Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Measure J needs a 2/3 majority

Measure J needs a 2/3 majority vote to pass on Nov. 6, so we urge you to SEND THE ATTACHED FLYER – please add your logo (if you want to) – to friends, colleagues, and/or your membership, asking them to vote YES on Measure J when they go to the polls.

The Measure J coalition, like that of its predecessor Measure R but even bigger, is astonishing in its breadth, depth and diversity -- encompassing all Move LA’s business-labor-environmental coalition partners as well as community and public health groups, and cities and elected officials: from the LA Area Chamber of Commerce to the Los Angeles Dodgers, from the LA/OC Building Trades to the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, from Move LA to the American Lung Association, from the Sierra Club to NBC Universal. See the whole list at http://measurej.org/endorsements/.

Measure J has also won endorsements from ALL 9 MAJOR LA COUNTY NEWSPAPERS because it is, as the LA Times wrote, “a win for transit, the economy and the future of LA County.”

COALITIONS CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS WHEN THEY ACT TOGETHER. This election provides us with that opportunity again.

All Measure J questions can be aswered at http://www.measurej4jobs.org.

Thank you for your support,

Denny Zane

Executive Director

Move LA

310-310-2390 x101

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Yes on Measure J4Jobs Oct 31 flyer.pdf Download this file

Yes on Measure J4Jobs joint logo flyer.docx Download this file

2012 High-Technology Office Outlook :: JONES LANG LASALLE

US High-Technology Outlook_2012.pdf Download this file

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Zoning Code Revision - Council Vote on Funding This Friday (11/2) at 10 AM

Greetings All:

The City Council will be voting on a major funding component of the Department's efforts to comprehensively revise the City's Zoning Code.  If you can find the time to attend, we would appreciate your participation.  The meeting is currently scheduled for this Friday (11/2) at 10 AM:

JOHN FERRARO COUNCIL CHAMBER
ROOM 340, CITY HALL
200 NORTH SPRING STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

You can find the agenda here (Item No. 1 - Council File No. 12-0600-S160):

The Council will be acting on an ordinance that temporarily increases the existing General Plan Maintenance Surcharge from 3% to 5% for a period of five years with a sunset clause.  This surcharge applies to any permit, plan check, license, or planning application fee.  This action would secure the funding necessary to initiate the project as outlined in our five-year work program and budget plan.  For details, please see the links at the end of this email.

Funding for this project will be coming from three different sources, all of which are General Fund neutral (meaning that no additional tax dollars will be going towards this initiative): 1) the General Fund to fund the existing Department of City Planning staff; 2) the General Plan Maintenance Surcharge to fund the additional City staff needed; and 3) the Construction Services Trust Fund (CSTF) to fund the consultants needed to accomplish these tasks.

The City Council approved funding from the CSTF for the first year of the five-year work program on June 19, 2012.  Funding from the CSTF will be granted on an annual basis as part of the Department's annual budgetary process.

BACKGROUND

The last time the City of Los Angeles did a comprehensive revision was when the current Zoning Code was first adopted in 1946.  It has since grown from an 84-page pamphlet to a 600+ page book does not reflect our 21st Century needs or vision.

The proposal will result in a new Zoning Code that:
  • Establishes clear & predictable language
  • More effectively implements the Goals & Objectives of the General Plan and Community Plans
  • Offers a wider variety of zoning options that protect and/or enhance our communities
  • Reflects the diversity of Los Angeles and allows each neighborhood to maintain a distinct sense of place
  • Accommodates the City’s current and future needs
  • Improves the built environment, economic vitality, & quality of life
  • Is an economic development tool that will help shore up the City’s tax base
The work program includes an enhanced public participation strategy that will include many opportunities for public involvement and feedback.  Our Department is committed to an open and transparent process that ensures that all stakeholders are given the opportunity to participate and contribute to the new land use and development standards.

The project will not: 1) override any existing Specific Plans or Overlays; or 2) result in the wholesale "up-zoning" of the City.  Although changes will eventually be pursued in order to implement the new Zoning Code, the proposed work program does not include any amendments to the current Zoning designations.  Any future changes will include notifications and public hearings.

