities for future improvements. The Plan provides guidance for street furniture purchases in association with new development and capital improvement projects, by both public and private sectors. All furnishings are intended to enhance the pedestrian experience by increasing pedestrian function while reducing unnecessary clutter.
The Street Furnishings Plan includes product specifications for seating, including a variety of bench styles, moveable chairs and leaning rails; transportation furnishings such as bike racks and bus stop shelters; bollards; directional signage, planters; tree furnishings; lighting; trash and recycling receptacles. The Plan also includes standards for outdoor dining, to help create a framework for outdoor dining spaces and the application of furnishings that will promote a high quality dining and streetscape experience for all. The Plan includes installation placement references and maintenance recommendations for the suggested furnishings.
Included with the Plan is an Implementation Strategy; identifying priorities with a focus on existing primary pedestrian corridors and gathering areas. The specified furnishings and related opportunities are an investment that will assist with redevelopment efforts to provide a variety of gathering places, enrich pedestrian spaces to improve community connections and social interactions, and enhance area vitality.
Street Furniture can provide lighting, places to sit, and other functional elements that support a vibrant downtown street life. As such, the Plan also identifies potential Specific Opportunities for enhancement and amenity.
The project also includes the addition of a new ‘Street Furnishings Palette’ sub-section within the Core Area section of the City Design Guidelines, as well as minor changes to the Sidewalk Café section of the Zoning Code.
Background Materials:
Next Steps:
The project has been approved by the Design Review Board and Planning Commission. The project is scheduled for Cultural Heritage Board on January 5, 2011, and City Council on January 25, 2011.
September 2010 Update: Project Overview
The City of Santa Rosa's Downtown Program is soliciting feedback about the Street Furniture Palettes Project from the community. Watch this PowerPoint slideshow for an overview of the project. If you don't have PowerPoint, a PDF version is also available. We would appreciate your feedback. Please send your comments about this project to downtown@srcity.org.
May 2010 Update: Community Meetings
The Technical Advisory Committee and Stakeholder’s groups consisting of Courthouse Square, Railroad Square, and 6th/7th Street Corridor representatives have been meeting over the past few months for discussion and preparation of determining appropriate street furnishings for the various sub-areas of the downtown.
The process in developing the preliminary selections has involved identifying circulation, major and minor pedestrian activity areas, and anticipating future development projects that will affect circulation and activities. With this information in hand, the groups have met to discuss potential pedestrian area enhancement areas, and candidate types of furnishings. The aim is to provide a palette that is flexible, yet has some relationship to the character of the area.
Preliminary furnishing palettes will be reviewed for public comment on Wednesday June 9th at 7:00pm at the Glaser Center, located at 547 Mendocino Ave.
February 2010 Report:This exciting project will create design and placement standards for street furniture throughout the Downtown area, including the Courthouse Square and Railroad Square commercial districts. “Street furniture” refers to benches, planters, drinking fountains, trash containers, street lights, and other items that are located in public areas such as sidewalks, plazas, and pedestrian malls such as Jeju Way and Comstock Mall. The Street Furniture Palettes project will also include a funding and purchasing strategy and a maintenance plan. The City’s Downtown Program is coordinating the Palettes project, and has hired Quadriga Landscape Architecture and Planning, a Santa Rosa-based firm, to lead the design process. The project is beginning in March 2010. There will be a variety of ways for community members to provide their input. Please visit this webpage frequently for updated information on the project and how you can get involved. Background Materials:
The development of the Street Furniture Palettes is funded by the Santa Rosa Redevelopment Agency. |
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For more information, please contact:
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