The City of El Segundo has kicked off a series of downtown beautification projects to improve the look and feel of Main Street. The initiatives are being led by the city’s new downtown committee.
Main Street will take on an inviting and friendly new look in the evenings with new string lights at the intersections of Grand Avenue and Main Street, Holly Avenue and Main Street, and Mariposa Avenue and Main Street. The committee is recommending electrical lighting in the landscaping beds and up-lighting to trees to further enhance the ambiance along Main Street.
The city has prioritized a refresh and revival of the landscaping on downtown city blocks from El Segundo Boulevard to Mariposa Avenue. The new landscaping, recently installed, includes water conscious plants such as New Zealand flax, lantana, lilac, Mexican feather grass and salvia and larger, shade-providing trees will be coming soon.
The downtown city sidewalks will be power washed to revive and freshen the main thoroughfare.
The beautification process extends to the city’s security needs as well. A total of 26 bollards will be installed to provide accessible security for future events in front of City Hall.
“As more and more visitors discover our hidden gem of Main Street in El Segundo, we want to ensure we are meeting expectations and are a source of pride for local residents. Additional initiatives will be launched to continue improvements and support the efforts to bring more visitors to our beachside city,” shares Barbara Voss, economic development manager for the City of El Segundo.
Exciting and engaging public art installations, signage updates and other improvements are in the works.
The City of El Segundo’s new Downtown Committee is bringing exciting improvements to the downtown area! The Downtown Committee was formed at the direction of City Council in fall 2017 to help create a more vibrant, engaging, and beautiful downtown. The committee, comprised of local business and property owners, has been meeting regularly to identify key actions for improving the downtown area.
Downtown Projects Complete or in Progress
- New drought-tolerant landscaping has been installed, featuring Mexican feather grass, lavender, salvia, New Zealand flax, and lantana.
- To keep the new landscaping looking beautiful, City Council approved a dedicated, full-time, contractor to maintain all the planters in the downtown area, including weeding, replacing dead plant material, and removing trash, beginning April 1st, 2018.
- The City arborist is reviewing downtown landscaping and preparing a plan for new tree plantings. There will soon be more evergreen, shade-providing trees in the downtown area. The committee selected marina strawberry trees, with crepe myrtles in the City Hall Plaza area for additional color.
- The City conducted an audit of the existing newsracks to determine the current number of newsracks needed. As a result, the total number of newsracks was reduced from 47 to 30 units. City crews replaced all pedestals and trays located on Main Street and Grand Avenue and cleaned, painted and repaired, or replaced all newsracks.
- Decorative string lights will be hung on the existing wires crossing Main Street at the Grand, Holly, and Mariposa intersections. The lights have been ordered and installation is coming soon!
- The upgrades extend to the city’s security needs as well. A total of 26 removable bollards will be installed to provide security for future events on Main Street in front of City Hall.
- City staff is assessing the conditions of the existing electrical in the downtown planter boxes to determine the repairs and upgrades needed for new landscape lighting. The lighting design would focus on up lighting the new and existing trees to create a pleasant ambiance for an evening stroll.
- Sidewalks will be given a high-strength power wash, removing grime, gum, and sap. A vendor has been selected, and the cleaning will be scheduled soon.
Planning and Building Safety is surveying every block of the downtown area, noting conditions such as parking, amenities, landscape quality, cleanliness, and walkability.The results will indicate where to focus the next round of improvements. - The downtown committee is evaluating proposals for the addition of a temporary “Parklet” to our downtown area. This feature creates a more walkable environment and provides new seating and shade on a platform “parked” alongside a downtown sidewalk.
Future Improvements
Other actions the committee is considering to beautify our downtown include: finding a creative new use for the decorative flower basket poles throughout downtown, installing public art in select locations, revitalizing City Hall plaza, adding lighting, and enhancing directional signage. If you have any questions or want to get more involved, please contact Paul Samaras at (310) 524-2340 or Barbara Voss at (310) 524-2389.
The Downtown Committee
1. Barbara Voss
2. Megan Covarrubias
3. Al Keahi
4. Brenda Newman
5. Brenna Callero
6. Dale Vox
7. ES Chamber of Commerce
8. Cheryl Ebert
9. Eva Sweeney
10. Christopher Hentzen
11. Jay Hoeschler
12. Joseph Casillas
13. Julia Cohen
14. Ken Berkman
15. Michael Kreski
16. Neil Cadman
17. Paul Samaras
18. Regina Hoffman
19. Rob Croxall
