If you’ve looked at your old bathroom or tired and worn out carpet and fixtures for too long, get inspired to modernize your home by attending the 8th Annual Katy Home and Garden Show slated for Jan.25-26 at the Merrell Center Robinson Pavilion in Katy. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

For those eager to get a head start on any home and garden expansion no matter the size, make plans to visit more than 250 exhibits.  

“Consumer interest and spending in home remodeling and DIY projects continue to rise for many reasons,”said  Robyn Cade, President of RJC Productions and organizer of the Katy Home and Garden Show. “Baby boomers may now find themselves as empty nesters with disposal incomes to refurbish, redecorate and reinvest in their homes, creating beautiful living spaces which reflect their individual personalities and an emphasis on entertaining at home.”  

Additionally, low interest rates make remodeling affordable.  Some of the other reasons to consider remodeling a home include modernizing it. 

“Research shows that investing in your home pays for itself in the long haul, particularly with kitchen and bathroom remodels,” said Cade. 

In fact, an American Housing Survey found that adding a half bath can increase home value 10.5 percent and a full bath contributes 20 percent to home value. Lower heating and cooling bills by replacing outdated windows and doors with energy efficient ones. 

“We’re especially excited about the range of exhibitors, demonstrations and experts who’ll be part of this year’s show,” said Cade.

Fall in love with your home all over again.  Get inspired to kick start or finalize renovation plans with the help of design and renovation experts and two buildings of one-stop shopping including: decorating, gardening, remodeling, window treatments, home theater, landscaping, kitchens baths, do-it-yourself, flooring, windows doors, siding, heating/cooling, pools, outdoor entertainment and a myriad of other home related products and services. Whether planning a major renovation or smaller home updates, you’ll be right at home at the Katy Home Garden Show with the ability to comparison shop in one convenient area.  Find out how to make “green” improvements which can reduce electrical and heating bills or creative ideas to improve your home’s curb appeal.  

For those interested in a new garden, landscaping tips or other home improvement how-to’s the Katy Home and Garden Show is brimming with ideas; experts and workshops. Foodies can get in on the fun with more than 20 food sampling booths.  

On Saturday, attendees will meet celebrity DIY TV Host, Jason Cameron, who helps bring life to dreary landscapes and or specialized man caves.

Watch him work and it quickly becomes apparent this licensed contractor really knows his stuff, especially when it comes to his own personal passions: home improvement and landscaping. Jason says he recently even gutted his own home and completely revamped the backyard. Now he’s putting his extensive hands-on expertise to work for DIY Network building, landscaping, hardscaping and more. 

Tickets are $9 for adults; $8 for seniors and $5 for military.  Kids under 12 are free. The facility charges $1 per ticket added at the time of purchase.  For ticket information, directions, parking and more visit www.katyhomeandgardenshow.com.

The H-E-B store would be placed toward the north side of the property with parking, landscaping, stormwater detention and a gas station/car wash placed to the south. A copy of the proposed H-E-B site plan and building rendering is available at the CARD website at hayscard.org or at the Wimberley Village Library.

Following is a summary of key points discussed at the CARD-H-E-B meeting along with CARD’s thoughts:

1. LOCATION – This has been a major topic of discussion regarding H-E-B’s move to Wimberley. H-E-B has judged the currently proposed site as the best for its business model. Getting this particular site was the key to their decision to finally make the move. They have presented this as the only site appropriate. The “Junction” at FM 32/RR 12 would be too far from the population center. Winters Mill Parkway (“the bypass”) would be separated from the business center of Wimberley and lacks water or sewer services.

In addition, a site outside Wimberley would not give Wimberley any ordinance control, and thus no say in the look or style of the building. Also, a site outside the city would cost Wimberley substantial sales tax revenues. After much consideration and discussion, CARD agrees that, if H-E-B comes to Wimberley, the current site proposed, while not ideal, best suits Wimberley’s future since it strengthens the business core of the city, does not contribute to urban sprawl, has utility services available and will, in the future, contribute sales tax and will add to Wimberley’s tax base when a property tax is adopted by the City Council.

