Report on Target: Downtown Store Would Contribute to Traffic, Parking Woes

By Jorge Casuso

A proposed Target department store will increase traffic by 5,520 average daily trips on weekdays and 7,020 trips on summer Saturdays and add to an already serious downtown parking crunch, according to a long-awaited Draft Environmental Impact Report for the proposed three-story building.

However, the draft EIR, released by the City this week, adds that "growth in traffic is expected to occur in the area regardless of whether or not the proposed project is approved."

The proposed store is slated to replace the 209-space surface parking lot at the corner of Fifth Street and Santa Monica Boulevard behind Toys 'R Us, where the earthquake battered Henshey's department store once stood.

"Development of the proposed project would increase traffic on local roadways, with significant impacts on 13 intersections during the weekday AM, weekday PM, or Saturday peak hour," according to the report. "Impacts at seven of the affected intersections would remain significant after mitigation."

The report also found that while the 575 proposed subterranean parking spaces is "more than adequate to satisfy the City code... a peak deficiency of 146 spaces is projected to occur on weekdays with a peak deficiency of 84 spaces on Saturday.

"This would occur because the existing parking supply (of 209 spaces) is not being replaced on-site, since most of the spaces that would be provided would be used by Target customers," the report said. "This would result in a significant neighborhood impact with regard to parking supply."

The traffic study used in the draft EIR assumes that "20 percent of the trips generated by the proposed project would arrive via transit facilities, 5 percent would arrive via bicycles or on foot, and 15 percent of the trips would come from people already in the downtown area."

As a result, the project would increase pedestrian activity that "could result in congestion of the Fifth Street and Santa Monica Boulevard sidewalks adjacent to the site." The sidewalks along Santa Monica Boulevard will be widened as part of the city's Downtown Transit Mall and the sidewalk along Fifth Street could be widened by Target.

Craig Johnson, who is developing the project for Pacifica Capital, questioned the premises and conclusions of the report's traffic and parking projections. The projections, he said, are based on a model of a suburban store, not a bustling city center.

"Santa Monica went back and used the old model of a huge box in a suburban setting," Johnson said. "They painted a worse case scenario. We're hoping that with a dialogue with the city, they'll say, 'Okay, this makes sense. The store won't generate the traffic we thought.'"

In a report released in May, Target contended that rather than contributing to the downtown traffic and parking burden, the store should be seen as "a 'springboard' for ideas and programs which can be implemented on an area-wide basis to relieve congestion."

According to the report, the traffic and parking woes downtown are not primarily due to too many vehicles or a dearth of parking spaces, but to a lack of coordinated traffic signals and lack of information on available parking.

"It comes down to really traffic and looking at alternative (transportation) uses," said Eileen Hecht, a consultant to the developer. "We're encouraging mixed use. It (the draft EIR) verifies what we thought - that the downtown area is congested and people will have to work together to solve it."

Hecht added that City code allows for a "much larger" development on the site. "Anything that goes in is going to have an impact," Hecht said.

The draft EIR comes two months after H.C. Henshey Company - which has owned the project's site for 80 years -- filed a temporary takings claim against the city, contending it has dragged its feet on the proposed store.

In a letter to City Attorney Marsha Moutrie dated May 24, attorney Chris Harding charged that the city "has failed to comply with both the Zoning Ordinance and State law concerning the processing of the Target application."

The letter said that Henshey's and Target were assured in June of 1998 that the application for the store would be processed "within approximately 15 months." The owners alleged that the city was dragging its feet to delay a vote on the politically charged project until after the election. City officials have called the allegations "ridiculous."

Public comments on the proposed project are due by September 5. The proposed development requires the approval of the Architectural Review Board, the Planning Commission and the City Council.

The project promises to pit slow growthers who fear the 166,500 square foot structure will cause gridlock in the heart of downtown and shoppers who welcome an inexpensive venue in an increasingly upscale city.

Supporters contend the Target store will provide a much-needed affordable department store to help fill the gap left by the demise of Hensheys, Penny's and Woolworths in the downtown area. Opponents fear the development will only bring more traffic downtown, adding to the growing gridlock and parking crunch.