OTHER INFORMATION

Below is a link to the Council File for the proposal.  It includes copies of the Department's funding request which outlines the proposed work program and budget plan, as well as other reports and comments submitted to date.

Council File No. 12-0460

http://cityclerk.lacity.org/lacityclerkconnect/index.cfm?fa=ccfi.viewrecord&cfnumber=12-0460

Help us spread the word by forwarding this information to anyone you feel might be interested.

If you received this email via forwarded message from someone other than myself, and you want to obtain updates directly from the Department, please email erick.lopez@lacity.org and ask to be added to the interest list.  Please type "Add Me To Zoning Code Notification List" in the subject line.

If you are on  Facebook , please visit our Los Angeles City Planning - Code Studies page at http://www.facebook.com/LACityCodeStudies.  Click on the "like" button and you will receive updates in your news feed regarding this project and other proposed Zoning Ordinances as they become available.

As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact myself or David Olivo at david.olivo@lacity.org; email is preferred.

Monday, October 29, 2012

AIA|LA UDC...Wednesday, November 14 (6:30 - 8:30pm)

AIA|LA Urban Design Committee presents
From Santa Monica to Sweden and China: Selected Residential Projects by Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners
Wednesday, November 14 (6:30pm - 8:30pm)
AIA Los Angeles
3780 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 800
Los Angeles, CA 90010

RSVP to Will Wright at Will[@]aialosangeles.org

From Santa Monica to Sweden and China: Selected Residential Projects by Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners

James Mary O'Connor, AIA
Principal
Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners

In its 35-year history, Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Partners has been an innovator to environmentally responsible design that is grounded in a philosophy that respects the natural and cultural character of a place and builds upon the most basic responses to site, context, and community. This presentation by Principal James Mary O'Connor, AIA focuses on selected, relevant residential projects that are located on different sites and regions around the world. They provide diverse design approaches while addressing a variety of urban contexts and residential building typologies.

The projects range from Tango Housing Complex in Malmö, Sweden, created as part of the 2001 Bo-01 European Housing Exhibition and offering an array of state-of-the-art sustainability and information technology features-to the Chun Sen Bi An Master Plan & Housing Development in Chongqing, China, where the dominant transitions from river to sky and earth to mountains inform the shaping of the open spaces, landscaped footpaths, and the stepped, curving, alternately low and high massing of the buildings. The Serendra Master Plan & Housing Development in Manila, Philippines establishes this project as a modernized, well-equipped center that will serve as an excellent precedent for future residential development in the region, while the Nei-Hu High End Residential Towers in Taipei, Taiwan is animated by an interplay of prefabricated concrete panels with shifting windows that accommodate the structural and view requirements of the units.

Closer to home are three projects in Santa Monica, California. The master plan for the Santa Monica Civic Center Village housing development addresses this spectacular context by optimizing the configuration of the housing mix, retail use and open spaces to foster a sense of neighborhood. The six-story mixed-use infill development at 606 Broadway creates a memorable, upscale presence in a revitalized urban area. 2802 Pico Housing provides 100% affordable housing for the nonprofit organization Community Corporation of Santa Monica. This mixed-use urban project accommodates 33 units above active retail and community space organized around an engaging courtyard.

Although they may have different specific programs, sites and contexts, all these projects demonstrate Moore Ruble Yudell's passion to shape environments that celebrate human activity, and to create a strong sense of place and synergistic relationships. At the core of its practice, the firm continues to evolve an inclusive process resulting in humane, beautiful, and evocative places that reflect real needs and desires.

James Mary O'Connor, AIA

Born in Dublin, Ireland, James Mary O'Connor came to Charles Moore's Master Studios at University of California, Los Angeles in 1982 as a Fulbright Scholar. James received his Diploma in Architecture from the Dublin Institute of Technology, Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree from Trinity College, Dublin, and his Master of Architecture from UCLA. He joined Moore Ruble Yudell in 1983.

