Old Town Calabasas: A Decade of Use and Growth

By Jeff Ferber and Mike Sherrod, ASLA, RRM Design Group

The jewel of Old Town Calabasas is the restored Leonis Adobe, circa 1844 (left, rear). The western-style adobe provided the inspiration for the streetscape design. Along with several popular restaurants and a farmer?EUR??,,????'???s market, Leonis Adobe is a primary reason to visit Old Town Calabasas.

Ten years have passed since RRM Design Group of San Luis Obispo, Calif. implemented an ?EUR??,,????'??Old West?EUR??,,????'?? redesign for historic Calabasas in Southern California?EUR??,,????'???s San Fernando Valley. The design team paused recently to review the plan and revisit the site plantings, which have filled in nicely.

A view of the street and Old Town architecture in 1994. The stores and businesses in Old Town were lacking any pedestrian connection, and the street had more of a highway feel, with cars traveling at relatively high speeds.

Plight of the Landscape Architect

Landscape architects hope that the projects they design will improve as the years progress. Unlike buildings, which have the potential to look their best at their grand opening, most landscapes are planted with a vision of what they?EUR??,,????'???ll look like and how they?EUR??,,????'???ll function many years down the line.

We see in our mind and in our drawings the project in its ideal and theoretical glory. As any designer will tell you, it is a rapid descent to reality when the implementation does not meet the ideal. This plight keeps many a landscape architect awake at night ?EUR??,,????'??? and possibly away from their projects as the years pass.

The hardscape can, of course, provide the instant satisfaction and validation of our conceptual design. It is just as likely that the living parts of the design?EUR??,,????'??+the trees, shrubs, and ground covers?EUR??,,????'??+often hold only a hint of the potential landscape that the design will ultimately achieve. So, we learn to be patient and have faith that our vision will be implemented and maintained at a level deserving of the investment made by everyone involved.

The same view in 2006 shows planted medians with Lagerstroemia indica (Crape Myrtle) and mid-block pedestrian crossing.

Calabasas: A New Frontier

One truth of the Southern California landscape is the difficulty telling where one town ends and the next begins. Calabasas, like many cities bordering Los Angeles, is not dramatically distinct from other communities in the vast San Fernando Valley. Located on the north-west edge of Los Angeles, adjacent to the chaparral-covered hillsides of the Santa Monica Mountains, the city has a distinct urban history that traces back to 1542, when the Spanish began mapping the California-Oregon coast.

With such early roots, Calabasas has played a crucial role in California?EUR??,,????'???s history. The city itself was one of the original 200 or more Native American villages established in the San Fernando Valley, and Calabasas Road was originally part of the El Camino Real highway, acting as a vital link between Spanish settlements and missions throughout the state. Prior to the arrival of the intrastate railroad, Calabasas was also a stop on the coastal stage line.

A summer evening photo emphasizes the subtle lighting of the gas lamp replica fixtures. In keeping with the old west character, the design provided light levels (foot candles) that favored the pedestrian rather than the automobile ?EUR??,,????'??? a striking contrast from many other streets and downtowns in the Los Angeles area.

And up until the early 1900s, Calabasas was considered one of the toughest spots in California; frontier justice ruled this spacious valley, as demonstrated by Old Town?EUR??,,????'???s once-prominent ?EUR??,,????'??hanging tree.?EUR??,,????'??

By 1991, however, what physically remained of the rich history of Calabasas was only a small downtown core that was struggling to distinguish itself from the heavily-traveled 101 Freeway. At the center of Old Town, however, a true jewel remained: the Leonis Adobe property, dating back to 1844.

The boardwalk using Trex??????oe is constructed over a recessed sub-sidewalk. The planks were raised from the concrete, providing the authentic ?EUR??,,????'??old west?EUR??,,????'?? sound when walking on the boardwalk. Water drains through the planks onto the concrete below and then through the curb. Pavers were used for ramp transitions. Ten years later, the construction has proven to be highly durable in heavy traffic.

Sub-Community Vision: Creating A PlanHead

Old Town became the focus of a planning effort in 1991, resulting in an amendment to the Los Angeles County zoning ordinance that created the ?EUR??,,????'??Old Town Calabasas?EUR??,,????'?? overlay zone. The preserved remnant of the Old West became the emphasis of the theme for the design work. The rebirth was the responsibility and brainchild of the Old Town Coalition, a group of 22 citizens committed to making Old Town the center of the community.

Though Calabasas Road is still heavily traveled by automobiles, the streetscape improvements have softened the environment and created a safe walking environment.

This 22-member steering committee, representing neighborhoods, merchants, property owners, and the Leonis Adobe Association, quickly agreed that the character of Old Town should reflect the area?EUR??,,????'???s ?EUR??,,????'??Old West?EUR??,,????'?? past. But defining just how to do that and what the streetscape would look like was less easy.

In response to the original four lanes of travel and dirt parking shoulders, the successful design created three travel lanes during peak traffic time, one of which becomes a parking lane. Bike lanes, a turn lane, medians, and wide boardwalks were added. Only the travel lanes are asphalt, which enhances the narrowed scale of the street.

