Broadway Design Overlay Gets Official

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — The City Council yesterday put its official stamp of approval on the Broadway Theater and Entertainment District Design Guide, a planning document intended to guide renovations and new construction along the Broadway corridor.

The ordinance that makes the guide into law was given its second and final reading on Council's first day back from summer recess.

The document was drafted by the Planning department, with input from wide range of stakeholders participating in the Bringing Back Broadway movement led by Councilman Jose Huizar's office.

"Since announcing Bringing Back Broadway in January 2008, we have made leaps and bounds in revitalizing the Historic Broadway Corridor," said Huizar yesterday in a release. "I want to thank all the members of the working group who put in long hours each and every month for more than a year to make sure we had a plan that will provide design guidance and direction to protect Broadways historic character, while helping invigorate the area and usher it well into the future."

Among other things, the conditions of the design guide:

• Require that ground floor uses are limited to those that will contribute to an active street.

• Ensure that projects in the district maintain the continuity of the streetwall by requiring buildings and building additions to be built to the property line abutting a public street or the prevailing setback (whichever applies).

• Require parking to be located in the basement or rear of a project, not on the street.

• Reduce sign clutter and prohibit signs that are inappropriate for the pedestrian oriented and urban context of the district.

The rules apply to properties on Broadway between 2nd and Olympic.