As Principal-in-Charge, James has provided design leadership for numerous large-scale, innovative Master Planning projects throughout the United States and the world. The current Grangegorman Urban Quarter Master Plan in Dublin, Ireland provides world-class, innovative primary care and psychiatric facilities for Ireland's national healthcare service (the HSE) on a new campus in the historic core of the city. It represents the largest higher-education campus development ever undertaken in the history of the state of Ireland, and is likely to set an influential standard for future campus and urban development projects. The Master Plan design for the COFCO Agricultural Eco-Valley Project outside Beijing envisions a state-of-the-art sustainable project that will become the first net zero-carbon project of its kind in the world. James also led the Göttingen Station Master Plan in Germany which included planning a new town around an existing rail station.

James has a special interest in projects with a strong sustainability component, as reflected in his work on the award-winning Santa Monica Civic Center Parking Structure, one of the first buildings of its type to be LEED-Certified in the United States, and the "Village" housing development nearby, which is on track for LEED-Silver certification. The highly-sustainable Tango Building for the innovative Bo01 Housing Exhibition in Malmö, Sweden has received numerous awards for design excellence, and was selected as The Year's Building 2001 in Sweden.

For over twenty years, James has taught design studios, lectured, and been invited as guest critic at universities and institutions in the U.S. and throughout the world. He has received the Distinguished Faculty Award at UCLA's Interior and Environmental Design Program. He has also guest taught and lectured at the University of Southern California, Southern California Institute of Architecture, and Harvard University Graduate School of Design. International institutions where James has lectured include the University of Calgary-Alberta, the Dublin Institute of Technology, the Institute of Architects in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Hong-Ik University-Department of Architecture, Seoul, Korea, and numerous institutions in China including Tongji University School of Architecture in Shanghai and the Chinese University of Hong Kong Architectural Department.

For more information, please contact:

Will Wright, Hon. AIA|LA
Director, Government & Public Affairs
AIA Los Angeles
(213) 639-0764
email: Will[@]aialosangeles.org

AIA LA BOARD_120814_2.pdf.pdf Download this file

Measure J needs your support!

YES on Measure J for Jobs!

LA Times: "A win for transit, the economy and the future of LA County"

Support Measure J by watching and sharing this ad — now airing on TV and cable networks throughout LA County — with friends and anyone heading to the polls on November 6.


Move LA

empowered by Salsa

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

LA City Mobility Element Task Force Follow Up

Mobility Element Task Force Members,

Thank you for attending yesterday's meeting and the robust discussion on our policy language and the complete streets networks. Attached is a copy of the presentation from the meeting. 

We are working on revising the policy document to reflect the suggestions provided yesterday, and anticipate circulating the new version of the document later next week for your review. 

Sincerely,
Jane


Task Force Mtng 4 - 10.23.12.pdf Download this file

Friday, October 19, 2012

HNTB Announced as Design Competition Winner for New Sixth Street Viaduct

6th Street Bridge Replacement Project
Will --

Today was a historic day in Los Angeles. Mayor Villaraigosa joined Councilmember Jose Huizar and City Engineer Gary Lee Moore to announce that the architecture firm HNTB is the winner of the international design competition for the design of the Sixth Street Viaduct (Bridge).

“The new Sixth Street Bridge will be a world-class, iconic piece of Los Angeles infrastructure because of this international design competition and the community’s involvement every step of the way,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “Los Angeles is where the world creates and innovates, and the selection of HNTB as the winning team reaffirms our ability to cultivate and attract the best and brightest in architecture, design, and engineering right here in Los Angeles.”

      

In April, Mayor Villaraigosa and Councilmember Huizar announced an international design competition for the design of the replacement of the 80-year-old Sixth Street Viaduct. Over the past four years, Councilmember Huizar worked with the Bureau of Engineering to ensure that substantial community outreach and input took place before last November’s City Council vote to replace the viaduct as the safest and most cost-effective alternative.

“When I instructed the Bureau of Engineering to bring the best of the best to the City of Los Angeles to design the new Sixth Street bridge, they certainly delivered,” said Councilmember José Huizar. “This bridge by HNTB honors the history of the original while boldly looking towards the future with major river, pedestrian, multi-modal and community gathering features. Our new bridge will not only bring people from Point A to Point B, but to Point C – the bridge itself. It will be a shining-star destination spot worthy of the City of Angels.”

