Plans for 'Grand' Park in the Works

The redevelopment of Grand Avenue in Los Angeles will include a new 16-acre park that will stretch along Bunker Hill from the Music Center to City Hall, replacing the currently underused County Mall. It is envisioned as the "Central Park" of Los Angeles, creating a high quality public open space for the downtown area residents, workers and tourists.
Image courtesy of RCL Co Development Services Group

A master plan for the downtown Los Angles area earned preliminary approval recently from the Grand Avenue Authority, a committee that was created to oversee the project. In addition to new residential and commercial developments, the plan calls for a 16-acre park that would link the Music Center and City Hall. The privately financed, $1.8 billion dollar project was created by The Related Companies over the past year, after a series of public meetings. Though plans are still in the beginning stages, there is already some uneasiness about the project. Famed architect Thom Mayne, this year's Pritzker Prize winner, and noted landscape architect, Kathryn Gustafson, have already left the original team of designers working on the project. Their connection with the Los Angeles community would have been helpful in creating a design that accurately represented the city. Now, some are worried that the area will share more things in common with a shopping mall than an open, public space. In a Los Angeles Times article, Robert Harris, a professor of architecture at USC and the former chairman of the city's downtown strategic plan advisory committee, said the plan is too inward focused right now. He is hoping further design reviews will put business and public attractions along the main streets, rather than in the confines of the new towers. In a press release about the approval, Gloria Molina, chair of the Los Angeles Grand Avenue Authority, said, ?EUR??,,????'??This plan achieves the many goals we set for this development. It will serve all Angelenos with great public spaces and a mix of uses. Most importantly we will have a new civic park, a place for families and for community celebrations.?EUR??,,????'??

The park will be part of the first phase of construction. On the west end across from the Music Center, it will be programmed with cultural, arts and entertainment events, its heart will feature a colorful garden area, and the east end by City Hall will be designed to host civic celebrations and multi-cultural festivals. As it stands, the park would be bordered on the north by the county Hall of Administration and on the south by the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. There is a possibility that both buildings would be razed, due to seismic issues, which would open up space for a desired expansion of the park.

The master plan will now be subject to review and approval by the Community Redevelopment Agency, the Los Angles City Council and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. At the same time, work will begin on the Environmental Impact Report, which will likely be completed by the end of this year. Construction on the first phase is expected to begin by December 2006.

Source: Los Angeles Times