Watsonville Complete Streets Plan
BIG IDEA
Seeking to improve the safety and accessibility of its streets, Watsonville embarked on a study of its downtown core to identify opportunities to implement complete streets strategies. These strategies could then be synthesized into a Complete Streets Plan that addresses the needs of all modes of transportation, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and motorists.
THE STORY
The 14 blocks included in this Complete Streets Plan serve a wide variety of users, so it was critical to approach community outreach from multiple angles. To solicit a range of perspectives, community and stakeholder input meetings were supplemented with surveys and with information booths at popular community events such as the Strawberry Festival, Day of the Child, and farmer’s markets. Visitors to these events could view 3D simulations of street improvements, developed in partnership with a Virtual Reality consultant. The results of this extensive outreach helped to guide the final recommendations of the Complete Streets Plan, which included road diets, traffic calming, and place-making opportunities aimed at creating a safer, more inviting and accessible experience of downtown for all users.
THE DETAILS
CALA was selected by the City of Watsonville to lead the public outreach and design studies for this Complete Streets plan for their downtown. To reach the widest audience, outreach included community and stakeholder input meetings, surveys, community events and virtual reality simulations.
Complete Streets Plan
