Final Construction Documents for Civic Park Set for CRA Approval
Eric Richardson
[Flickr]
This model of the renovated Civic Park, presented last Spring, is similar to the final design set to be approved Thursday by the Community Redevelopment Agency.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — A $56-million renovation of the park that runs through the heart of the Civic Center is scheduled to break ground next month, but before it can do so the project's Final Construction Documents must receive approvals from two government agencies.
The first of those approvals should come Thursday, when the item goes before the board of the Community Redevelopment Agency.
Funding for the project is coming from Related Companies, developer of the stalled Grand Avenue Project. With interest and funds from Proposition 40, the developer's payment of $50 million in July of 2007 has grown to $56 million.
Related submitted the construction documents at the end of January. With approvals, the park work is expected to break ground by the end of June. Construction would be completed by June of 2012, though individual phases may open earlier.
The park space stretches down Bunker Hill from the Music Center to City Hall, passing between the County-owned buildings on Temple and 1st. Most of the land is existing park, though one parcel adjacent to City Hall is currently in use as a surface parking lot.
The design by Rios Clementi Hale Studios appears largely similar to what approved by the County Board of Supervisors last April, but has undergone some changes. Space has been provided next to the "Community Terrace" for the existing Court of Flags, and some elements feel softer than they were in earlier designs.
Reuse is a major theme, with granite torn out during reconstruction of the Grand Avenue parking ramps used to make benches for the park's "Olive Court" area. The existing Arthur J. Will fountain will be retained and upgraded, keeping the shape and scale of the piece but cutting down on water volume and implementing modern nozzles and light fixtures. Reworked footpaths and a new membrane pool will provide interactive elements.
Many existing mature trees will be retained in the new design, though some will be removed to open views between City Hall and the DWP building.
After CRA, the construction documents must next go to the County Board of Supervisors, which is scheduled to hear the item on June 1.
Guest on May 19, 2010, at 03:16PM – #1
Where is the greenery? What is this, a giant concrete slab? We need grass, trees an shade.
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on May 19, 2010, at 03:33PM – #2
Guest: To be fair, the photo used doesn't show the lawn closest to City Hall. You can see more photos of the model on our story from last April.
Guest on May 19, 2010, at 03:51PM – #3
They really don't get it. We just want green - no concrete. It's not that hard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lower_Central_Park_Shot_4.JPG
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Central_Park_New_York_City_New_York_23_cropped.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Mall_%26_Literary_Walk,_Central_Park,_Manhattan,_NYC.JPG
Guest on May 19, 2010, at 03:54PM – #4
Yes!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Green_Park,_London_-_April_2007.jpg
Guest on May 19, 2010, at 07:08PM – #5
What a waste of money
Whitman Lam on May 19, 2010, at 08:46PM – #6
Still looks like a hunk of concrete. With some pockets of turf. Oh well, I will stick to Cornfield.
Guest on May 19, 2010, at 09:19PM – #7
The biggest, most noticeable change will be the removal of the surface car lot across the street from city hall. That has been a terrible front yard to the building for decades. The remaining gash will be the vacated site of the old state building, torn down in the 1970s, which unfortunately won't be a part of the revamping of the civic center mall.
derblut on May 19, 2010, at 11:08PM – #8
I kind of like it. The lack of residents in this area and the segmented nature of the individual parcels is a big part of the current problem. That surface lot is pretty unsightly as well. I think comparing this to Pershing Square is a little unfair, look at all those trees.
Chris Loos on May 20, 2010, at 04:18PM – #9
Guest #3, Central Park is great but so different in context and scale from this park that its almost irrelevant. It has the space for environments like grassy meadows, woods, ponds, sports facilities, etc.
Same goes for Green Park in London, Guest #4. Green park is adjacent to Hyde Park and St. James Park, and together they form a massive greenspace that takes up a significant chunk of the West End. Plenty of space for grassy meadows like the one in the photo.
Civic Center Park in contrast will be much much smaller. An urban plaza, like the many in Portland, makes much more sense here. A civic space that can be shared by the community and used for events. Not a piece of wilderness in the middle of the city- that's what Griffith Park and Elysian Park are for. The concrete suits me just fine.
Jamison Park in Portland
Guest on May 20, 2010, at 05:13PM – #10
We can ALWAYS use more greenery/wilderness. It's neat to put little pockets of nature smack dab in the middle of the city, too. Govts just hate to give the homeless anything mildly comfortable to sleep on. This is too clean, too strip-mall. We need the greenery to cool the urban core on those summer nights, too.
Judging from the present picture, it looks like there is plenty of trees and greenery that they should completely leave alone. Just focus on removing as much concrete/asphalt as possible. We already have a water court, urban gathering place. Bring some nature to the city.
Harry M on May 21, 2010, at 12:55AM – #11
I agree with the majority of respondents here, the surface,namely should be all grass. A lack of trees, as the photo shows, is not the problem. I would recommend a grass surface in lieu of the concrete.
Chris Loos on May 21, 2010, at 10:54AM – #12
Shouldn't this thing be xeroscaped? Grass doesn't grow naturally here- at least the soft, lawn-looking kind everyone here seems to like. Its either going to need a shit-ton of of watering (making the park inherently non-green), or left to its own devices it will turn yellow.
LA's native ecological environment is Coastal Sage Scrub. I'd like to see that incorporated into the park instead of the grassy meadows (from wet, humid cities) other commenters have posted.