2. BUILDING ARCHITECTURE – H-E-B’s early building renderings were unclear and bland, but have evolved several times. H-E-B brought a new architectural rendering to our Jan. 6 meeting. It was a marked improvement over early drawings, pleasing and consistent with Hill Country and Wimberley style. The design is lower mass and incorporates a metal roof, masonry exterior, and acceptable exterior signage. Large windows have been added to the upper level, creating a much more light and airy look that should make the interior very light. As previously agreed, the store will put aside H-E-B’s corporate color palate and use Hill Country appropriate earth tone hues (not in the rendering on the website).

There is a Hill Country style-front porch look. SIGNS: CARD campaigned against large signs. On-building H-E-B signage was already less than city ordinance levels at the last PZ meeting, and H-E-B committed to additional reductions at the CARD meeting. Since our meeting, H-E-B has further agreed to remove the H-E-B corporate sign on the west side of the building, an important concession to toning down the look. This means the only large red H-E-B logo signs are on the building front, and a painted H-E-B on the east side water tower. In addition, site leveling on the north end of the property will considerably lower the roofline of the store; H-E-B says the front sign should be obscured to southern view by the new Ace Hardware store.

Off-building signs are on the ground (not poles) and in compliance with the Wimberley sign code. LEED: The Wimberley H-E-B will seek LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) certification requirements of the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED standards have become common, but seeking full certification implies an additional commitment; this will be only the sixth store in the H-E-B chain with that certification. Overall, H-E-B has made significant strides in this category to please Wimberley requests.

3. SIZE – H-E-B proposes to build a 46,500 square foot grocery store on the site. CARD considers this too large for this location, and asked for no more than 38,000 square feet. We were not surprised that H-E-B insisted more space was necessary to be successful here. For comparison, the Dripping Springs H-E-B is 68,520 square feet, almost 50% larger. Brookshire Brothers is about 37,000 square feet. CARD believes that the improved H-E-B design (see 2, above) will help offset the size impact of the store, but we would still like to see it reduced.

4. TRAFFIC – Like many in Wimberley, H-E-B was very concerned about our traffic. Before committing to this site, a traffic analysis supported by detailed traffic counts was done by Bury Associates -Traffic Engineers. It shows that while additional traffic will be generated by the H-E-B store, it will not have a significant negative impact on local traffic patterns.

Unlike a school or a factory which has high peaking traffic volumes, a grocery store has traffic flows throughout the business day with only minor peak traffic.

The Bury analysis showed that the “level of service” on RR 2325 and RR 12 would remain at very acceptable levels with the H-E-B store in place. The study also showed there are already two “failing grade” traffic locations in Wimberley (RR 12 at River Road and Green Acres Dr. at RR 2325) which will get worse in the future, even if H-E-B does not build. H-E-B has agreed to donate $100,000 to Wimberley to assist in resolving future traffic problems.

Their study indicates that signal timing can be improved in the vicinity of the site and pledged to work with TxDOT (something they do regularly) to achieve this goal, which would obviously also benefit their store

5. RAINWATER COLLECTION – H-E-B has had limited experience with rainwater collection at its various stores and did not propose to incorporate it at this site

This is a key interest to Wimberley, and CARD has pushed H-E-B hard on it. Because of the need to reduce the use of groundwater within the Hill Country, CARD believes that rainwater collection and use is vital to the sustainability of the aquifer – our drinking water supply.   Accordingly CARD has requested that H-E-B install a large rainwater tank (200,000+ gallons) to collect rainwater off the store roof and that they also collect condensate from the air conditioning and refrigeration units within the store.

