DebsPAB

4235 Monterey Road
Los Angeles, CA 90032

 

TRAFFIC & CIRCULATION

A traffic assessment was prepared by Linscott Law & Greenspan (September 20, 1999) for the Draft Framework Plan. The study addressed access and parking for the construction and operation of the Los Angeles Nature Center. In addition, the study examined other elements of the Debs Framework Plan, such as possible improvements to vehicular access and parking facilities.

From adjacent communities, the 110 freeway has several off-ramps that serve the park: Avenue 43, Avenue 52, Via Marisol, and Avenue 60. Currently, public vehicular access is from Monterey Road on the east and Boundary Avenue on the south. Taking the Monterey Road entrance, the visitor follows a curved road up into the main parking lot. No improvements are proposed to the main entry gate or the main parking lot.

Access to the southern area of the park is via Boundary Avenue from Mercury Avenue. There are two gates along the park access road. The first one is generally open to the public, and the second gate is closed, restricting vehicular access into the interior of the park. It is proposed that the appearance of the southern entrance be improved by adding distinctive signage.

Maintenance and emergency vehicle entrances are also provided in the park. There are two located in the northwest portion of the property from Griffin Avenue. An additional maintenance/emergency vehicle entrance is located in the northwest portion of the site from Via Marisol. No improvements are proposed for these entrances.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
One of the closest bus stops to the northern section of Debs Park is at the intersection of Figueroa Street and Avenue 49 where the DASH bus line stops. From this stop there is a pedestrian bridge one block north adjacent to Sycamore Grove Park. The bridge crosses over the Pasadena Freeway to Griffin Avenue, approximately 500 feet from the proposed entrance to the Nature Center. There are no bus routes on Monterey Road and Griffin Avenue adjacent to the Park. MTA Route 255 runs along Griffin Avenue as far north as Avenue 43, approximately 0.7 miles south of the proposed Nature Center entrance. MTA Route 45 follows Mercury Avenue. The closest stops for Route 45 in the southern portion of the Park include one stop located on the corner of Monterey Road and Huntington Drive North, and two stops on Mercury Avenue near Reynolds Avenue.

The provision of a bus stop along Mercury Avenue would be beneficial to those people utilizing the southern portion of the park including the playing fields and playground. Although people could use the DASH bus stop on Figueroa Street to enter the Nature Center area, it is several blocks away.

LOS ANGELES NATURE CENTER

The Los Angeles Nature Center would provide approximately 7,500 square feet of building floor area15 and will offer programs during weekdays for school children, as well as on weekends for adults and families. On a daily routine basis, approximately 15 people are expected to visit the Nature Center at any one time. This number of is expected to increase when a school field trip group visits the Center. It is anticipated that approximately 65 children would attend the Nature Center at any one time. In addition, approximately 12 full-time employees are anticipated to staff the Nature Center.

In terms of site access and parking provisions for the proposed Los Angeles Nature Center, the traffic analysis makes the following observations and recommendations:

Site Access
The Nature Center will be located near the existing southerly driveway on Griffin Avenue. This location was selected to minimize the Nature Center's footprint within Debs Park, thereby reducing the effects on the surrounding environment. Thus, this southerly driveway was analyzed to determine if site access to the Nature Center would be feasible at this location. The Caltrans "Traffic Manual" was consulted to determine the required stopping sight distance, based on the posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour on Griffin Avenue. The "Traffic Manual" recommends a minimum of 250 feet of stopping sight distance. Field observations were made to determine the existing available stopping sight distance along Griffin Avenue at the proposed Nature Center driveway location. North of the proposed site access driveway, there is more than adequate stopping sight distance. South of the proposed site access driveway, the curvature of Griffin Avenue necessitated the need to measure the available stopping sight distance. It was determined that the existing stopping sight distance is 285 feet. Thus, the proposed driveway serving the Nature Center satisfies the minimum stopping sight distance requirements.

