blogdowntown
Not currently logged in. [Login or Create an Account]

Stay Connected



 

Thursday: Final Planning Meeting for Grand Avenue Linear Park

By Eric Richardson
Published: Tuesday, February 02, 2010, at 05:39PM
Grand Avenue Linear Park Concepts Deborah Murphy Urban Design + Planning

A pair of planning options for a proposed Grand Avenue Linear Park show new plantings and pedestrian amenities that would replace 20 feet of asphalt.



DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Downtowners get a final chance to weigh in on design for a linear park proposed to go on Grand Avenue this week, then the project gets shipped off to the state to compete for funding. Designs for the space, which would run from 9th to Olympic in South Park, show greenery, new trees, seating areas and other amenities.

The project is one of several Downtown that will be entering to receive money through the state's Proposition 84 parks funding program. Projects are eligible to receive up to $5 million.

The Grand Avenue project is made possible by the block's unusual width, almost 30 feet greater than the roadway either north or south of it. The proposed park would take 20 feet on the east side of the street, next to the Federal Reserve.

A sidewalk extension is proposed for the west side of Grand Avenue as well, but would be contingent on finding other funding. The same is the case for a proposed mid-block crossing that would connect Grand Hope Park to the new space.

Thursday's meeting will take place at the Public Works building, 1149 S. Broadway, in room SB6. It is scheduled to run from 6 - 8:30pm.

SHARE:

||

Related Stories:


Conversation

Guest 1

Abbey on February 02, 2010, at 08:10PM – #1

Is this good use of public monies?


Guest 2

Ken H on February 02, 2010, at 08:50PM – #2

Eric, Can't they use Quimby funds for this??


Guest 3

Raymond on February 02, 2010, at 09:02PM – #3

why does there have to be soo much public art? just put trees and paving and with grass theres not enough room for all that extra fancy stuff i feel. Something like placing all oak trees around the perimeter outling the block with brick or stone pavers creating a seamless canopy dotted with chess tables & benches. and maybe a fountain with a small art. that would be utilizing the full block.


Eric Richardson () on February 02, 2010, at 09:46PM – #4

Abbey: The state's collecting the money from all of us and is going to be giving it out for parks somewhere. We might as well fight to get them here in Downtown.

Ken: You mean for the crosswalk and the sidewalk extension? I don't think Quimby counts for those. In general Prop 84 is free money for parks if you can get it, so it's definitely preferable to the finite Quimby funds.


Guest 4

Greensmark on February 03, 2010, at 09:25AM – #5

I am so hoping that this gets approval. I live so close by and it has always annoyed me that the expanse that is Hope Park does not allow me to walk my dogs there. I would have been nice if it had been a totally enclosed park so that we could have the dogs run leash free. Ah, well! Perhaps next go round.


Guest 5

Abbey on February 03, 2010, at 10:41AM – #6

The Hope Street Family Center or the Little Tokyo Budokan Recreation Center seem like good uses of public monies that benefit the low-income families of downtown Los Angeles. I agree that the Prop 84 should be given to Los Angeles to bring back the green in the concrete jungle. I just don't think that using $5 million for an area that already has a nice big green park space is a good use of the money. Maybe a conversation needs to happen to allow dogs in the existing park. Compromise? Let's use the money to bring recreation and open space to communities that desperately need it like South Park and Little Tokyo.


Eric Richardson () on February 03, 2010, at 10:46AM – #7

Abbey: The important thing here is that the city and Downtown doesn't have to choose between the projects. They all get sent into the state, scored, and the projects statewide with the top scores win. Hopefully all the Downtown applications win.


Friskie Buffet on February 03, 2010, at 11:57AM – #8

There are many "freeway-wide" streets Downtown that should have sidewalks widened and space for cars narrowed. But keep on-street parking, which acts as a buffer between the sidewalk and the street.


Guest 6

john on February 03, 2010, at 08:48PM – #9

I have heard rumors that now the Quimby-funded park project on Spring between 4th and 5th streets is now off? The Parking company is telling customers that they just signed a 2-year extension. can anyone confirm this?


Guest 7

Norbie7 on February 07, 2010, at 01:59PM – #10

It is hard to decipher the plans on a Mac OS. But from what I can see it appears as though either bollards or stone plinths would be used as a defensive measure to ward off terrorists at the wheel. Option 2 looks to be way too fussy. This is the sort of environment where landscape designers are prone to decorate, need to keep themselves in check.

As a corollary, consider the environmental art installation behind the midrise at the southwest corner of 8th & Fig: the artist went mad, tripped the light eclectic with stone wallpaper. Brits can be like that. Way overdone.



Add Your Voice

In an effort to prevent spam, blogdowntown commenting requires that Javascript be enabled. Please check your browser settings and try again.

 

Search:


Story Location:

Loading... Please wait.




On Twitter

New Comments


Recommendations



blogdowntown Photo Pool

Photos of Downtown contributed by readers like you.

Downtown Blogs


Downtown Sites


Elsewhere