This collected rainwater/condensate would provide water for site landscape irrigation and also for the proposed car wash. H-E-B’s team has said all along they would like to do it, but did not think they could. However, since our meeting, H-E-B has committed to onsite rainwater collection for its irrigation. CARD considers this is a key commitment by H-E-B, showing corporate respect for Hill Country concerns about water. If H-E-B builds in Wimberley, this is something Wimberley can point to as an example of what we want to see from companies wanting to build here.

6. GAS STATION/CAR WASH – There are already several gas stations in the area, and CARD has stated we would prefer not to see another. The H-E-B team said that gasoline sales are a major component of the revenue stream for any H-E-B project and must be included if this project is to be approved by H-E-B Corporate. (CARD – like many of you – has noted that in areas where H-E-B sells gasoline, prices have dropped significantly.) Currently, the car wash is not in phase one of H-E-B’s building plans; it is in phase two if it seems practical at that time. CARD believes that if a car wash is developed on site it should be served first by rainwater collected onsite before any use of groundwater. H-E-B insists they have an interest in this, but also insists they cannot commit to something they are not sure they can make happen. “If it can go farther as we study it, we may go there,” said H-E-B’s Scott. “I don’t want to say it will happen.”

7. DRAINAGE – The site plan for H-E-B incorporates a water quality/detention pond that exceeds ordinance requirements and will facilitate 100-year storm runoff from the site. This will reduce the burden on the local storm drain system that the city says is undersized. This will be better drainage than the site has currently.

8. LIGHT POLLUTION – As a policy, H-E-B uses area lighting that complies with the Night Skies recommendations of the Hill Country Alliance. The light spillover from the area lighting is minimized by directing floodlights down and using LED bulbs which also save energy. H-E-B agrees to turn off most lighting when the store closes. (This is not a 24-hour H-E-B.) It’s worth noting that if H-E-B does not build here, the site is expected to revert to the originally planned sports ball fields, and the lighting that entails.

9. LANDSCAPING/TREES – The landscape design proposed for the H-E-B site incorporates drought tolerant plants and trees that will reduce the need for watering. However, at the suggestion of the city, tree planting was proposed at 25% over standard city code requirements, and H-E-B has committed to that. Many of the site’s large trees will be retained, and many other native trees will be planted. H-E-B’s Wimberley proposal has full details on this plan, which was presented at the PZ public meeting.

10. OTHER – Several questions that are important to CARD and Wimberley residents, such as how a very large store would affect Wimberley’s character, its other businesses and employment levels, were outside the scope of this meeting. However, they are important factors for Wimberley residents to consider.

CARD Recommendation: CARD believes the informed people of Wimberley should decide whether H-E-B comes to our town. One thing has become abundantly clear since we have gone further into the plusses and minuses of H-E-B coming to Wimberley: no solution will satisfy everyone, or be perfect.

Despite the fervent wishes of many, Wimberley is not in a time capsule. Change is going to happen. But we can have a say over what that change is, and how it is implemented. If big stores are coming to the Wimberley area soon, it is up to us to decide now if H-E-B is the right store to set a good precedent.

After attending PZ meetings, talking to numerous members of city government and direct discussions with H-E-B, CARD believes H-E-B has shown a willingness to meet or even exceed many of the requests made by Wimberley people and government. CARD has not gotten everything we have wanted and requested. We do intend to keep pushing for what best serves Wimberley. But we have found H-E-B to have an exceptional corporate openness, and a surprising willingness to find a way to say yes. And, when the answer is going to be no, we appreciate being told no directly, instead of “maybe.”

CARD encourages area citizens to attend the January 16th public meeting and express their ideas and concerns on the H-E-B project to both H-E-B, and to the members of the Wimberley City Council who will decide the fate of this project. They want to hear from you.

Dog walkers, joggers and people pushing baby strollers were among those enjoying the fully-opened Okanagan Lake walkway on Tuesday in Penticton.

