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Staff outlines Front Street Gateway, Beachfront Park and infrastructure projects
Summary
Director Hager and planning staff updated the commission on the Front Street Gateway project (partially funded by a Clean California grant), Phase 1B of Beachfront Park including amphitheater and playground work, and infrastructure items such as an F Street drainage project and a state-funded I&I sewer study.
City staff and Director Hager briefed the planning commission on several ongoing and upcoming capital projects, from the Front Street Gateway to beachfront-park improvements and sewer infrastructure studies.
Director Hager described the Front Street Gateway Project: a plaza and streetscape work near the cultural center, green-space pop-outs on K Street and improvements to the last two blocks of Front Street. He said the Clean California grant covers roughly half the gateway landscaping work and that other funding sources cover the street and plaza elements, with the project staged to align with differing funding deadlines.
Hager also described Phase 1B of the Beachfront Park project, which includes amphitheater grading, expanded visitor areas, a resurfaced playground and a vendor plaza; he said most grading work is intended to be finished this year with playground and finishing work to follow. The city has multiple funding partners for different components and he cited a $100,000 contribution from the local health-care district targeted to playground resurfacing and ADA surfacing work.
On schedule: the amphitheater contract has a contractor performance window that runs into the autumn; staff said a realistic public opening could be late fall 2026 but that weather windows and limited contractor availability create uncertainty. Hager noted multiple funding streams (11 funding sources across project components) and the need to coordinate crews across street, plaza and park work.
Staff also said a storm-drain project on F Street (between 3rd and 5th Streets) is currently out to bid and will use CDBG funds, with work expected later this fall. Separately, the city received approximately $500,000 in state funding for a larger infiltration-and-inflow (I&I) sewer study to identify groundwater and stormwater entering the sewer system; staff said much of the city’s collection system is county-owned and that the county will run smoke testing to find cross-connections (residents were advised how smoke tests can appear in drainage fixtures and sinks).
No votes were taken on these updates; staff asked commissioners to remain engaged in upcoming downtown-specific-plan meetings and advised the commission of items slated for the Aug. 13 meeting, including a Romano Cheese conditional use permit and a variance for a single-family residence at 140 Truman Court.
