Reminder: Expo Line Transit Neighborhoods Community Workshop Monday, Dec. 3rd

Dear Expo Line Transit Neighborhood Plans Stakeholders,

Just a reminder about our upcoming Community Workshop on Monday, December 3rd from 6pm–8pm at the Henry Medina Parking Enforcement Center. Please see the attached flyer for more details and visit our website at www.latnp.org for more informtation about the project. 

Thanks to those of you who attended our workshop in Palms on Tuesday night. We had some great, informative discussions-- we really appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us. We'll be posting the powerpoint presentation and summaries of the small group discussions on our website by the end of next week.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions about the project or upcoming workshop. We hope to see you there.

Best Regards,

Susan Robinson

-- 

Susan Robinson, AICP

Transit Neighborhood Plans

Department of City Planning

City Hall - 200 N. Spring Street, Room 667

Los Angeles, CA 90012

tel: 213.978.1319 (direct)

http://latnp.org

http://planning.lacity.org

http://la2b.org

About the Project

The City of Los Angeles, in partnership with Metro, aims to support vibrant neighborhoods around transit stations, where people can live, work and shop or eat out, all within a safe and pleasant walk to stations. In June 2012, the Los Angeles Department of City Planning kicked-off a 2-year effort to create Transit Neighborhood Plans for the areas surrounding the following ten transit stations:

Existing Exposition Light Rail Line station

• Culver City (station now open)

Future Exposition Light Rail Line stations scheduled to open in 2016

• Palms

• Expo/Westwood

• Expo/Sepulveda

• Expo/Bundy

Future Crenshaw/LAX Light Rail Line stations scheduled to open in 2018

• Expo/Crenshaw

• MLK/Crenshaw

• Slauson/Crenshaw

• West

• Century/Aviation

The focus of the Plans will be the establishment of new development regulations that better support transit ridership, such as allowing some increased development intensity near stations where appropriate, requiring the design of new buildings to be pedestrian-oriented, and improving the configuration and condition of streets to better promote pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular circulation.

The Plans will generally include areas within a half-mile of the Crenshaw and Exposition transit corridors, focusing on neighborhoods within a 15 minute walk of each of the ten stations. Please note that the design and location of future Metro light rail stations are determined by Metro and are out of the scope of this project, which is focused on enhancing the areas around the stations.

The creation of the Plans will be a collaborative effort, led by the Department of City Planning, with extensive input from local stakeholders, including residents, employees, business and property owners, developers, and community organizations. This planning effort will provide the opportunity for stakeholders to voice preferences for building size and design, public amenities, streetscape elements, and pedestrian, bicyclist, and vehicular circulation. The Department of City Planning will be coordinating with other relevant Departments, including the Departments of Transportation and Public Works, as well as the cities of Inglewood, Culver City, and Santa Monica.

Transit Neighborhood Plans will ultimately require adoption by the City Council, following a recommendation by the City Planning Commission. The Department of City Planning aims to present the Plans to the City Planning Commission in Winter/Spring of 2014.

The Plans for the Expo/Crenshaw, MLK/Crenshaw, Slauson/Crenshaw, West stations along the Crenshaw/LAX Light Rail Line will be created to complement and implement the West Adams-Baldwin Hills-Leimert New Community Plan and associated regulatory changes, which are now moving through the City’s adoption process. For more information about the West Adams Community Plan, please visit https://sites.google.com/site/westadamsncp/.

The project is partially funded by a $3.1 million grant from Metro. Metro’s Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning Grant program funds planning efforts that enhance access to transit through the promotion of TOD principles, increase ridership by reducing the number of modes of transportation necessary to access transit, reduce greenhouse gas emissions through encouraging infill development along transit corridors, and support and implement sustainable development principles.

Expo Line Community Workshops_TNP_for email.pdf Download this file

Never Built FUNDRAISER - December 1

Dominguez Creek Planting Day = December 8

Thank you friends for helping us get this far!

We have one week to go and we need you.

We have a little bit to reach our goal and you can help us complete this much needed project; your donation will make it happen.

Your tax-deductible donation will go straight into the project. – trees, native plants, benches and the mural.  

You can make your donation in honor of a loved one or as a gift for the upcoming holiday season – make sure to request a gift certificate in your donation.

