Item 17 - Appropriation Adjustments for Bristol Improvement Project Phase 4

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Bristol Street Corridor Specific Plan March 2018 Park Area Zone These areas, which account for about one-third of the land in the corridor, should be heavily planted with trees to maximize their visual appeal and environmental value (Figure 5-9 & Figure 5-10). To address the anticipated pedestrian use of the park zone, a greater variety of species, planted in more irregular patterns is proposed behind the street -edge zone. The increase in species diversity and its informal placement also serves to visually "mesh" the parkway vegetation into the canopy of the adjacent residential areas. The ground plane should be kept free of visual obstructions, with emphasis on turf, ground cover, or optional decomposed granite coverage. Figure 5-10 depicts the criteria for using decomposed granite as an alternative to turf or ground cover planting. Trees should be drip or flood -irrigated wherever possible while sod and ground cover areas should be spray irrigated using low gallonage, vandal resistant nozzles. Within the park zone, the Community Activity Node stretching from 15` Street to Civic Center Drive should receive special treatment. Because the adjacent areas are mostly commercial in character and/or are targeted for commercial redevelopment there is a lesser need to create a "buffer" landscape. Increased pedestrian activity should also be expected. Therefore, more of the park area should be paved in this section of the corridor, with regular tree planting appearing to be "cutout" from a paved matrix, rather than the other way around. Page 150 Within this node, the street intersections should be distinctive features of the streetscape. At each intersections corner, groves of palm trees, raised ornamental planters, shelters, special paving and other visually strong and unique features should be considered (Figure 5-11). Sidewalks and Buffer Treatment At the street edge is proposed either a 25-foot public buffer containing a 10-foot sidewalk or a 14-foot public buffer containing an 8-foot sidewalk (Figure 5-7). The initial Specific Plan Street Alignment (SPSA) called for the sidewalk to be immediately adjacent to the street curb. Following further study it was determined that the sidewalk should be placed behind the remaining 15-foot or 6-foot buffer corresponding to the 25-foot and 14-foot public buffers, respectively. This decision allowed the sidewalk to be placed between two rows of trees thus acquiring the most amenable of all possible alignments. Because the second or inner row of trees falls on private property, the design guidelines calls for continuous parking frontage whereby the trees could be planted on regularly spaced planting islands. The spacing of the trees, therefore, is subject to the rhythm of the parking space. One tree every three spaces (9 feet per space) yields a spacing of 36 feet, which is adequate. The two rows should be planted in a staggered fashion to maximize canopy cover over the sidewalk. Slight adjustments in the placement of the trees should be exercised in order to accommodate underground utilities and new street lighting. Flexibility on the exact dimension of the buffer alignment of the sidewalk will also be necessary. At Mater Dei High School, for example, there is no room for the buffer strip. In this instance the sidewalk will have to be placed adjacent to the curb line and, if feasible, trees planted on school property to preserve street -tree continuity. Similar variations may be required on other existing developments according to land availability. In such instances trees should be planted not more than 36 feet on center, in tree wells if necessary. Lighting Standard street lighting will be provided as part of the street widening project. However, given the extent of area proposed for pedestrian use, supplementary lighting to achieve a 1- footcandle illumination level will be necessary. Along sidewalk, plaza areas and gathering areas along the parkway, pedestrian -scaled fixtures should be provided, They should be placed in continuous rows and matched in style throughout the Corridor, both in private and public zones. Figure 5-12 illustrates the type of fixture proposed. These fixtures should be spaced no more than five times their height (measured to the light source) along the park zones and half as far in the commercial zones, or as otherwise determined by an engineer.