Median - LOVR

Los Osos Valley Median: Twice died. Twice rescued! Plus one hit and run.

Rescue #1: County required median left to die.

In the late 1990s when the Ralphs shopping center was built the County required the builder to install the center divider median. At the time there was no County policy regarding responsibility for planting and maintaining the planter. The developer informally agreed to maintain the median but eventually when the developer turned the water off and discontinued maintenance, there was no entity to take responsibility.

This is the entrance to Los Osos and gives visitors their first impression of the town, almost everyone who comes to Los Osos, including 14,000 residents plus visitors, passes along this two-block median.

By 2009 nearly everything was dead and the median was a terrible eyesore. We thought we could do something about it. We worked with County Public Works for over 18 months to create a design for the existing 1100-linear-foot median along Los Osos Valley Road and we teamed up with Suzanne Morrison of Earthscapes, a Los Osos landscape-contracting firm. http://earthscapeslandscapes.com

Our goal was to improve the appearance of the median and demonstrate that landscaping with drought-tolerant plants can beautify our community as well as save precious water. Our objectives are to: remove all of the dead plants; replace the eleven-year old sprinkler system with a water-saving drip irrigation system; and replant the area with drought-tolerant plants, using the County-approved landscape plan.

We received grants from Supervisor Bruce Gibson, the Hind Foundation and donations from numerous businesses and individuals. The entire budget to clear the median, mulch, add soil amendments, buy materials, plants, irrigation drip lines and controllers was $9042.00.

Under Suzanne Morrison’s direction and with over 80 volunteers, we replanted the median and added a new irrigation system in one day. Since then we have paid for water and monthly maintenance. Everything was just fine, until….

The construction of the wastewater project and the introduction of huge earthmoving equipment across and over the top of the median.

Rescue #2: Earthmoving equipment moved, dug, trenched and the median died, again.

During the construction of the wastewater project 2015-2018, the median was severely damaged. Large trenches were dug across the median, tearing up irrigation lines and destroying nearly 70% of the plant materials. We had been waiting for the ability to use reclaimed water before restoring the median. We had been told by Golden State Water Company and the County that “purple pipe” water would be available soon. But until it was, there was no sense in replanting the median without the water to irrigate it. It took several years of negotiations between the various agencies and the Public Utilities Commission to iron out the details for us to obtain reclaimed water, and its price. In the meantime we waited. And waited.

Once reclaimed water was available Golden State Water staff installed the necessary equipment for us to use reclaimed water in the median. While we were initially hopeful the reclaimed water would be free, it isn’t. We do save 10% off of retail prices, which is great!

With that resource, it was time to create a beautiful entrance that would welcome residents home and give visitors a great first impression our community.

The majority of our drivers approach Los Osos from Los Osos Valley Road and South Bay Boulevard. This intersection is precisely where the median begins. Their impression (see photos) after the wastewater project was completed was an unappealing eyesore.

We proposed to dramatically enhance the public’s experience. The aesthetic qualities of roads leading into towns leave an important and lasting impression. Approach roads are a significant part of many commuters’ daily landscape, and their aesthetic qualities have an effect on the commuters’ psychological processes, traffic behavior and quality of life. For visitors, entrances—an expression of the identity of a place—change the viewer’s impression of the place they are approaching or passing by. The quality of the view and the overall visual perception of the environment speak volumes to the visitor. A long median with large bare and dead areas, torn-up irrigation lines, few live plants and struggling oak trees doesn’t invite a visitor to stop, explore and stay, and potentially spend money with local retailers and restaurants. The median as the entrance to the local retail area it should make a positive statement. At the time it was the opposite.

Road users experience the aesthetic aspects of their environment, or the lack of them. They make decisions about the places around it. America’s roads can inspire. Unfortunately, roadways are increasingly losing ground to concrete medians and weeds. We knew the County would pave over this area if we didn’t re-plant it.

We believed at the time, and still do, that a positive sense of entry into Los Osos is fundamental to welcoming people home and welcoming visitors. The primary purpose of a median is to increase safety by managing vehicles’ access to adjacent properties and separating vehicular traffic. However, when well-designed landscape is added, medians improve the aesthetics of streetscapes and the viewer’s experience, thus enhancing their impression of the place.

By using well-selected drought-tolerant plant materials and gravel groundcovers, we wanted to demonstrate how it is possible to have a beautiful landscape without turf, and with minimal use of water.

Our goal was to create a linear landscape sculpture—with a continuous narrative using colors and form—for motorists. Drivers will not notice individual plants or plant groupings but, rather, will experience the design as a whole while driving past. For that reason, our conceptual plan utilized a sweeping curve from start to finish, incorporated the existing oak trees, and used only three drought-tolerant plant species, boulders and stones. The idea was for the viewer to see the whole while experiencing the median in sections. Our concept is that they would be left with the feeling of thoughtful cohesiveness as they drive into Los Osos’s retail area.

Suzanne Morrison of Earthscapes grew most of the plants needed for the project here in Los Osos. Her crew prepped the area, removed all the dead detritus and broken irrigation lines. We called for volunteers and nearly 100 people responded. Again in only one day the median was replanted. New irrigation lines were installed along with high tech controllers.

Once again Supervisor Bruce Gibson was very supportive and we secured a small grant from the County. Local businesses and individual donors contributed to the project. We are forever grateful for the enthusiasm of Los Osos residents. We could not do the projects we do without their financial support.

Rescue #3: Hit and run driver does battle with the median—median lost.

During the summer of 2023, an errant driver took on the median at a high rate of speed along Los Osos Valley Road. The median lost. The driver took out three signs and completely destroyed a cork oak tree—pulling it out by the roots—that volunteers planted in 2008—and kept driving on the median pulling up irrigation lines, ripping out plants, and large decorative boulders as if there were pebbles, and only slowed apparently when hitting the second oak tree, damaging the bark down to the cambium. She was arrested but unfortunately had no insurance and Celebrate Los Osos was left facing $7000 in repairs and plant replacements.

Thanks to the community’s generosity and the success of our Unity in the Community fundraiser, thanks to Mr. Musicman himself—Paul Irving—all repairs have been completed. Suzanne Morrison of Earthscapes did a masterful job in the repairs and re-landscaping. Recently she planted a native Coast live oak, Quercus agrifoliato replace the 12-year old oak tree planted by volunteers. We are still hopeful the second tree will survive.

Matt Cook and Mark Zimmer of Golden State Water have generously helped with damage caused to the water lines. They have been very generous to our project since its inception and we are very grateful to them. They were instrumental in us obtaining reclaimed water for irrigation.