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NEWS
> CITY AND GOVERNMENT
East Third Street biz owners worry about parking
| | | | | | | | |  | | | | | From left, City Manager Ed Tewes, council member Greg Sellers, Mayor Pro Tem Marby Lee, and Mayor Steve Tate perform the official groundbreaking for the Third Street Promenade Wednesday evening. The street is meant to emulate Santa Monica's famous promenade.
 For more photos of the groundbreaking, check out our photo gallery. | | | | | Photo by: Lora Schraft | | | | | | | | | |
The groundbreaking for the East Third Street Promenade, the Downtown Redevelopment Agency's darling project, went off without a hitch despite rumors of a parking-concern fueled upheaval.
The only upheaval, it turns out, was that created by the shovelers.
Mayor Steve Tate, City Manager Ed Tewes, Councilman Greg Sellers and Councilwoman Marby Lee held the golden shovels and did the dirty work of shoveling sand from a day-old sandpit installed for the event.
In 2006, the Redevelopment Agency approved making East Third Street a pedestrian promenade along the lines of Santa Monica's famous walkway. Third Street Promenade will take over the road between Monterey Road and Depot Street, about 900 feet long and 80 feet wide.
One of the project's loudest critics, Poppy's Fish, Poultry & More owner Michael Castelan, was tight-lipped during the ceremony, graciously offering up his courtyard for the event and even providing food for celebrators.
Castelan said city officials asked him to let the ceremony go on without opposition.
"Despite all the controversy, we were still able to work together and have a good celebration," he said.
At a recent community meeting on the project, concept designs were unveiled that cut the street's parking spaces from 58 to 19.
Business Assistance and Housing Services Director Garrett Toy said staff was still taking these concerns to heart, and were committed to providing adequate parking - if not on Third Street, then close to it.
About 50 people, including area business owners, city staff and city officials attended the event. Onlookers included East Third Street home renters like Ryan Clayton, who was concerned that the home he rents will become a parking lot to accommodate the plan. The yard to his home featured a sign reading, "Save My Home From Being a Parking Lot."
The celebration kicked off the first phase of the project, an underground piping project that will begin at the end of the month.
Toy said the upcoming underground water and sewer project would not affect parking, and would only minimally affect traffic.
The second phase, which will reinstall electrical wires underground instead of above ground, is scheduled to begin in August and end in February. The third phase will include everything else, like the sidewalk widening, decorative street furniture and art, pedestrian lighting and lots of greenery. That part is expected to be completed by November of 2009.
Landscape architect Don Jensen said he was impressed with the design so far.
"It's going to be a fun plan," he said. "There are some interesting things happening with it."
The total project could cost between $4 and $5 million. The city received a $1.7 million grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission toward the project and the rest will come from Redevelopment Agency money.
A stipulation of the grant is that construction begin by April 1, 2009, according to Deputy Director of Public Works Karl Bjarke. So far, city officials plan to have the design complete and be ready to go by that date.
Natalie Everett
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