The City of West Hollywood’s mobility projects are guided by the adopted Pedestrian and Bicycle Mobility Plan, which advocates for comfortable, safe, healthy, and convenient places to walk and bicycle in the context of a balanced, multimodal transportation network serving pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and motorists of all ages and abilities.

The Willoughby, Vista/Gardner, Kings - Street Design Concept Plan was identified as a priority project in the Pedestrian and Bicycle Mobility Plan, and it launched in 2019. The project’s primary objective is to enhance the neighborhood and protect the safety of both pedestrians and cyclists through strategic street improvements across the corridor. This comprehensive streetscape initiative aims to create safer, more accessible routes for walking and biking while effectively reducing cut-through traffic. By transforming Kings Road and Vista/Gardner Streets into key connecting corridors, the Willoughby, Vista/Gardner, Kings Street Design Concept Plan facilitates a seamless link between residential and commercial areas and east-west routes like Santa Monica Boulevard and Fountain Avenue. This connectivity not only supports a healthier, more active community but also promotes environmental sustainability and enriches local quality of life.

The Street Design Concept Plan is the first project stage in the development of the Willoughby, Vista/Gardner, and Kings - Street Design Capital Improvement Project. With the recent approval of the Street Design Concept Plan by the West Hollywood City Council, the Plan now moves forward to the Design & Engineering Phase, where concepts will be developed in much more detail. This includes the development and incorporation of detailed engineering plans, specifications, and cost estimates that will serve as the blueprint for project construction. The next stage of the project will determine the feasibility of the conceptual project elements from the Street Design Concept Plan and allow for additional insight into any refinements that may need to be incorporated into the project’s final design.

The City of West Hollywood will be providing additional community outreach opportunities, moving forward, to refine concepts as part of the upcoming Design & Engineering Phase. In particular, the City will be looking for ways to address issues of concern, including minimizing impacts to on-street parking.

Identified below are the four project goals:

The Willoughby Avenue segment of the project sits partially within the City of West Hollywood and partially within the City of Los Angeles. The City of West Hollywood led the development of this plan and the related concepts for the corridors. The City of Los Angeles was a project partner throughout the plan's development and provided regular input regarding concept designs and community outreach. Both cities were actively involved in the design of the demonstration project - a temporary installation to test out some of the street improvement strategies that were put in place in 2022.

The Willoughby, Vista/Gardner, and Kings - Street Design Concept Plan began in 2019, with work planned to continue through the end of 2020. That year, the project team led a community “scavenger hunt” style audit and workshop with the community.

Due to in-person engagement restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic, the City implemented a 6-month demonstration project to demonstrate the recommended improvements in 2022. This demonstration project permitted the community to experience the potential roadway interventions over an extended period of time. The project team developed and vetted the concept designs with the community and city staff from both West Hollywood and Los Angeles.

Following the demonstration project and subsequent gathering of community feedback, the project team developed the final recommended improvements in Spring 2023.

The next step for this project is developing detailed design drawings for the corridors, prioritizing them, and installing the improvements. The project will require additional coordination between the City of West Hollywood and the City of Los Angeles. The City of West Hollywood will be providing additional community outreach opportunities, moving forward, to refine concepts as part of the upcoming Design & Engineering Phase. In particular, the City will be looking for ways to address issues of concern, including minimizing impacts to on-street parking.

The Community Engagement and Plan Development Process to date has included:

• The Willoughby, Vista/Gardner, and Kings - Street Design Concept Plan was identified in the Pedestrian and Bicycle Mobility Plan adopted in 2017, and outreach on the Concept Plan for these streets began with a visioning workshop in Summer 2019.
• The project was delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, but in August 2022 the City hosted two community virtual workshops. Feedback and survey responses guided recommendations.
• In 2022, demonstration projects were installed along Willoughby as an alternative way to share ideas and provide community input.
• In addition to the community workshops, staff also met with residents to share information about the project. City staff attended multiple update meetings with the City of Los Angeles, including Council District 5 and the Mid-City West Neighborhood Council.
• As part of the demonstration project and community workshops in 2022, Here LA and the City’s WeHoTV collaborated to put together an engagement video to help community members envision potential street changes and improvements.
• In April 2023, based on feedback from the community, City staff finalized the report and recommendations to include protected bike lanes along Vista/Gardner, except for the two blocks between Fountain and Lexington, which were excluded due to the potential loss of parking along this segment.
• Staff presented these recommendations to the Transportation & Mobility Commission in June 2023, and the Commission expressed its support.
• In November 2023, the West Hollywood City Council directed staff to develop a policy to include protected bike lanes on all roadway projects. Following this directive, staff developed a protected bike lane option for Gardner between Fountain and Lexington.
• In March 2024, staff presented the Street Design Concept Plan to the West Hollywood City Council with two options for Gardner between Fountain and Lexington, including one with the addition of protected bike lanes.
• In May 2024, staff held an Informational Open House to provide community members with detailed information regarding the Street Design Concept Plan and share an overview of the project’s steps taken to date and the next steps, moving forward

The City of West Hollywood will provide additional community outreach opportunities moving forward to refine concepts as part of the upcoming Design & Engineering Phase. In particular, the City will look for ways to address issues of concern, including minimizing impacts to on-street parking.

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