Coleman Engellenner on August 16, 2011, at 07:58AM – #1

I think in a "perfect world" at least one of those lots would be developed with more residential and ground floor retail. While the Historic Core is definitely the most developed neighborhood downtown, it could still benefit from a LOT more people living and walking in the area.

Katherine McNenny on August 16, 2011, at 09:39AM – #2

That Photoshop picture is great! The addition of more trees can really change the feeling of a place in such a positive way. An inspiring vision.

I have a similar, but even more dangerous problem with an alley in my neighborhood that stays ungated at night. There IS a BID in my district, the CCEA (who does a fantastic job of cleaning trash I might add). Problem is, their boundaries stop just short of the alley that sits @ the corner of San Pedro St. and Winston St. At nightfall this alley not only gets filled with trash and human excrement, but is flanked by a group of undesirables all night long rendering this street un-walkable and even un-drivable.

This alley has been problem for years- I am struggling to understand how the City of LA allows this blatant illegal activity to flourish in the "new and improved" DTLA. If anyone has any advice on how I can get a gate on this alley at night-please do tell. I’m assuming at least one govt. agency might need to be contacted.

800lbG on August 16, 2011, at 10:50AM – #3

@Coleman

There are unused ground floor retail spaces all over DTLA. Even in the core, the newest development on 4th and main sits practically empty.

The spaces are there, but we need retailers to commit to occupying those spaces.

In our current economic climate retail growth is stagnant at best. Yes, our neighborhood is continually growing as a destination for culture, food and nightlife. But those business sectors take far more risks then retail ones are willing to.

People talk about wanting more retail in DTLA, but I wonder what they mean specifically. Do you want big box retail or more unique curated boutiques? Downtown does have a few glaring retail holes to be filled, but dropping a Best Buy or any of chains that can be found in LA's malls in the middle of the core isn't necessarily going to fill the void or be a benefit for our community.

Maybe Broadway could be the next Old Town Pasadena, but I'm not sure that is necessarily the ideal situation, or the most likely outcome given what challenges DTLA still faces.

The Dude on August 16, 2011, at 12:27PM – #4

Well, I for one moved to Los Angeles because I like the climate of a semi-arid desert, and thus a lot full of leafy green trees really doesn't do much for me, especially given the inherent amount of water such a scene would entail--that's just environmentally irresponsible and ultimately unsustainable.

Being in the middle of a dense, urban core, I'd much prefer to see both lots developed into residential/office/retail mixed-use buildings. While there may be vacant storefronts all over DTLA, many of those spaces are functionally obsolete and even more of them lack the most important feature--they aren't necessarily a quick walk from me.

Finally, as the neighborhood matures, we need to start filling in the gaps in services--great, we have a Ralph's and soon a Target, but what about doctor's offices? Dentists? A donut shop? I love this community, but for all we have (and I appreciate!) there's a lot more we still need to get to truly turn this into a real self-sustained community.

David McBane on August 16, 2011, at 03:23PM – #5

Patterson - Why are you calling city agencies to collect trash? You already know that trash pick-up is a private affair so why waste time trying to get a city agency to do something about it when they don't even handle regular trash pick-up? The best bet is to talk with your BID and see if they have any ideas about a solution since they are the ones that have to deal with the illegal dumping.

Katherine McNenny - The first thing you have to figure out is if that alley is a public right-of-way or a private street/driveway. Many alleys in Downtown are actually private streets so the City of L.A. has no jurisdiction over them and can't do anything even if they wanted to. Assuming it is a public alley, the owners on either side of the alley where you want to put the gate have to submit an application to the City for a revocable gate permit. The owners also have to get the agreement from all of the owners served by the alley that they want a gate. This application will require hiring a civil engineer to prepare various exhibits to support the application plus about $10,000 application fee to the City to pay them to review the application. There is also a public process that has to be gone through. It takes about a year. If the permit is granted, it lasts a maximum of 5 years then you have to reapply. If it a private alley, the permit is easier to pull since it is not a public process but it can be more complicated. If it is private alley, there should be a maintenance agreement that is recorded against all of the properties that the alley serves dictating how the alley is to be used and how to modify the agreement. It may be easy or hard depending on how the agreement is written. There is also the chance there is no agreement and then you are in legal limbo since there is no controlling document on how to change things and the City won't get involved since it is private property. Good luck figuring all this out.

Stuart on August 16, 2011, at 06:12PM – #6

When so many people are residing, quite literally, on top of each other, the little common space that we share should be sacred – otherwise we’re going to suffer as a community. When a pile of trash is an acceptable feature of our neighborhood environment, all standards of living are reduced. There are several kids, for example, that live in my building, why should blight and ordure have to be a part of their formative years? Pedestrians, people that actually eschew driving in LA, should be a privileged class. We should get our own diamond lanes, essentially the streets that traverse our community. Instead, we’re subjected to constant filth, all manner of excreta, and $190 jay walking tickets (extortion, IMO).

