Grab yer Torches! Grab yer Pitchforks! NIMBYs Unite!
Tonight’s Highland Park Transit Village Design Workshop was interesting to say the least. The organizers of this event, developers McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc. who were awarded the project by the City of Los Angeles in 2005, were a bit overwhelmed by the community’s anger at tonight’s meeting. Like many in attendance, such as myself, this was our first notification about this large neighborhood altering project.
The plan was to invite the public to give some initial input on what we would like to see in the designs for this multi-lot project that would replace LA City Parking Lots, 635, 636, 637, and 695 respectively. An opportunity for the public to speak one on one with architects, and the developers about what the design plan should have. Instead, many irate community stakeholders vented their opposition to any such project being considered. And with the poor communication regarding this project, who could blame them
The good thing is, nothing is set in stone. No ground has been broken, no leases signed. But as far as a project happening on these parking lots, it is really a matter of time. There has never been (as far as I know) a movement for parking lot preservation, and unless there is a sudden population die off, we will need more housing. And why not housing that utilizes the established rail and bus service of this neighborhood. What is important that we take this opportunity to do it right.
In general, the plan, as I understand it, is to build 100 housing units total (60 rentals/40 owned). With the rentals being priced between $450 to $900/mo. Underground parking will be built for residence, and public parking that offsets the lost parking lots. With respect to established merchants, there are no plans for retail in these buildings at this time. Instead, there is a plan to create 10,000 square feet of space for 6 classrooms for possible an East LA College satellite campus. Also, there is a plan to have a general community space, that may house a local museum, or public meeting hall.
“What about parking?” “What about the plan to make it 4 stories?” “What about parking?” “How will this affect Mr. T’s?” “What about parking?” “Parking!” These are a few concerns vented at this meeting.
Because I metro and bike most places I need to go, I forget how dependent people are with the their cars and their need to park them. Highland Park exists in withing a parking bubble for the City of Los Angeles. One of the few densely populated places in the city with bountiful free parking. A place where you can park on the street unencumbered by time limits for as long as you wish. I’m glad to say there is no such thing as permit parking in the 90042 zip code. Lots of metered parking, but rarely any parking enforcement to worry about. But then, this is the kind of project that could change all that.
One thing the developers have going for them in respect for Highland Park heritage, is that they have hired the well regarded architects M2A, who are responsible for the design of our Arroyo Seco Library. On the other hand, these developers, MBS Inc. are the ones responsible for turning Aliso Village public housing into the uninspired, and misplaced suburban-style town home village now known as Pueblo del Sol.
Lots to consider. Luckily, they are asking for design input. Look for my design schematics here in the near future.
To me, the “Transit Village” is a very exciting development, with potential to revitalize the immediate surrounds, including the Figueroa BID, as well as promote Gold Line usage. How could any project on those parcels be worse than PARKING LOTS???
Development in working class communities always concerns me. The development looks nice and attracts upper working class and professional types (I know many professionals already live in Highland park, but they are, for the most part, accepting of the mix) Once word gets out that Highland Park is “livable” to the professionals, then, well just look at what happened to parts of Silver Lake and Echo Park. (Of course, the professional will not send their kids to the local schools with all the native/brown kids. No their child is too good/ talented/ gifted and needs to go to a school with majority white. Sorry will get off my soapbox now)
Good luck to you on this Walt.
I am not sure how I feel about this development because I am no fan of cookie cutter homes nor do I trust developers to have the public interest at heart. Just look at what they have done to the area 20 years ago before it was put into HOZ zone, not pretty. Having said that as a stake holder I am torn over the project ;will it be done well? Who knows the track record is so so but I am curious about it and am pleased to see some interest in our neighborhood that is positive. My wife and I purchased our home here 5 years ago and love the divers nature of the area both ethnicly and economicly. We have a young child and I can’t say I am thrilled with the schools in the area not because of the ethnic make up but because of the poor conditions of the schools academics. I am a product of both public and private schools and consider my self a liberal but I must be honest I do not want my child to be a Guinea Pig in a system so broken and neglected for years. I am a person of color and I take offense to the notion that it is as you suggested “Of course, the professional will not send their kids to the local schools with all the native/brown kids. No their child is too good/ talented/ gifted and needs to go to a school with majority white”. NO its because we do not want our kids lost in a system that cares more for keeping the status quo than making improvements . Excuse us for wanting more from our public officials and institutions that we have elected and paid taxes for. I am one of those professionals you speak of and we want what is best for all of us. I do not wish to change this area but to make improvements where its needed. It is totally ignorant to suggest its a white issue I can only assume you don’t have kids of your own. But any improvement on this area both for redeveloping the infrastructure and the schools is top on my list.
R3, I am very curious as to what authoritative knowledge you posses in order to make such a broad condemnation of the school system. Are you an academic analyst perhaps? You seem to posses some special knowledge as to why the school system is specifically responsible for all academic shortcomings, yet your argument seems more suited at convincing yourself of it and echoing self-serving anti school system rhetoric. The state of the public education system is more complex than the oversimplified statements you make, and people like you feel they can get away with blowing hot air from the safety of their armchair. If you have avoided sending your child to this system, I am baffled as to how you know so much about it. How could you possibly know what improvements need to be made? How many teachers, administrators and students have you interviewed? (Are you by chance President of Green Dot??)
