Task Force Gets Different Take on Promenade

By Constance Tillotson

Oct. 14 -- If the Third Street Promenade seems a constant bustle, speeding up the action might provide a different take on the popular strip.

That's what members of the Promenade Uses Task Force found out last Thursday, when they examined time-lapse images of the outdoor shopping and entertainment strip and pored over the results of visitor surveys.

Among the recommendations suggested by Bayside consultants: Move the trees, remove the dinosaur topiaries, make the window displays more inviting and do something about the homeless who monopolize the public benches.

"The mall and design needs to change dramatically," said Fred Kent, president of Project for Public Spaces, the consultant hired by the City to help strike a healthy balance of uses for the outdoor shopping strip. "We would have to say the major weakness are the storefronts.

"The chain stores are very much a destination," Kent said. "People don't walk by and stop to look at the windows. They either go straight in or just walk on by."

Kent noted that "great shops of the world have amazing window displays," and he called for more "interaction between the store and the pedestrian," adding that the trees hinder views of the storefronts.

A key conclusion, Kent said, is that the Promenade does not "draw people in," a finding illustrated by time lapse photography.

In addition, consultants suggested relocating the movie theaters to 2nd and 4th streets, providing a stronger link between the Promenade and Palisades Park and making the street corners more inviting.

"You've got a great street but the neighborhood around it is weak," Kent said. "Palisades Park is a disgrace. There's nothing to do there except hang out. That park should be one of your great gems."

PPS' survey found that more than half of the Promenade visitors polled said what they most dislike are the homeless. When asked about the alleyways, more than three fourths said they mostly dislike the smell.

"During the day in the center court it is dominated by transients and kids hitting each other over the head with skateboards," said Nick Peterson of PPS. "At night, it is much more pleasant. It's dominated by decent folk, nice families."

Photos shown of three homeless people taking up three separate benches were used to back the survey results, which indicated that the lack of seating was the second biggest complaint visitors had. Mayor Michael Feinstein suggested "pyramid seating" so that one type of person would not dominate the crowd.

Kent welcomed the idea and suggested that the cafés and restaurants add seats that spill onto the streets. He cited the Starbucks coffee shop at the corner of the Promenade and Wilshire Boulevard as a particularly bad example of seating arrangements.

"This could possibly be the worst Starbucks in the country," Kent said. He questioned the bright yellow bars blocking passersby from sitting down. When told they were to block non-customers, Kent suggested "a waiter service who would control" who sat down and for how long.

Another drawback, consultants said, were the street corners.

"Corners are a critical place," Kent said. "If you took old pictures of this street you would see how the retail stores has repressed it. This is really weak."

Consultants also criticized the sculptures and dinosaur topiaries, which Kent hoped would be headed for extinction.

"These don't work," he said. "It's really sad. But they kill the spontaneity. They work more like a wall or an obstacle. It's more like an art exhibit."

Another Promenade feature that is becoming fossilized, consultants said, are the movie theaters.

"The movie theaters are functionally obsolete," said Larry Lund of PPS. "There is no stadium seating. Bottom line, this is an issue we have to start thinking about. Do we take the theaters off the street? Maybe moving entertainment onto 2nd or 4th streets."

The consultant's recommendations put some of those in attendance on the defensive. Others noted that some of the proposed changes already had been put into practice.

Richard Eichenbaum, Senior Manager, Santa Monica Place, addressed the proposed changes to the parking structure adjacent to the indoor mall.

"The garages have already been redesigned," said Eichenbaum. "How many times do we need to change the garages? We need to think about the impact on our customers."

Eichenbaum suggested that before their next meeting, PPS supply disks to the task force so members can view the plans and digest the changes.

"When you hit us the first time with this we become passionate about our districts," said Eichenbaum. "We have to have time to take down our barriers to be able to take it all in. I get passionate about how we serve our customers. They are our guests."

Members of the public also defended Palisades Park, which Kent said is "only 10 percent of what it should be," noting that there is a lack of foot traffic from the park to the Promenade.

"You would be surprised if you looked at the great parks of the world how weak yours is," said Kent. "

Bill Imhoff, a property owner on the Promenade, questioned Kent's criteria for "greatness."

"Is having the greatest park in the world what we really want?" Imhoff said. "We have a promontory view of the Pacific, old trees and groves. Is going towards excellence mean to jack up the park to the level of Venice and the Pier? I think people need to go to the park as a place of reflection."

"More civic vitality," Feinstein suggested, would help curb some of the homeless in the park, affording more opportunity for seniors and others who are now fearful to come and enjoy the area.

Future meetings of the task force -- which includes members of the City Council, Planning Commission and Bayside District board -- will focus on specific issues, such as seating and the homeless.