Third Street Also To Undergo a Facelift

The handicapped access ramps on the sidewalk don’t line up.  That means you cannot walk down Third Street, go down a ramp, through the cross walk and get back on the other sidewalk – on both sides of the street.  You can go down a ramp into Third Street, dodge  bicycles, go through the bollards (the hard concrete poles that allow bikes through but not cars) and get back on the sidewalk on the other side of the street, but it takes a jog.

Apparently acknowledging these and other problems, the city is looking to improve the corridor.

A staff report on the Third Street physical conditions acknowledges that while “accessibility for all users is important for a corridor with the volume of non-motorized travel on Third Street,”  however, “several intersection corners in the project area are not accessible to the disabled. This includes three of the four corners at the Third Street and A Street intersection as well as the northeast corner of the intersection of Third Street and University Avenue.”

The project summary seeks to fix these and other problems.  The report says, “Third Street between A Street and B Street currently functions as a primary pedestrian and bicycle corridor with vehicular access connecting UC Davis with the downtown. The intersection of Third Street and A Street accommodates over 4,000 bicycles a day and a large volume of pedestrians. However, the project area suffers from narrow sidewalks, inadequate pedestrian amenities and lighting, absence of bicycle lanes and amenities, a lack of identity and sense of place, a steeply crowned street, above-ground utility lines, and lacks contemporary drainage conveyance.”

I have said many times I love this corridor because, unlike other parts of town, it feels like a college town.  However, the sidewalking and transportation features are badly in need of improvements.

In 2006, UC Davis and the city of Davis worked on a plan for a coordinated effort aimed at improving the connections between the downtown and the campus.  According to their findings, “The Third Street Corridor is perhaps the most significant link between downtown and the central campus quad area. The two-block portion between B Street and A Street, with its narrow sidewalks, oversized streets, high bicycle and pedestrian traffic, and limited vehicular traffic, should be redesigned to more appropriately support the uses.”

The area is indeed unique.  In addition to bollards which block off traffic, the corridor represents an interesting mix of uses, as described by the staff report as “an eclectic mix of residential, commercial, and university-oriented uses with offices, shops, restaurants, and multi- and single-family residences. The two-block segment of Third Street is fronted by nine residences and nine businesses (six restaurants, one copy shop and two UC Davis offices). Parcels immediately bordering the project area but fronting adjacent streets include a restaurant, a single family residence, twelve apartments, and a retail establishment.”

My hope has always been to preserve the unique qualities of this section of town, which is among my favorite features of the core area of town.

Interestingly enough, although the Third Street area is designed for bike travel to campus (indeed, is the “primary bicycle connection between the campus quad and downtown,” and “bicyclists commuting to UC Davis via the Capitol Corridor frequently use Third Street as the most efficient route from the train depot to campus”), the two-block segment of Third Street between A Street and B Street represents a “gap” in the bicycle lane network – the only section without bike lanes.”

On the other hand, “Vehicle travel in the project area is limited, as most vehicles traveling westbound on Third Street east of B Street turn either north or south on B Street.”  And unique parking on the street exists as well.  As the staff report indicates, “On the south side of Third Street the westernmost quarter-block is [part of] the only downtown street segment with one-hour parking. Due to the narrow right of way, the remaining segment of the south side of Third Street is closed to parking on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.”

Furthermore, “On the north side, the westernmost quarter of Third Street is closed to parking, with the remaining length limited to one-hour parking [as on the south side]. Thus, the existing available automobile parking supply is somewhat limited, though important to the businesses and residences fronting and immediately adjacent to Third Street.”

While I opposed the overall visioning process on B St that threatened to eliminate much of the character and charm of the existing buildings,  I do agree with improvements on the Third Street corridor.  Accompanying the rezoning is the clear direction to prioritize the Third Street Improvement project, “Initiate a street improvement program for Third Street between A and B Streets including consideration of widening the sidewalk , installation of new street lighting, street furniture and tree grates, replacement of unhealthy trees, possible undergrounding of utilities, enhanced pedestrian crosswalks and modification of street paving and design to formalize a multiple-use street.”

The good news is that the Third Street Improvements project is a streetscape design plan that will improve the safety, function, and aesthetics of the two-block segment of Third Street between between A Street and B Street and the B Street alley in downtown Davis for pedestrians and bicycles.

According to information from the city, the project consists of community outreach and a final streetscape designs and plans integrating major elements that include improving and widening sidewalks to improve pedestrian and disabled access; designing the corridor to improve bicycle safety and encourage additional bicycling; installing pedestrian-scale street lighting to improve evening safety for bicycles and pedestrians; creating fully-accessible intersection corners; and replacing bollards and improving spacing at University Avenue to improve bicycle safety.  The project would also improve aesthetics through designs/plans for enhanced paving, street furniture, alley improvements, landscaping and campus-downtown gateway features.  Further, it would improve drainage and other infrastructure, through conceptual designs and plans for “green street” elements such as planter boxes with biofiltration, street trees & grates, porous pavement, drainage conveyance  improvements/connections and “undergrounding”of utilities.

The project would also include enhanced paving, street furniture, landscaping, campus-downtown gateway features, and pedestrian-scale  decorative lighting.

According to information from Brian Abbanat, who is Davis’ Long Range and Transportation Planner in the Community Development & Sustainability Department, the plan will occur in two phases.

The city received a grant award of just under $40,000 from Caltrans to assist with the first phase, which includes Community Outreach and Streetscape Design plans.

The second phase seeks to make use of the SACOG Community Design Grant program, which funds capital projects that are consistent with Blueprint Principles (the same program which funded the Fifth Street Road Diet).  The city hopes to apply in late Summer 2011, and receive the funds for the second phase in Summer 2012.

In the concluding thoughts on the redesign, the city offers the following. In the 1960’s through the early 1970’s, the Third Street Parade represented a clearly-defined vision for Third Street during that era. While never advancing beyond the design concept stage, it offered a bold visualization for how the corridor could be transformed into a special place. Despite declining support for such a dramatic concept, policy documents following the 1961 Core Area Plan, when the Third Street Parade was conceived, have recognized the importance of Third Street both as a transportation connection, as well as an important visual gateway to UC Davis.”

Yesterday I called on the city, in part, to transform this town from an automobile-driven community that likes to bike, to a true multimodal transportation community.  Right now we design everything with the fossil fuel burning vehicle as the primary transportation mode, and everything else is secondary, at best.  One of the exceptions is the Third Street corridor, which disconnects the campus and the city from automobile traffic.

My hope would be to preserve as many unique qualities of this area as possible, to continue the reduced access to motorized vehicles, and to open the area up better to bicycle and pedestrian traffic (including those disabled),  simultaneously continuing the mixed usage and the function of transition between university and downtown core. We have very few commercial opportunities immediately adjacent and within an easy walk of campus.  However, allowing people to continue to reside in this area creates a neat mix, and a good transition from university to downtown.

My fear is that tearing down historic bungalows that have admittedly fallen into disrepair, in favor of high rise condos, will destroy the unique quality of this portion of Davis.  However, I remain in full support of a more functional street environment to help students, faculty and staff more easily move from university to core.

—David M. Greenwald reporting