On behalf of the community and students we thank you for your generous support, and we look forward to see you on Planting Day December 8th!!

http://fromlottospot.org/donate/

empowering communtiies one space at a time,

 

 

Viviana Franco

Executive Director

From Lot to Spot

811 w. 7th Street, ste 205

Los Angeles, Ca 90017

www.fromlottospot.org

310.780.5461

San Pedro Community Plan Open House and Public Hearing: December 12th

Hello,
The Los Angeles Department of City Planning will hold an Open
House/Public Hearing regarding proposed Zone Changes and Plan
Amendments to the San Pedro Community Plan, in accordance with the Los
Angeles City Charter. The existing San Pedro Community Plan was
adopted in 1999 and is being updated to reflect current policies,
practices, and conditions. The proposed Zone Changes and Plan
Amendments are initiated by the City of Los Angeles and involve
private and publicly owned land. The official hearing notice is
attached, and contains a map of areas that are proposed for change.

Date: Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Time: Open House 5:00pm – 6:30pm, Public Hearing 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Location: Boys and Girls Club, 100 W. 5th Street, San Pedro, CA 90731
Staff Contact: Debbie Lawrence, Department of City Planning,
debbie.lawrence@lacity.org; (213) 978-1163

The Proposed Plan would preserve the character of existing
single-family and lower density neighborhoods by maintaining lower
density land use designations and limiting the allowed residential
density of some neighborhood commercial areas. The Proposed Plan seeks
to direct growth away from existing residential neighborhoods by
focusing growth in higher-intensity commercial centers, including
emphasis of the downtown as San Pedro’s regional center with increased
residential and commercial activity. Proposed land use changes would
be implemented by Plan amendments, zone changes, height district
changes and other long range implementation programs. The purpose of
the hearing is to obtain testimony from affected and/or interested
persons regarding the proposed changes. The decision maker will
consider all the testimony presented at the hearing, written
communication received prior to or at the hearing, and the merits of
the proposed changes as they relate to existing environmental and land
use policy and regulations.

Please contact me at the e-mail address or phone number below if you
have any questions. Documents related to the San Pedro Community Plan
update are available at the website address:
https://sites.google.com/site/sanpedrocommunityplan/

We look forward to seeing you at the open house and public hearing.
During the open house portion of the event you will be able to ask
questions and find out more information about the proposed changes to
the plan. During the public hearing portion, you can comment on the
recommendations and provide official testimony.

Debbie Lawrence, San Pedro Community Planner

SP Hearing Notice 12.12.12..pdf Download this file

Great CEQA Editorial in Merc News

http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_22012555/mercury-news-editorial-ceqa-reform-must-be-top

Mercury News editorial: CEQA reform must be top priority for Legislature in 2013

Mercury News Editorial

As Democrats contemplate what to do with their new super-majority power in the Legislature, they should avoid Republicans' worst fears: tax increases to restore depleted services. Nearly 2 million Californians remain unemployed. Economic growth must be a top priority. And one of the best ways to accomplish it is to reform the California Environmental Quality Act.

The law, known as CEQA, requires local governments to analyze the environmental effects of development projects and look for ways to mitigate them. It's one reason the state has been able to preserve its natural beauty -- a central component of its attraction for residents and businesses -- and it has given residents a strong voice in community development.

But it is too often abused by a whole range of interests: NIMBYs to protect their personal interests, labor unions as a weapon to demand contracts and businesses to stop competition, to name just a few. As one example, a competitor of Moe's Stop gas station in San Jose used the law to prevent Moe's from adding pumps.

These challenges often prevent development that could create jobs or help businesses survive without harming the environment, and they contribute to California's reputation as unfriendly to business. Four decades after Ronald Reagan signed CEQA into law, it's time for an update.

With the help of Silicon Valley Leadership Group President Carl Guardino, a statewide coalition has been working with CEQA experts to develop reforms that prevent abuses while maintaining the law's intent. The proposals were discussed briefly in Sacramento as the legislative session ended, but they were too complex to be passed quickly. We hope to see them revived and fully debated next year:

·  Coordinating CEQA reviews with environmental regulations. For example, if a project complies with water quality laws, a judge shouldn't be able to stop it on water-quality grounds as part of a CEQA challenge.

·  Limiting when a CEQA lawsuit can be filed.

·  Improving record-keeping to speed up the court process.

·  Requiring transparency in the courts -- as in politics -- so the public can see who's behind the challenges. Often, it's not environmentalists.