The final three design proposals by AECOM, HNTB, and Parsons Brinckerhoff were shared at public presentations during September.  The winning design was chosen by a panel made of members from the Bureau of Engineering and Caltrans, with unanimous support from the Design Aesthetic Advisory Committee (DAAC). The DAAC consists of professionals in the engineering, architecture, and urban planning professions, as well as residents of the surrounding neighborhoods, local business representatives, and river advocates.

HNTB’s proposed design includes canted cable supported arches, providing an iconic "stress ribbon" for the whole length of the viaduct. The design also includes access points for the community at the base of the arches and community gathering space on either side of the river, as well as direct access to the river. 

"The HNTB Sixth Street Viaduct conceptual design - a ribbon of arches - melds current structural technology with an aesthetic vision that embraces the entire 3,500 foot length,” said City Engineer Gary Lee Moore. “It will be an infrastructure element that I anticipate will become an icon for Los Angeles.”  

The viaduct is being replaced due to serious safety concerns. Elements of the current bridge have cracked and deteriorated over the past 80 years due to an internal chemical reaction called Alkali Silica Reaction (ASR) and it is subject to failure during a major earthquake.

View a video about the project here: http://bit.ly/RbHNdQ

View the Mayor's full press release HERE


View the presentation slides, poster boards, and animated renderings from the winning design firm, HNTB below. (Click on the images below to view):

 

HNTB's Presentation Slides

HNTB's Poster Boards

HNTB's Animated Rendering

HNTB.jpg

 


For more information on the project, please visit: 
http://sixthstreetviaductreplacement.org


We look forward to building together,

Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project

6th Street Bridge Replacement Project · United States
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Thursday, October 18, 2012

Announcement of Winning Design Firm - Friday 10/19

6th Street Bridge Replacement Project
Will --

MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA, COUNCILMEMBER HUIZAR TO ANNOUNCE WINNING DESIGN FOR SIXTH STREET VIADUCT REPLACEMENT PROJECT


Mayor Villaraigosa will join Councilmember Jose Huizar to announce the winner of the international design competition for the redesign of the Sixth Street Viaduct at 9:45 AM on Friday, October 19, 2012, on the Sixth Street Viaduct overlooking the Los Angeles River. 

In April, the Mayor announced an international design competition for the redesign and replacement of the 80-year-old Sixth Street Viaduct. The final three design proposals by AECOM, HNTB, and Parsons Brinckerhoff presented their designs at a public presentations throughout September.

Tomorrow, the Mayor will reveal the winning design chosen by a panel made of members from the Bureau of Engineering and Caltrans, with unanimous support from the Design Aesthetic Advisory Committee (DAAC). The DAAC is made up of stakeholders including community members, river advocates, and design professionals.  

Construction is expected to start in 2015 after approval from the Board of Public Works and the Los Angeles City Council. The project, which will create nearly 5,000 jobs, is expected to be completed in late 2018 and opened in 2019. 

WHO
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

Councilmember Jose Huizar

Gary Lee Moore, City Engineer

Eric Owen Moss, FAIA, Principal, Eric Owen Moss Architects, Director at SCI-Arc, member of the Design Aesthetic Advisory Committee (DAAC)

Ozzie Lopez, Executive Director of the Boyle Heights Tech Center, member of the DAAC

Yuval Bar-Zemer, Arts District Resident and President & CEO, Linear City, member of the DAAC

Community stakeholders

Design professionals

River advocates


WHAT:  Press Conference Announcing the Winning Design Firm for Sixth   Street Viaduct Replacement Project International Design Competition

DATE:  Friday, October 19, 2012

TIME:  9:45 AM *Suggested arrival by 9:30 AM

LOCATION:  On the Sixth Street Viaduct 
http://goo.gl/maps/v0ehi

Attendees please tell the Department of Transportation officers that your are attending the press conference to gain access to the viaduct. 


Thank you and we look forward to building together,


Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project
http://6stbrp.nationbuilder.com/
6th Street Bridge Replacement Project · United States
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You can also keep up with Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project on Twitter or Facebook.
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Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Transit Corridors Final White Paper

LATransitCorridorsStrategy_WhitePaper Final (2012-10-01) Carlton.pdf Download this file