The fence sections were removed, allowing the public to walk along the entire path from the Peach to the S.S. Sicamous for the first time since construction started months ago.

“I was leery about this at first, but now I love it,” said Terry Ring, as she walked her dog Harley. “I feel like we have come into the 21st century, without losing the ambience here.”

This week marks the finalization of the seven month project that was completed over two phases for the one kilometre, multi-use path.

The final concrete placement near the S.S. Sicamous occurred during the holidays and required at least a week to cure under insulated covers. Ice had formed on the new walkway due to the cold weather, causing a slight delay in opening.

But the recent warm temperatures melted the ice, making the concrete path safe for the public.

Mayor Garrry Litke said he was thrilled with the enhancements to the walkway.

“The new pathway is safer, more accessible and provides a much better user experience,” he said. “Residents and visitors will enjoy the new walkway for generations to come, and this was the vision set out by council in making waterfront enhancement a strategic priority.”

Those out enjoying the finished walkway in this warm January weather,  shared the mayor’s enthusiasm.

“We are loving this,” said Don Michiel, as he strolled along with his wife. “It is user friendly, the walkway is wide and we can bring our dog down.”

While a woman, who gave her name as Amber, said it was now comparable to what you find on the other end of town.

“Skaha Park has always been the nicer end of town, but this is starting to step it up a bit with a more welcoming nature,” she said.

In addition to the walkway, all the trees have been planted, the streetlights are operational and street furniture, signage and picnic tables have been installed.

Most of the angle parking is fully open to the public from the Peach to the S.S. Sicamous and remaining paved parking areas and some landscaping will be completed in the spring.

“The project is approaching completion, and we are projecting it will be completed within budget,” said city engineer Ian Chapman.

 

 

 

 

Maineville, Oh. – Thornton Landscape recently announced a new addition to the team of landscape professionals. Dan Lynch, a landscape designer with more than 26 years in the industry, joins the team as a landscape design sales manager. He will assist primarily residential customers as they plan and design their outdoor environments.
 
“I was pleased to be able to work with a firm that has such a great reputation. Thornton Landscape is known for its high quality of work and its unique projects,” Lynch said. “I look forward to working with our clients to help them gain focus, learn what they want to accomplish in their outdoor space, understand what they want and then prioritize their wants and needs.”
 
Thornton Landscape offers truly custom landscape design for both residential and commercial customers. With more than 50 years in business, the company is a consistent award winner for its landscape designs. The landscape team also includes a large number of certified landscape technicians and professionals, as accredited by the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association (ONLA).
 
“My goal is to get clients – all of the decision makers – here to Thornton Landscape to show them all that we have to offer. We can go over pictures and walk around the grounds to get landscaping ideas and help them imagine the possibilities,” Lynch said. “But one of the best things we can do is help clients phase their project over time – giving them a beautiful space that is always evolving and improving.”
 
Lynch’s education includes design and horticulture at the University of Cincinnati as well as classes in computer-aided design and drafting at Southern Ohio College. He is a member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers and is a Certified Landscape Technician (CLT) from the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association (ONLA).
 
In his previous work in the industry, he has installed, managed and designed award-winning landscaping projects for Xavier University, Homerama homes and displays at the Fifth Third Home Garden Show and Cincinnati Flower Show. He was a featured landscape designer in the October 2010 edition of Housetrends magazine.
 
“We’re excited to have his experience and knowledge on board at Thornton Landscape,” said Andy Doesburg, president of the company. “He has worked on some truly great projects. His customer focus and philosophy of guiding homeowners through the landscape design process is spot on with how we serve our clients.”
 
Lynch said he looks forward to meeting with clients and encourages them to get started thinking about landscaping now. The winter season is a great time to plan for projects that can break ground in the spring, he said.
 
“I enjoy that in this business each day is a little bit different. Each project has its own personality and each client has specific needs and wants,” he said. “I love the constant change and the constant challenges.”