Parking
The Nature Center is proposed to provide 7,500 square feet of floor area, with the Draft Framework Plan allowing up to 10,000 square feet. The City of Los Angeles Municipal Code requires one (1) parking space for every 500 square feet within commercial buildings. Thus, based on the Code requirements, approximately 15 onsite parking spaces are required for a 7,500 square foot building and 20 spaces would be required for a 10,000 square foot building. Based on the number of staff members and participants anticipated to be at the Nature Center at any one time, 15 to 20 parking spaces will sufficiently meet the expected peak parking demand generated by use of the building. In addition, parking for visitors to the Nature Center's outdoor facilities is expected to generate the need for an additional 15-25 spaces.

However, to minimize adverse effects associated with grading and paving within the existing Park, the study examined the feasibility of using street parking to serve the parking needs of the proposed Nature Center. Typical acceptable maximum walking distance is approximately 0.25 miles or 1,320 feet. To be conservative, a walking distance of up to 500 feet in each direction on Griffin Avenue was assumed for the study to determine the number of available parking spaces. Further, for this review, only the street parking spaces along the east side of Griffin Avenue were considered, as the street parking spaces on the west side require pedestrians to cross Griffin Avenue. Moreover, the street parking spaces on the west side of Griffin Avenue were observed to be occasionally utilized by patrons of the adjacent soccer fields. If a parking spaces length of 25 feet is assumed, then 40 parking spaces are available along the east side of Griffin Avenue, adjacent to the proposed Nature Center site. This supply would be more than adequate to accommodate the peak parking demand needed for the future Nature Center.

Debs Park Area 1 and Area 2
Issues addressed in this section include potential improvements to parking in Area 1 and Area 2. Parking Ð Main Parking Lot (Area 2) and Rose Hill (Area 1) Based on a recent field review, the main parking area of Debs Park contains approximately 127 parking spaces, including four (4) handicap spaces. This lot appears to be efficiently striped to accommodate the maximum number of automobiles. Thus, there does not appear to be an immediate opportunity to increase the parking supply at this location.

The parking lot at the Rose Hill Park contains approximately 35 parking spaces. While the existing parking area appears to be efficiently striped, there is the potential to increase the parking supply by adding 20 feet of paved area along the west edge of the lot. This modification would accommodate up to an additional 32 parking spaces, which would serve the proposed new land uses in Area 1, such as the community garden and ARTScorpsLA building. Earthwork, pavement surfacing and striping would be required. The "overflow" unpaved parking area was not utilized during field observations (which included the Labor Day holiday weekend). Therefore, the need to serve peak parking demands may be more closely tied to the use of the picnic area by Green Meadow Farms, and the cumulative traffic generated by their petting zoo and general public use.

Vehicular Access
Currently, vehicular access to the facilities in Area 1 (Rose Hill) is provided from Mercury Avenue to the south, and access to the main facilities is provided from Monterey Road to the east. There is a connecting roadway between the two areas which is closed to public use. The internal access roads appear to be sufficient in terms of pavement width, sight distance, etc. No other improvements to the internal access roadways appear to be required in conjunction with the Debs Framework Plan.

Traffic and Circulation Recommendations:
• Should the City Department of Building and Safety approve the use of street parking along Griffin Avenue in lieu of a parking lot, to satisfy either a portion or all of the parking needs of the proposed Los Angeles Nature Center, it is recommended that sidewalks be constructed. Sidewalks should be placed along the east side of Griffin Avenue at an appropriate distance to the north and south of the site access driveway. This cost will be the responsibility of the Audubon Society/LA Nature Center.
•With construction of the new future driveway, prohibit parking (paint the curbs red) to approximately 10 feet from the edge of the driveway to increase line-of-sight.
•Provide a pedestrian crosswalk on Griffin Avenue at the future Los Angeles Nature Center driveway. Conduct studies to determine if a signalized crossing is required.
•To accommodate future land use activities in Area 1, including the Reptilia Island Renaissance Skill Center, provide 20 feet of paved area along the west edge of the southern Rose Hill parking lot. This modification would provide up to an additional 32 parking spaces. Earthwork, pavement surfacing and striping would be required.
•Extend MTA Route 255 on Griffin Avenue 0.7 miles northeast to the future Los Angeles Nature Center entrance.

continue to "RESTORATION"