LOS ANGELES-A major plan to link disparate areas along First Street in Downtown Los Angeles is closer to becoming reality. The initial plan, dubbed "1st Street Now," calls for a walkable urban corridor filled with pedestrian activity benefiting current and future developments along the two-mile stretch of First Street through the heart of the Civic Center and Little Tokyo, over the L.A. River, and onto Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights.
 Los Angeles City Hall, Downtown - Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) joins community leaders at a press conference to unveil the First Street NOW plan organized by Project Restore. Pictured above in the front row from left to right: Designer Doug Campbell; Councilwoman Jan Perry; Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard; Project Restore President Ed Avila. Pictured above in the back row from left to right: Nabih Youssef, Chairman of Project Restore; Designer Mark Rios; Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chief Executive Officer Roger Snoble; and Designer Doug Suisman. |
"The East and West Sides of L.A. have been divided by multiple factors," says Ed Avila, president of Project Restore, which is coordinating the plan. "1st Street Now will create connections and bring back a sense of unity that has been lost." The initiative is being funded by Project Restore, Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority, Community Redevelopment Agency, and Civic Center Public Partnership (for which Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard secured federal grant funds), among other key stakeholders.
"First Street will become the restored artery connecting our communities and preserving our heritage -- the backbone that connects the past, the present, and the future," says Nabih Youssef, Chairman of the non-profit Project Restore.
Project Restore selected three award-winning LA-based firms to produce creative solutions that highlight the area's distinctive neighborhood identities, build on current developments underway along First Street, attract visitors through lively streetscapes, enhance the connection to the L.A. River, and result in a common design vocabulary that ties all the street's elements together. Suisman Urban Design, Campbell & Campbell, and Rios Clementi
Hale Studios bring expertise in architecture, urban planning and design, landscape architecture, streetscape furniture and lighting, and graphic design to this diverse and extensive project.
"The collaboration of these firms and our multiple and overlapping disciplines infuses 1st Street Now with a wealth of experience and creativity," says Mark Rios, FAIA, ASLA, principal of Rios Clementi Hale Studios, known for its pedestrian improvements for Grand Avenue and for creating the City of Glendale's Chess Park. Doug Suisman, FAIA, was responsible for the design of the successful Metro Rapid Project and a recent development plan for a new Palestinian state, while Doug Campbell, AICP, ASLA, has gained notice for landscapes at Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and the Los Angeles Central Library.
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard said: "I am pleased to see that the 1st Street Now project is moving forward with such momentum and hope that everyone along the First Street corridor, from business owners to visitors, will experience the full benefits of this urban revitalization plan." A member of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, Congresswoman Roybal-Allard secured federal funds to establish the Los Angeles Civic Center Public Partnership, which facilitated agreements between various levels of government for such projects as the new federal courthouse for the Central District Court of California and the new California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) headquarters, both located in downtown Los Angeles. The Partnership was also the precursor for the First Street NOW plan.
Additional proposed elements of 1st Street Now are: transit line from Civic Center to Mariachi Plaza; "First Street Festival" with the performance venues along the corridor; a continuous green promenade; new transit shelters, lantern elements, and other streetscape furnishings; Civic Square garden plaza with water features, performance areas, and visitors' information; Gateway Plaza and flowering promenade for Little Tokyo/Arts District; reconceptualization of Bridge Park to transform the property around the bridge over the L.A. River into recreational and commercial space; increased public art opportunities to increase pedestrian engagement in Boyle Heights.
"The urban design principles maintained in these recommendations include collaboration, environmental responsibility, contextual response, flexibility, and encouragement of civic life," stresses Suisman. "These add up to successful, doable improvements for the City."
Working with Project Restore and Consensus Planning Group, the planners reached out to other professionals and to key stakeholder groups to review and comment on the plan. "Our plan is based on collaboration with stakeholder groups such as the Central City Association, Friends of the Los Angeles River, and several neighborhood councils," notes Campbell. "The resulting corridor linking east and west represents a new unifying vision for downtown."
"The plans have already had a big impact on new developments in the area," says Avila, who notes that MTA, LA Unified School District, and LAPD have been using the guidelines in their current planning. After the presentation of the plan, the stakeholder groups will continue to confer with the Project Restore team to implement the recommendations. "Project Restore will assist where necessary to continue the momentum," says Avila. "This is all about community building."