A $5 million renovation has turned a once vacant cornerstone of the North George Street corridor into a state-of-the art office space and brought another major employer back to York’s downtown area.

LSC Design, an architecture and engineering firm, will employ more than 50 full-time employees at its new headquarters in the former Thos. Somerville Co. building at 320 N. George St., said Sarah Wortman, director of business development for the company.

The 47,000 square-foot space also includes room for two to three other tenants — slots Robert Kinsley II, president of the company, hopes will be taken up by a bar, restaurant or other local firms.

After more than a decade of operating at the edge of the city’s limits, Kinsley said he wanted to bring the company back to York’s core where it could play a larger role in the community.

“We paid city taxes, but we didn’t get any of the benefits,” Kinsley said.

Now, the company plans to open its innovative space up to nonprofits, local artists and others as a spot for fundraisers and showcases.

“We want to get as much use out of it as possible,” Kinsley said.

The building’s design lends itself to collaboration, whether its with the public or among its employees.

The large, open entryway was created as an area to hold large gatherings. A drop-down big screen descends to four feet above the floor, and a wide staircase doubles as a “rampitheater” — a walkway and seating area, Wortman said.

Work spaces, with low partitions and bench-style desks, are meant to encourage team members to exchange ideas, Wortman said. What she calls “touchdown areas” — or clusters of group seating — dot the entire office, offering spaces to work creatively, and even upper-level employees work in three-walled alcoves, allowing for visibility and easy access.

A former plumbing supply warehouse, the building has retained much of its original character, including exposed metal beams, brick walls and other markers of its industrial past.

The effort to salvage as much of the existing site as possible will help the site earn LEED certification, a program that is used to rate green buildings, at the highest level, Wortman said.

Completion of the project is another key step in a plan to redevelop the area of the Northwest Triangle, which languished as an underused brown field for years before the city mounted a concerted effort to rehabilitate the site about 10 years earlier.

The site has long been a part of the city’s vision for the acreage, but Thomas Conley, vice president of operations for LSC, said the company was forced to put work on hold after the recession hit.

The result, however, was a better final product, Conley said.

“Our goal was to do as little to the building as possible,” he said. The design process was like getting to know a spouse: “the longer we spent with the building, the more we understood who it wanted to be.”

Who rakes the compost?

The new headquarters of LSC Design at 320 N. George St. includes a number of features to decrease the building’s carbon footprint, said Sarah Wortman, director of business for the company. One of those features is composting toilets.

Waste from the second-floor toilets is deposited in a composter on the ground floor, which will produce fertilizer for the building’s outdoor landscaping, Wortman said.

But the compost has to be raked once a month.

So who gets that job?

Since it was his idea to install the toilets, Wortman said the president of the company, Robert Kinsley II, has volunteered.

Discussion at a public meeting to discuss downtown revitalization efforts seemed lively as about 30 downtown business owners, city leaders and residents gathered Wednesday.

The meeting allowed Short Elliott Hendrickson (SHE) representatives to outline ideas for the downtown area and to gather feedback from the public on the needs and desires for the community. The City of Gering and the downtown revitalization committee selected SEH to oversee the planning process after the city received a $30,000 Nebraska Department of Economic Development grant.

“It seems like we had really good conversations,” Andrew Dane, project manager with SEH, told the crowd.

During the meeting, representatives gathered into groups to discuss “nodes” that the consultants had designated. Nodes included the area around the main M Street intersection, the section around the courthouse and areas between the two other nodes.

Conversations centered around M Street focused on beautifying the corner and making it a noticeable entrance to the downtown area.

“The gateway to downtown is M Street,” Jeff Pedersen, SEH consultant, said. “The feeling is that we need to attract those people who are going east and west onto M Street.”

Three of the corners at the intersection were cited as being parking lots or vacant lots that were in need of some aesthetic improvement. Discussion centered on improving those three corners, with “pocket parks” suggested. Pedersen said the areas do not need to be large, but would improve the look of the downtown entrance. A large feature, such as a gateway arch or other feature, could also highlight the entrance.

