PPCC Library Integration Test

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Gladstones Bus Turnaround Update – 02/02/20, Transportation Advisor Patti Post
Over the years many people have suggested creating a space for public buses to turn around using the parking lot
adjacent to Gladstones. Both the parking lot and the restaurant are owned by the County of Los Angeles.
Without a place for buses to turn around neither of the two transit operators that serve the Palisades (LA Metro,
going to and from West Los Angeles on Sunset, and Santa Monica Big Blue Bus, which provides connections into
downtown Santa Monica) can provide continuous bus service on Sunset Boulevard west of Temescal Canyon
Road. Having a bus turnaround on the Gladstones site would allow increased and more effective transit options
for the Palisades.
The first step to moving forward was to determine if it was feasible. PPCC worked with CD11 to engage Santa
Monica Big Blue Bus (BBB) on this topic. In the years leading up to the opening of the Metro Expo Line in Santa
Monica in May 2016, the BBB staff was focused on reconfiguring their bus routes to serve the new light rail
station; staff did not have time to look at the Gladstones lot. When Expo-related work permitted, the BBB staff
evaluated the Gladstones lot and produced three different site plans that would accommodate a bus turnaround
Again, CD11 assisted PPCC by reaching out to the County and Gladstones to gauge interest. Gladstones refused to
allow the bus turnaround.
When the County announced that the lease on the Gladstones site would be let out to bid, PPCC asked Supervisor
Kuehl’s office to have the bid documents for the Gladstones site include a requirement allowing a bus turnaround.
Supervisor Kuehl was very clear about wanting the bus turnaround. When the Request for Bids documents were
released in 2018, they included this requirement. Unless it is “infeasible,” the concessionaire must allow and
build the bus turnaround.
The County is now negotiating a concession agreement. They will have three years to do this. They must go
through all required CEQA documentation and secure regulatory approvals during the three-year period. There
will be public hearings along the way. The Coastal Commission, US Army Corps of Engineers and Water Resources
Control Board all must approve. Permission has been secured to allow the existing Gladstones to operate during
this process.
Since 2018 there have been staff changes at CD11 and in the Supervisor’s office. PPCC wants to monitor the
lengthy process and to ensure that everyone remembers Supervisor Kuehl’s commitment to the bus turnaround.
To this end, PPCC’s Transportation Advisor recently wrote to the County’s Beaches and Harbors Department for
an update. The lightly edited Q&A is shown below.
Please give us an update on this project:
What is the status of the concession agreement and the option agreement? County is in the process of
negotiating a term sheet from which the option and concession agreements will be drafted.
When might environmental documentation begin? Concessionaire has begun environmental documentation but it
cannot be completed until the site plan has been finalized.
When will the County seek Coastal Commission permits? The county is a co-signer for the coastal permits but it is
the concessionaire who will seek the permits. The concessionaire had had preliminary discussions with the coastal
commission but will not have anything definitive to submit until the site plan and design of the project are
finalized.
Pacific Palisades is particularly concerned with the bus turnaround that must be part of the project unless it is not
feasible. Is there anything new on that feature? The possibility and potential configuration of the bus turnaround
will be addressed once the layout and design of the entire project are finalized.