Your statements are ignorant, destructive and a slap in the face to the many people who work and study in the public school system. What you are basically saying then is that all of us thousands of public school parents, our children, their teachers and everyone involved in their education today are idiots and fools for continuing to create more “Guinea Pigs” and if only we were as insightful and enlightened as you, we’d be doing what’s really best for our kids.
You don’t know us, R3, , but I’ll forgive your statements because maybe it’s just that broken “Public Schooling” in you coming out.
I am a parent of a public school student (of the month) and an educator with LAUSD. And YES, some parental bigotry towards certain schools is alive and well today, and academics has very little to do with it, and that’s the truth, whether you take offense to it or not.
I am sorry R3 that I offended you. The quote I paraphrased is an assortment of what I have been told directly by parents in my neighborhood- who self ID’ed themselves as middle class or upper middle class, of all backgrounds but mostly white or Latina/o- as to why they will not send their children to our neighborhood school- Micheltorena Street in Silver Lake. Micheltorena has a very poor and much underserved reputation. I had heard many of the rumors about the school before our now second grader started kindergarten there almost 3 years ago. 90% of the stuff we had heard about the school was completely untrue or had been fixed. Some problems- from our view point- were still around. But with a little hard work and knowing the right people to contact at the big old bureaucracy known as LAUSD, we have been able to fix all but 2 of the problems. And now we are working on adding to the already great school, by fundraising for a new library, Jungle-Jim and school/community garden. Last summer, a few teachers, parents and I started a non profit booster group (Friends of Micheltorena Street School, A Project of Community Partners) allowing us to raise more money.
I advise you (but you most likely think I am a bitch and will not want my advice) if you have not already visited your local school, please do so before you pass judgment. (A school is so much more then test scores and what you read on Greatschools.net) Over the past three years, I have met and worked with many LAUSD parents, including many from Highland Park (were I assume you are living). If you look around, you will find many parents who are working to improve and advocate for Highland Park’s schools.
I belong to two yahoo groups, LANeighborhoodSchool and lausdparents, both full of very useful information for any public parent.
My wife is a school teacher in the LAUSD system and yes I do know what I am talking about. As I have mentioned I am a product of both public and private schools. Granted I went to school back east but I am very familiar with what happens to many schools that are neglected due to economic and racial bigotry. I can not pretend to know all that is happening in my current school here in Highland Park but I am very much aware of how the system runs. My wife often has to deal with bureaucratic crap just to make a difference and she has been a loyal teacher in the district for 10 years. All I was mentioning is this notion that these white people as you suggest don’t want to send there kids to these brown schools because as you said they think they are too good for the schools. I just call that idiotic to paint such a broad brush. I am as I mentioned a person of color who know all to well about white flight and the neglect of poor and minority schools. I see a number of issues at play in our current district an I am tired of fighting for what is needed because some bureaucrat seems to think they know best and ignore what is truly troubling our schools. We are looking into making the steps to aid in improving our system and school and are working with a number of parents here in Highland Park.
Yes I am completely aware of some parental bigotry towards certain schools and yes I know it is alive and well today, and academics has very little to do with it. And no I don’t take offense to it. If you imply I am unaware of such attitudes or condone them then let me correct you now and express my complete disdain for such attitudes. Truth be told it is the complete disregard for general concern that I take offense to. To suggest that because one may consider other alternatives to the current system or express a dislike to my school district as being elitist or white people not wanting to have there kids go to school with brown kids completely miss the point. All of want what’s best for our kids stop second guessing peoples motives for what choices they feel they need to do. We all moved here for several reasons. We love the location,architectural diversity,cultural diversity and economic diversity. But having said that there are fundamental problems at hand in our neck of the woods ans to suggest making suggestion’s or comments about it as bigoted or elitist is offensive. I love it here but am not going to sit back and watch the continued decay of our infrastructures,schools and our community due to this belief that it is traditional to keep things as they are; and these brown people have been living with it and have had no complaints about it. No I came from a community like this back east and know the destructive nature of the cultural ,racial and social economic dived. My younger brother is a school teacher back east in Washington DC in pretty well off school he was once a teacher in a lower income area and saw first hand the difference in how each district was treated. My mother in-law was also a school teacher and also witnessed the same issues.
I am well versed in both the good and bad of our public institutions and as a parent want to make informed decisions on what program will work best for my child. I am afraid the current school(s) in my immediate district is not meeting the needs of the community and find it difficult to ignore the short comings despite my belief and support for the public school system. I have been in both a failing school as well as one(s) that support and nurture the students. I no first hand as a person of color how the system works and how a failing system can affect ones accomplishment, self esteem and academic needs. So please don’t lecture me and make general assumptions about my motivation.
Good, well-planned development can make a positive impact in a neighborhood if genuine intention is for the betterment of the community. My main concern is the four-story structure that truly does not flow well with existing Highland Park buildings and density issues. Also, I’d like it if a new name was given to the “Transit Village”. I’m hopeful that the revitalization vision include incorporating historic features and architecture to the Village plan.