City of Signal Hill
Jessie Nelson Circle Visualization
Reimagining a cul-de-sac in front of City Hall as a pedestrian-oriented flexible street, one that provides more parking for City Hall activities during business hours and can be closed off to host events.
Signal Hill City Council expressed interest in further exploring options for prioritizing improvements to Jessie Nelson Circle (see on Google Maps), a key element in Phase 3 of the Civic Center Master Plan (CCMP). This design exercise produced visualizations alongside rough cost estimates to further discussions about potentially allocating funds to renovate Jessie Nelson Circle earlier than strategized in the CCMP.
Larger-scale ideas included widening Jessie Nelson, extensive grading and realignment of the existing terrace, elongated stairs connecting City Hall to Signal Hill Park, and a north-south ramp that provides an accessible pathway from the parking lot north of the Civic Center to the amphitheater (as designed in the CCMP). The need for accessibility in the Civic Center was the most frequently-heard comment throughout the CCMP process.
Seating areas, a water feature, improved landscaping, decorative pavers, tensile shade structures, and string lighting helps transform Jessie Nelson into a destination that overlooks the whole of Signal Hill Park and beyond to the view of the Harbor. Jessie Nelson "Plaza" compliments the vision of the CCMP by providing a space for more intimate events, such as outdoor City Hall meetings and civic ceremonies, further establishing the Civic Center as a destination for community gathering and meeting.