As the city contemplates the location of a proposed hotel, Pedersen suggested that the hotel be located on the Gering Civic Center property, facing Tenth Street. He drew a design that included a drop-off area and would be made possible by a proposal to narrow Tenth Street from four lanes to two lanes. Such a location would lead to adding some activity to that area, he said.

The city should also step back from proposed closure of N Street, he said, but could designate a pedestrian parking on the street for those who may be visiting the civic center and crossing to access parking. Street surfaces and other features could be designed to promote slower traffic, but still allow thorough traffic.

“Closing a street is never a good idea,” Pedersen said.

Widened sidewalks and extended bulb outs were proposed throughout the downtown area as ways that could improve walkability and pedestrian safety. The ideas were talked about in each of the nodes, but particular emphasis was placed on pedestrian safety around the courthouse node because of school children crossing Tenth Street.

In discussing the courthouse node, some participants suggested that the area wasn’t necessarily a part of the downtown area. Consultant Bob Kost suggested that the area has more of a “suburban” feel and could be treated as its own area. With the towering trees at the courthouse, he suggested building on the greenscaping in the area and using it to compliment activities.

The courthouse lawn, where downtown merchants hosted the annual arts festival last year, could serve as a potential site for a pocket park or gathering area. Some discussion centered on eliminating streetside parking around the courthouse and the adjoining block where Pizza Hut, Subway and other restaurants are located.

Landscaping throughout the downtown area was suggested to be native vegetation. The Gering Civic Center landscaping was suggested as a model of the type of landscaping that would be suitable for the downtown. Planters, designed with wagon wheels could help reflect a common theme that could be built around the history of Gering.

The history of Gering and its location on the Oregon Trail was suggested as the theme that should be a commonly reflected theme throughout the downtown. Discussion centered around adding markers in the downtown area to help define historical buildings, educate people about the history and landmarks in Gering and could be used in a walking tour of the downtown area. Dane said a textured street or pathway could designate the path of the Oregon Trail and continue to the Scotts Bluff National Monument.

Strategies to make the downtown area more bicycle-friendly, use of public artwork and other ideas were also discussed during Wednesday’s meeting.

Ideas from Wednesday’s meeting and other meetings will be gathered and posted online, Dane said. SEH Holding consultants will make a final report, including a recommendation for priority projects, at the Gering Council’s Feb. 10 meeting.

Comments can also be directed to Dane by Monday, Jan. 20, by email at adane@sehinc.com.

Two popular design stars, six spectacular design rooms, more than 500 industry experts, thousands of products and services.

You’ll find them all at the 33^rd annual Philadelphia Home Show, which runs over two long weekends — Jan. 18-20 and 24-26 — instead of eight straight days at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Celebrity guests include Ahmed Hassan, formerly of DIY Network’s “Yard Crashers,” who will motivate you to take on even the most difficult landscaping and design projects, and John DeSilvia of DIY’s “Under Construction” and “Run My Renovation,” who will teach how to get the most out of planning your home renovation.

New this year is Family Day on Jan 20, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Kids under 12 get in free. On Hero Day Jan 24, military, firefighters and police get in free.

In “Simon’s Sticker Room by IKEA,” a completely white room will be transformed with stickers over the course of the show.

In the “Unhinged Challenge,” celebrity experts and design bloggers are competing in a contest to repurpose a door from Habitat for Humanity’s Philadelphia ReStore location

Many final additions and show attractions for the 2014 show are still being confirmed, so please check in http://www.phillyhomeshow.com for updates and for ticket information.

Tickets are $13, door; $10, online; $3, ages 6-12. There will be free parking at the Sugar House Casino and a free shuttle to the Convention Center.

