The area is notable for its lack of warmth, and the only people to be found there are usually getting into and out of their cars. The Civic Center Specific Plan is a 126-page document that sets out an overall design and zoning scheme for the area. The plan's design focal point is a 1.6-acre public square in front of City Hall. A new east-west street running from Ocean Avenue to 4th Street and offering easy access to the Santa Monica Freeway is suggested to relieve beach traffic that now clogs Colorado Avenue and Pico Boulevard. The plan establishes limits on building heights and density, among other restrictions, and sets forth anticipated parking requirements.
Any projects undertaken as part of the plan, however, are still subject to a complete city review.
The rest will be funded by revenue bonds and monies received from the county for transportation projects. City leaders say the Civic Center redevelopment plan is fiscally prudent. If voters approve the Civic Center plan, construction of a new station would be financed later by a separate bond issue, which also would need voter approval. City Hall itself, with its 1930s Art Deco design, will remain as is, as will the classic 1950s-style Civic Auditorium and the courthouse. But the buildings will be connected by landscaping, walkways, benches and other park features that might include an ocean-view tower.