Downtown Plan
ROSS DOWNTOWN PLAN
Objectives
1. Improve safety for pedestrians and bikers.
2. Improve circulation around school, post office and retail areas. Eliminate conditions for illegal u-turns.
3. Enhance vitality of downtown retail area, both during the day and at night.
4. Increase number of parking spaces in downtown and amount of available parking close to retail area.
5. Provide outdoor gathering/eating areas and small “pocket” parks throughout the downtown.
6. Enhance downtown landscaping; provide green buffers and more street trees.
7. Create visual gateways for the downtown area and the Common.
8. Improve design of built structures while preserving historic references.
Design Ideas
- Explore installation of roundabouts at Lagunitas Road and Redwood Drive intersections (and Willow Avenue/Lagunitas Road). Ensure safe passage for pedestrians and consider operational controls for crosswalks.
- Create a drop-off lane for Ross School traffic along Ross Common.
- Enlarge parking lot north of the post office so it accommodates two rows of diagonal parking, encroaching into Post Office Park if necessary. Encourage this lot to be used for longer-term parking.
- Enlarge parking lot south of post office so it accommodates two rows of diagonal parking. The roadway width can be reduced to increase the size of the lot. Make short-term parking through signs or meters.
- Improve parking lot circulation through redesign of traffic direction flows and parking lot entrances and exits.
- Plant green buffers and trees between parking lots and the street. Create an allée of trees along Ross Common and the appearance of green parks flanking the post office.
- Increase sidewalk widths along Ross Common. Provide improved sidewalk and planting from commercial area to post office.
- Provide sidewalk extensions on both sides of Ross Common at Marmalades to create space for outdoor seating and slow traffic approaching downtown intersection.
- Provide for a gathering/eating area between post office and retail area. Use landscaping and hardscape to define this area.
- Consider additional retail or town office space in area south of post office.
- Encourage farmer’s market or other evening activity in area between post office and retail shops. Provide music and food.
- Intensify parking near retail shops by creating perpendicular parking on Redwood Drive on south side of the Common and diagonal parking along southeast side.
- Create a continuous bike lane at exit from Allen Park onto Ross Common and up to Lagunitas Road.
- Consider creating a small skateboard park in Allen Park.
- Create visual entryways into the Common at the southeast corner and across from the post office. Replace trellis across from the Post Office and consider providing a buffer between play areas and the park entrance. Better integrate pathways.
- Install more street lights in downtown area.
- Improve downtown plantings.
- Consider design guidelines for signs, awnings, light fixtures, colors and materials for exteriors of downtown buildings.
- Design Lagunitas Bridge to provide a single, separated and multi-use walkway along the southern side of the bridge (8 foot width). Connect walkway to park and creek. Strive to preserve historical design and scale of the bridge.
- Improve bus stop shelter design at Sir Francis Drake and Lagunitas Road.