TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Tony Olmos, Public Works Director
Keith Darling, Maintenance Superintendent
Karen Domerchie, Senior Management Analyst
SUBJECT:Title
Presentation of a Preliminary Wayfinding Signage Master Plan (Continued from the October 6, 2015 City Council Meeting) (Public Works Director Olmos).
RECEIVE REPORT AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council review the Preliminary Wayfinding Signage Master Plan (Master Plan) and provide direction.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Capital Improvement Funds in the amount of $40,000 were previously included in the approved fiscal year 2014-2015 Capital Improvement Plan. An additional appropriation of $12,800 was approved on April 7, 2015 for the Consultant Agreement with Selbert Perkins Design to prepare a Master Plan, which includes three sign design concepts. There may be additional consultant costs depending on City Council direction.
BACKGROUND:
On April 7, 2015, City Council approved a Consultant Agreement with Selbert Perkins Design to prepare the Master Plan. As part of the scope, the consultant was to prepare three sign design concepts for City Council consideration. These design concepts include communication elements that are intended to enhance the City’s identity and improve wayfinding for residents and visitors of Manhattan Beach.
The project goals include:
- Build awareness of Manhattan Beach, its primary districts and destinations
- Create a unified system of signs and landmarks to create a welcoming, intuitive, and positive experience for residents and visitors
- Reduce sign clutter and confusion
- Reinforce the history of Manhattan Beach through storytelling
- Design a system that will facilitate maintenance and updates
The process which Selbert Perkins Design used to prepare the Preliminary Signage Program Master Plan includes:
- Physical analysis of the city
- Historical review and analysis
- Review of current city projects and initiatives, including the 2015 ULI report, 2013 Veterans Parkway analysis, and the 2014 draft Mobility Plan
- Meetings with City administrators
- Meetings with the Downtown Manhattan Beach Business Improvement District and the North Manhattan Beach Business Improvement District
- Internet questionnaire through Open City Hall on the City’s website
DISCUSSION:
Staff will call upon Selbert Perkins Design to present their preliminary analysis, results and recommendations for the Master Plan to City Council (Attachment 1). The presentation will include:
- Summary of research and analysis findings
- Outline of recommended sign types and locations, including identification, direction, information and storytelling
- Three proposed visual approaches to the design of a new Sign Program.
o Repurpose - retrofit existing sign types and add new signs/landmarks
o Vintage/Retro - new sign types reflecting the modern history of Manhattan Beach
o Modern - new sign types reflecting the future of Manhattan Beach
Potential next steps in the Master Plan include and are not part of the current scope of work include:
1. Refinement of the selected Master Plan concept:
o Refine design based on City Council direction and present to stakeholders, including but not limited to, Downtown Manhattan Beach Business Improvement District and the North Manhattan Beach Business Improvement District
o Develop detailed cost estimates
o Develop a preliminary construction phasing plan
2. Design Development (final design of all elements)
3. Implementation (Bidding, construction and installation)
The rough order-of-magnitude costs for each of these concepts is approximately $1.5 million. If City Council decides to move forward with the next steps of design development, these costs would be refined and could be spread out over a number of years per City Council direction.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
The project team reached out to the public and key stakeholders to solicit input. On June 11, 2015, the scope-of-work and initial findings regarding existing conditions were presented to the Downtown Manhattan Beach Business Improvement District.
On June 17, 2015, a questionnaire was posted on Open City Hall on the City’s website asking the public to share their thoughts about community identity and directional signage in Manhattan Beach (Attachment 2). This is the first time data gathered through the Open City Hall platform is being formally presented to City Council. As of September 23, 2015, the topic on Open City Hall had 191 visitors, with 21 responses, which equates to 1.4 hours of public comment at two minutes per response.
A second, follow up survey titled “Community Identity and Directional Signage (Wayfinding) - Part 2” was posted on the Open City Hall platform on September 11, 2015 (Attachment 3). This follow up survey had 168 visitors and collected 53 responses, which equates to 3.2 hours of public comment at two minutes per response. This feedback from the Open City Hall platform is being provided to City Council for informational purposes to assist Councilmembers in their decision-making process regarding this agenda item.
On July 1, 2015, the preliminary Master Plan was presented to the North Manhattan Beach Business Improvement District.
Through the meetings with City staff, the Downtown Manhattan Beach Business Improvement District, the North Manhattan Beach Business Improvement District, and through online responses via Open City Hall, the following themes and concerns were consistently raised:
1. Key destinations for residents and visitors are:
a. Pier
b. Beach
c. Downtown restaurants
d. Metlox
e. Manhattan Village Mall
f. City parks
2. Key factors necessary to improve the experience of visiting the City of Manhattan Beach and what it has to offer:
a. Easy parking
b. Clear directional signage
c. Biking, walking and streetscape improvements
3. Primary signage needs are:
a. Public parking signs
b. Directional signs
c. Pedestrian maps
4. Key stories of Manhattan Beach that are important to the public are:
a. Pier
b. Sports
c. Beach life
d. Railway
5. Overall, the descriptions and impressions people have of the City are:
a. Beach
b. Volleyball
c. Friendly
d. Family
e. Beautiful
f. Safe
g. Upscale
With this feedback, and the public’s input from Open City Hall (Attachment 1), Selbert Perkins prepared three sign design concepts (Repurpose, Vintage/Retro, and Modern). These three design concepts were presented to the following groups on these dates:
- North Manhattan Beach Business Improvement District on September 2, 2015
- Downtown Manhattan Beach Business Improvement District on September 10, 2015
- Posted on Open City Hall on the City’s website on September 11, 2015
- Public display at Farmer’s Market on September 15, 2015
- Cultural Arts Commission on September 22, 2015
Based on the public feedback from Open City Hall as shown in Attachment 2, 55.8% of the public prefers the Repurpose design option, which retrofits existing sign types and adds new signs/landmarks.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council review the Preliminary Wayfinding Signage Master Plan (Master Plan) and provide direction.
Attachments:
1. Powerpoint Presentation
2. Open City Hall Survey - Initial Survey
3. Open City Hall Survey - Design Option Selection