On Pier Avenue in Oceano, you'll find ATV rentals, restaurants, and homes. The road is set to undergo a transformation, but first, the County of San Luis Obispo wants you to chime in.
”That's the objective of this plan, so that incrementally over time, we know what things can be built," said Jacob Hudson, San Luis Obispo County Transportation Planner.
Several months ago, the Public Works Department rolled out the welcome mat for public input.
Through an interactive online map, people in the community can pinpoint areas in need of a facelift and suggest improvements.
Some have engaged in the website already, and their ideas are as diverse as the activities along Pier Avenue itself.
With suggestions for crosswalks and a roundabout between the Pier Avenue, Air Park Drive and Lakeside Avenue crossing, bicycle racks near the beach entrance, and a parking entrance for the Oceano Campground, the public's ideas reflect a community engaged in shaping its future.
Raymond Dubow, a skateboarder and resident of Pier Avenue, laments the rough road, saying it's a lose-lose situation.
“I’ve got to use the sidewalk most of the time, which is annoying for pedestrians when they're trying to walk, but the street's too rough to ride on, so it's kind of like a you lose either way," Dubow said.
Surfer Mike Ochej, a regular on the waves at the Oceano Dunes, also notes that the road could be repaved.
“It's fairly rough,” Ochej says. “You know, there's a lot of heavy trucks that drive on this all the time, so obviously it's going to get pretty mucked up."
This outreach strategy isn't new for the Public Works Department. They've used it previously for projects on Buckley Road and Los Osos Valley Road.
According to county representatives, it's a dynamic way to capture public sentiment.
“The idea is that these are plans for the community, for the actual users of the road and it's in this case with Pier Avenue because there really isn't, there really hasn't been a vision documented,” Hudson said.
As for the road updates, Hudson says that repaving is on the horizon in the next year.
However, the order of priority for the other proposed improvements remains a puzzle.
The next steps involve dispatching letters to the board for consideration and a technical analysis ensuring harmony with traffic operations, a process Dubow is eagerly awaiting.
”It sounds promising. I would love to see the county put some more work into it," he said.