I would like to see some decent retail down here too, @800lbG, but how can we expect to attract a Fresh Co or even a decent produce shop when our streets are so uninviting?

@Coleman, I’m all for more people (which inevitably means more trash, alas) , but the two parking lots at 6th and Main are surrounded by 11 residential buildings, some with well over 200 residents. With such density, second only to Park La Brea in LA, I think a bit of breathing room is requisite.

@David, I had called the BID people first with little response initially. I tried out city agencies thinking, perhaps falsely, that since the alley is a public thoroughfare, they’d do something. Finally Russ Brown from the Historic Downtown LA Business Improvement District got things straightened out. He’s informed me that he’s working with the property owners to ensure proper maintenance and also the City for enforcement.

David McBane on August 16, 2011, at 06:22PM – #7

Stuart - Thanks for the update! The key is finding the right person to handle the situation and it looks like you found him.

Chris Loos on August 16, 2011, at 06:39PM – #8

An aside: I'd like to know what we can do to get the sidewalks in our neighborhood cleaned. I've lived in some dirty cities in my day but I've never seen sidewalks caked with filth like I see in DTLA. I don't know if its the lack of rain in this climate or years of deferred maintenance or what. It looks terrible, and there's no doubt in my mind that it contributes to the stigma associated with DTLA, and has kept at least a few potential retailers away.

I see shopkeepers out there in the morning hosing the sidewalk in front of their shops down, but it doesn't do anything except prevent it from getting worse. At this point, the sidewalks probably need sandblasting.

Is there a city agency responsible for the sidewalks? Someone we can contact? Can we just rent a sandblaster and do it ourselves? Its effin' nasty.

David McBane on August 16, 2011, at 07:56PM – #9

Chris Loos - In most cities and in most of L.A., the property owner is responsible for maintaining the sidewalks while the public has a right-of-way easement for access. DTLA is a special case. Since it is the oldest part of the city, sometimes the City owns the sidewalk, sometimes the property owner, and sometimes half and half. This lack of uniformity holds back coming up with a uniform solution.

In a practical way, I would contact the local BID about cleaning but you are right, cleaning now just seems to keep things from getting worse, not from getting better. Maybe that is another reason a uniform solution has not really been pushed - how much is it going to really improve?

on August 16, 2011, at 09:53PM – #10

Some sidewalks are filthier than others. I love terrazzo, but filthy terrazzo is the worst.

My suggestion for cleaning...

http://www.ultimatewasher.com/pressure-washers/

Chris Loos on August 17, 2011, at 08:44AM – #11

Had to look up terrazzo. Found this encouraging fact on Wikipedia:

"Terrazzo can be restored to its original luster at a fraction of the cost of replacement. Even century-old floors have generally proven need little more than minor repairs and refinishing to return them to their original beauty."

Good to know that it can be restored to its former glory...IF the effort is put in.

Regarding the pressure washer, I'm not sure that would be enough at this point. When they were constructing the patio at CoffeeBar, they pressure washed the sidewalk in front of the cafe, and it still doesn't look that great.

Jerell Ordonio on August 17, 2011, at 04:22PM – #12

Patterson you're a genius!! =D That looks so beautiful!!

If the streets and buildings get cleaned up this whole area will look gorgeous!! Like a mini New Yorkish (since the buildings are shorter)

what i like about the historic core is that the buildings are manhattanized.. or in other words built wall to wall.. which look very urban to me.. i love it.... but since there was a height limit.. Los Angeles doesnt have that skyscraper canyon feeling.

on August 17, 2011, at 10:44PM – #13

The sidewalk inside the CoffeeBar outdoor fencing is faded but a notch cleaner than the rest of the surface around the SB Tower property. The property owner needs to make an extra effort.

Another example of yuckwalk...all around the Security Building (southeast corner of Spring and 5th).

on August 25, 2011, at 01:46PM – #14

Thanks Stuart for getting attention to this challenging situation in our Historic Downtown. The HDBID, Historic Downtown Business Improvement District, is responsible for keeping our streets clean but only in the areas owned by the property owners. And only the property owners who have paid their fees to the HDBID for the services rendered. The alleys are not owned by the property owners but the city. It's sort of a grey area at times but thanks to our dedicated Executive Director, Russell Brown of our HDBID, he has taken care of the situation in the alley for the time being. As a tenant and merchant right around Harlem Place alley a majority of the problem comes from the tenants and negligent dog owners who don't pick up after their dogs or when they do think it's okay to throw their dog poop bags on top of the closed trash bins and then it escalates from there. If we who are committed to a greater downtown help educate the people who we see not doing their part I think this will help. In regards to new retail down here, the Historic Downtown Merchants Association is committed to supporting and assisting anyone interested in becoming part of our neighborhood. Most of the retail is taken but in the areas that are still available, most potential tenants find them too undesirable due to lack of lighting, cleanliness and beautification. But we are working on that too.