Suggestions ranged from removing all paving from Calabasas Road?EUR??,,????'??+the part of the old El Camino Real highway?EUR??,,????'??+to incorporating boardwalks and hitching posts. Given the volume of traffic, the idea of reverting back to a dirt street was not very popular. The boardwalks and hitching posts got a bit more traction.

During the public workshops, the idea of incorporating hitching posts into the streetscape became popular. Horses no longer provide transportation to Old Town, so the modified and updated hitching posts are the official bike rack of Old Town. The plaque on the rail is evidence of the fundraising that contributed to the project completion.

Working with RRM Design Group in a series of public workshops and many, many committee meetings, the Steering Committee arrived at a consensus master plan for building guidelines, parking master plan, and streetscape design.

Boardwalks on both sides of the street, bike lanes, pedestrian crossings and outdoor dining patios have improved the walkability and usability of Old Town. This crossing connects restaurants on either side of Old Town.

Details: Bringing Back the ?EUR??,,????'??Old West?EUR??,,????'???

Once the master plan was adopted in 1994, RRM?EUR??,,????'???s landscape architects set to work developing the streetscape design. First off, the design team had to address the big question: How do you create a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere and reflect the Western past in an area dominated by cars? And with pedestrian space nearly non-existent in the public right-of-way, designers had to derive a creative solution, one that also met current public works standards.

Wherever space allowed, the boardwalk was designed with extra width to accommodate larger groups during festivals, farmer?EUR??,,????'???s market and other community events.

The solution: wide boardwalks that narrow the feeling of the street, mid-block crosswalks with cobble pavers and planted islands that increase the intimacy of the street and help slow traffic, street trees, hitching posts that double as bike racks, wooden planters, and replica gas lamps that provide softened light and historic atmosphere lacking in the existing street scene.

The 1994 master plan for Old Town Calabasas illustrates existing and new commercial uses as well as the new streetscape concept. Old Town celebrates 10 years of successful revitalization this summer.

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But as we began the preparation of construction documents, we were concerned about the project looking like an Old West caricature rather than a town with true historical character.

So we determined that the details had to be extremely well executed in order to blend the modern requirements with the Old West theme (from the 1870 to 90 era). The boardwalk had to evoke the look, feel and sound of the Old West, while providing an accessible, durable and easily-maintained surface. The gas-lamp lights had to be a quality representation of the original fixtures. And dozens of water meters, vaults, and other utilities had to be made accessible without cluttering up the look of the new boardwalk.

ABOVE AND BELOW: The distance between intersections in Old Town made for difficult and unsafe pedestrian flow across the busy street, but the concept of mid-block crossings was controversial among the decision makers. The design provided visual cues of pavers, cobbles, planted medians and extra lighting to elevate pedestrian visibility and safety.

To ensure that these details were in character yet functional, the project team selected Trex, a composite, recycled material for the boardwalk, to reduce the maintenance required for wood; the Trex product was placed on top of a recessed sidewalk, which is sloped to drain through the curb. Each of the many utility vaults is flush with the concrete subgrade and accessible via a boardwalk hatch; each hatch is labeled with the name of the utility. Finally, one of the original gas lamps was provided to the selected manufacturer, assuring that the proportions and aesthetic qualities were incorporated into the new street lights.

Worth the Wait: 10 Years and Growing

The project was completed in 1996 and as expected, felt a little naked with small trees and a somewhat reflective boardwalk. At first, motorists complained about the rumble of their car tires cruising over the 200-year-old cobble adjacent to the mid-block pedestrian crossings. Other people complained about the boardwalks replacing the ample road-side parking.

RRM and the city worked with suppliers and manufacturers to give Calabasas citizens a glimpse of the future streetscape improvements. A vignette of plants, boardwalk, seat walls, and site furniture was assembled for viewing prior to final design approval. A nighttime display of light fixtures allowed the city to determine the quality and quantity of light for Old Town.

But as the reclaimed water fed the landscape, trees grew, materials weathered, and the blending of urban improvements and Old West character has become a familiar and comfortable companion to the locally-owned restaurants, shops, and the historical Leonis Adobe.

Calabasas has hot, dry summers. The Chinese Pistache street trees have matured and now provide the desired shaded boardwalk. The post on the left provides an electrical connection for lights that decorate the trees in winter.

The revitalization of Old Town Calabasas continues to grow more lush and vibrant every day, even after the passage of 10 years. The innovative boardwalk system, mid-block crossings, custom streetlights, utility infrastructure renovation, reclaimed water system, custom site furniture, holiday lighting system for street trees, hidden utility vaults, and integrated bike parking posts are now all surrounded and enriched by blooming flowers, weathered ?EUR??,,????'??whiskey?EUR??,,????'?? barrels, and stretching tree limbs.

Dozens of water meter boxes, valves, and utility vaults created a design challenge for the Landscape Architects. The concrete and metal structures did not fit into the character of the boardwalk. The solution places the necessary utilities under the boardwalk and allows access via integrated boardwalk lids.

And daily shoppers, farmer?EUR??,,????'???s markets, and seasonal community festivals now bring the sounds of life and joy back to this recreated Old West downtown.