More info: http://www.phillyhomeshow.com

—Jodi Duckett

Newport council decides to turn a 1,300-square-foot triangular plot into a pocket park, perhaps with seating and a sculpture.

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By Emily Foxhall

January 14, 2014 | 9:47 p.m.

On East Coast Highway in Corona del Mar, just north of Hobie Surf Shop, green grass covers a triangular piece of land that is easy to miss, save for the painted mural periodically changed on the wall behind it.

The mural will continue, but this 1,300-square-foot property won’t be left alone for long.

The Newport Beach City Council voted Tuesday night to move forward with plans to landscape it as a pocket park.

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  emily.foxhall@latimes.com

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“It will certainly look nicer, and it will be usable space there, which is great,” said Laura Detweiler, the city’s recreation and senior services director, adding that the projected cost of the project is $90,000.

As part of an ongoing effort to increase walkability in the area, the space could include an area for seating and perhaps a sculpture, explained Ron Yeo, a Corona del Mar resident and architect who did the preliminary design pro bono.

A bronze plaque in the park will pay homage to Myrtle Cox, who lived in El Cajon but owned various commercial properties in Newport Beach. Cox agreed to donate the land before her death in December at age 87.

“It was a remarkable gift from one who was not even a resident of our city,” said Mayor Pro-Tem Ed Selich.

The part of the land that slopes upward will be terraced. A different type of water-conserving plant will be showcased on each level, said Selich, who first had the idea for the park about 15 years ago.

“This had all the elements of the right size, the right location,” he said. “All the little pieces just fell into place.”

Residents might stop to rest their feet there, Yeo imagined, perhaps picking up a lemon supreme cupcake or a scoop of bubblegum candy from B.Candy, which borders the park to the north. Yeo passes the space on his morning walks.

As it stands, teenagers have posed in front of the wall to take pictures during the summertime. Families have stopped by the grassy spot to take Christmas card photos in December, said Sarah Dineen, a store manager at Hobie Surf Shop. Otherwise, it often remains vacant.

Dineen looked forward to the park being built next to the store, expecting that it could bring added business.

And even if this does not draw more business to the area, it will benefit shoppers who may need to take a rest between stores, said Bernie Svalstad, vice chairman of the Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce and the Business Improvement District.

“It will add to the charm of Corona del Mar Village,” he said. “I think that’s what it’s all about.”

The park follows a number of ideas dreamed up as part of the Corona del Mar Vision Plan, which Selich helped to oversee when he served as a planning commissioner. It included crosswalk improvements across Coast Highway and median landscaping. Next up may be bike racks and cleaned up newspaper stands.

Also Tuesday, council members approved appointments to various council committees, held a public meeting on the renewal of the Newport Beach Tourism Business Improvement District and conducted a public hearing on new regulations for wireless telecommunications facilities.

A battle of the streets could be brewing in the Harbor Area as competing makeover ideas are eyed for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Great Streets Initiative.

The program and its impact specifically on San Pedro was discussed Tuesday morning at a meeting of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development and Policy Committee.

The Great Streets program, announced in October as Garcetti’s first executive directive, aims to improve and beautify 40 streets throughout the city of Los Angeles by adding landscaping, features such as pocket parks and plazas, bike corrals, and sculptures and murals.

In his rollout announcement of the program, Garcetti specifically named San Pedro’s Sixth Street as a potential candidate. Plans already were being floated to make Sixth and Seventh streets one-way arteries to allow diagonal parking and open-air dining throughout the main corridors of the historic downtown shopping district.

But the town’s Gaffey Street entrance and exit via the 110 Freeway also was earmarked on the city’s initial draft list of 180 potential streets to be considered for the mayor’s program.

While both conceivably could make the final list, a Garcetti spokeswoman said the timing wouldn’t be simultaneous and funding will be a factor as streets are improved.

“We expect only to be able to do three to five (streets) a year,” said Vicki Curry, ‎associate director of communications for Garcetti. “The whole concept is to leverage existent resources so the city isn’t necessarily bringing new money to rehab these streets.”

