Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER A RECOMMENDATION OF THE CARSON RECLAMATION AUTHORITY BOARD TO APPROVE FASHION WAY AS THE PERMANENT RE-NAMING OF STADIUM WAY ON THE FORMER CAL COMPACT LANDFILL SITE, NOW CALLED THE DISTRICT AT SOUTH BAY (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
On August 6, 2019, the Carson Reclamation Authority voted to recommend the City Council rename Stadium Way to Fashion Way.
The current name for the main east-west street through the former Cal Compact Landfill is Stadium Way, named in anticipation of Carson being awarded the right to construct an NFL stadium with the Chargers and the Raiders football teams. Now that the Los Angeles Premium Outlets is under construction, it is imperative that a name reflecting the site as a retail destination be selected, to allow the developers to begin to use it in their early promotional materials for leasing and for other way-finding.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
RENAME Stadium Way to Fashion Way.
1.
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III. ALTERNATIVES
1. DECLINE to take action at this time.
2. TAKE another action the City Council deems appropriate.
IV. BACKGROUND
The renaming of the street is part of an overall wayfinding program for the successful development of Cell 2 and the entire 157 acre project. The ultimate goal of successful wayfinding is to ease the navigation for the visitor by using cohesive names that clearly identity a sense of place and orientation, and hence make the journey less confusing when traveling, especially at high speeds of traffic. “Landmarking” is perhaps one of the easiest and most intuitive way of finding a place or location. Physical landmarks, especially significant landmarks such as those which attract millions of visitors each year, are popular points of reference for wayfinding (e.g. "I live across from Los Angeles Premium Outlets" or "Los Angeles Premium Outlets is right next door to us.") Alignment of the landmark (e.g., The Getty Center) and the associated wayfinding (Getty Center Drive) helps make a stronger connection for the visitor and clears up certain navigation challenges not only for the landmark and surrounding locations, but most importantly for the visitor to the area. The current name for the primary east-west public street in the 157 acre site, the former Cal Compact Landfill, is Stadium Way, named in anticipation of Carson being awarded the right to construct an NFL stadium with the Chargers and the Raiders football teams. As construction activity on the Los Angeles Premium Outlets began in early 2019, the street needs a name for such purposes as ordering utility service (SCE transformers, etc.) and tracking building permits, among other things.
The selection of a location- and venue-appropriate name for the street is extremely important to its long-term success. Street names are no longer merely shown in overhead signs hanging from light poles, but become important in geographic mapping systems like Google Maps and Waze and in reinforcing both wayfinding to the site and site branding.
In addition, with the proximity of the site to the 405 Freeway and the direct entrance to the site at the Avalon Boulevard southbound exit, it is likely that the street name could be added to the freeway signage as well, further identifying the overall site and the specific project to the drivers along the freeway. Working with the developers of the Los Angeles Premium Outlets, staff developed a short list of possible names for the Board to consider:
• Premium Outlets Drive
• Outlets Drive
• Fashion Parkway
• Designer Outlets Drive
The Authority Board considered the merit of the names provided against the criteria described above and recommends the City Council consider “Fashion Way” as a site-related but somewhat general name that will be useful for wayfinding to the Los Angeles Premium Outlets and to other developments located on the other cells.
The City previously had a written policy and procedure that was used as a guideline for processing, evaluating, and selecting new street names or changes to existing street names, but that Standard Management Procedure (SMP No. 8.1, Exhibit 1) was suspended by the City Council at the September 6, 2011 City Council meeting because it was deemed to be obsolete and in need of review and update. No SMP has been developed to replace SMP 8.1.
The Board recommends changing the name of the street to Fashion Way. The City Council also has the option to decline to take action, which means the street would retain the name of Stadium Way.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
The cost of changing the street name signs is estimated to be $800.00.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Standard Management Procedure No. 8.1: Street Names - Processing and Selection. (pgs. 4-7)
Prepared by: John S. Raymond, Assistant City Manager