She said “possibly both” Sixth and Gaffey streets will be included in the final list, but if so they would likely be done a few years apart.

“There’s been a working group meeting since mid-October and they’ve been developing a list of candidate streets,” Curry said. “I believe they’re going to start announcing them one or two at a time as they’re ready to go.”

The first announcements, she said, could come as early as the end of this month or the beginning of February.

“It will be an ongoing process,” she said.

In Wilmington, Avalon Boulevard is expected to be the runaway first choice.

Alan Johnson of Jerico Development Co. — a partner in the Ports O’ Call redevelopment project — has been working on plans to redo Sixth and Seventh streets for several months, predating Garcetti’s Great Streets announcement.

“It was a happy coincidence,” Johnson said. “This was an initiative we’d embarked on six or seven months ago and then the idea that it might fit in with the mayor’s first executive directive — how lucky, if it works, if it fits.”

Both streets terminate at Harbor Boulevard, where visitors can enter the waterfront area, including Ports O’ Call Village to the south.

Octaviano Rios, Garcetti’s Harbor Area representative, told members of the chamber committee that Sixth Street “is a great pick” for the streets program.

Johnson’s plans also call for new signage on Gaffey to direct motorists into downtown and toward the waterfront.

Traffic on Sixth Street would be one-way east to west and traffic on Seventh would be one-way west to east.

The project, which would cover the blocks east of Pacific, is viewed as a way to help spur revitalization of downtown restaurants and shops while providing a connection to the water. Linda Grimes, chairwoman of the San Pedro Arts, Culture and Entertainment District, said outside dining has been a focus of that committee as well.

Also already in the works — but further along than Johnson’s proposal and with some funding already identified — is the city’s plan to revitalize Gaffey Street from the freeway to 13th Street, a stretch that has long been bemoaned as an eyesore for those entering the port community.

It would be a likely candidate to roll into the Great Streets program, city officials said.

An initial effort to spruce up the entrance came when city officials opened a welcome park August 2007. The 1.1-acre park replaced a closed gas station with grass, trees, decorative stone and a standard of flags.

Now the city also has acquired a long-vacant parcel on the other side of the street to develop into an “exit” park that motorists will see as they get on the 110 Freeway or Vincent Thomas Bridge from Gaffey.

The revitalization effort — for now still separate from the Great Streets Initiative — also would bring new palm trees, a new median and more work on the foot bridge overpass as envisioned by the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative working with the city’s Department of Transportation. Bids are being sought now for the conceptual project.

The project also calls for creation of a business improvement district for Gaffey Street.

Rollingwood has provided area residents with an ideal template for planning new landscaping this spring with its “waterwise garden” at City Hall, 403 Nixon Drive.

The garden recently installed in front of City Hall contains no grass and is made up of plants aimed at significantly reducing the need for water (see story on page A1). With a continuation of the drought that has plagued Central Texas and destined to continue, according to the Lower Colorado River Authority and most experts, the city’s garden offers food for thought about landscaping in general.

Ideas for the garden began to materialize as a result of watering limitations during recent years. City officials deserve credit for offering a healthier alternative to simply ordering residents to reduce watering.

One of the only drawbacks of the new garden is a lack of labeling of plants, but city officials say it is still a work in progress, and that they are in the process of developing a plan to identify existing and future plants to make the garden more user-friendly.

Combined with the Rollingwood’s nearby community garden, the new garden and system of cisterns designed to capture rainwater for occasional irrigation during dry periods, Rollingwood is taking the lead in showing what one small city can do.

Once the city works out all of the details relating to which plants should be advocated and how to adequately label them, residents from throughout the Westbank and surrounding communities may be paying this small city a visit.

The garden is a testament to a small city taking a proactive approach to dealing with the drought, and residents have good reason to feel a sense of pride.