Reform opponents say CEQA lawsuits are few, and they're right. But the threat of a lawsuit changes what businesses do and where they try to build. Sometimes that's for the best, but often it's a needless deterrent to job creation.

Reforms could actually enhance some environmental protections. Infill, which is building in already developed areas -- far preferable to sprawl into open land -- is often challenged by NIMBY neighbors. And for developers, nothing increases costs like project delays. Reforming CEQA would make infill projects more attractive to builders.

Gov. Jerry Brown, Senate President Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John Perez all have promised reform. It's a perfect opportunity to show Californians they're serious about using their super-majority power responsibly.

Transit Neighborhood Plans - Community Workshops - Nov. 27th and Dec. 3rd

Dear West Los Angeles and Expo Line Stakeholders,

You are receiving this email because you have expressed an interest in the Expo Line Transit Neighborhood Plans project or the West LA Community Plan Update.

The Los Angeles Department of City Planning would like to invite you to attend one of our upcoming Community Workshops for the Expo Line Transit Neighborhood Plans project. The project, which kicked off in June, is focused on adopting new development regulations around existing and future Expo Line stations that will better support vibrant, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods. A primary project goal is to provide local residents, business and property owners, and employees, the opportunity to voice preferences for building size and design, public amenities, streetscape elements, and pedestrian, bicyclist, and vehicular circulation around the stations. For more information about the project, please visit our website at www.latnp.org or see the attached flyer that was also mailed to local residents and businesses. You are welcome and encouraged to forward this email and flyer to your friends and neighbors.

Workshop Details:

-  Tuesday, November 27, 2012 from 6pm–8pm at the IMAN Center (3376 Motor Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90034). Parking is available onsite or on Motor Ave.

-  Monday, December 3, 2012 from 6pm–8pm at the Henry Medina Parking Enforcement Center (11214 West Exposition Blvd, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90064). Limited parking is available onsite or on Sepulveda Blvd.

These are the first of many Community Workshops that will take place over the course of this 2-year planning effort. To view the project timeline, please visit our website at www.latnp.org.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions about the project or upcoming workshops. We hope to see you there.

Best Regards,

Susan Robinson

Expo Line Community Workshops_TNP.pdf Download this file

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING MEASURE J!

OUR WORK IS NOT DONE                                                  

Measure J captured 64.7 percent of the vote in LA County, falling just short of the two-thirds super-majority threshold required to pass. Only in California is 65 percent a defeat instead of a landslide victory!

At Move LA we are confident that with the amazing coalition of business, labor, environmental, faith and community groups that endorsed Measure J and with the backing of 65 percent of the voters, this is only a temporary setback to accelerating Measure R. We want to thank all of you who worked hard in support of Measure J – by endorsing, getting word out through your organizations and networks, speaking publicly, voting for AB 1446, and contributing financially.

Please remember that we made tremendous strides with the 30-10 Plan when our coalition convinced a highly partisan Congress to dramatically expand the federal TIFIA loan program. This alone will accelerate some of the Measure R projects. However, our work is not done and with your help we will find the way to accelerate all the projects and bring the promised jobs and traffic relief to Los Angeles.

All of us at Move LA want to thank you for all you did to support Measure J.

Sincerely,

Denny Zane, Marlene Grossman, Marisa Garcia, Gloria Ohland, Beth Steckler, Jerard Wright

Move LA

You are subscribed to this list as will@aialosangeles.org. You can unsubscribe here.

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING MEASURE J!

OUR WORK IS NOT DONE                                                  

Measure J captured 64.7 percent of the vote in LA County, falling just short of the two-thirds super-majority threshold required to pass. Only in California is 65 percent a defeat instead of a landslide victory!

At Move LA we are confident that with the amazing coalition of business, labor, environmental, faith and community groups that endorsed Measure J and with the backing of 65 percent of the voters, this is only a temporary setback to accelerating Measure R. We want to thank all of you who worked hard in support of Measure J – by endorsing, getting word out through your organizations and networks, speaking publicly, voting for AB 1446, and contributing financially.

Please remember that we made tremendous strides with the 30-10 Plan when our coalition convinced a highly partisan Congress to dramatically expand the federal TIFIA loan program. This alone will accelerate some of the Measure R projects. However, our work is not done and with your help we will find the way to accelerate all the projects and bring the promised jobs and traffic relief to Los Angeles.

All of us at Move LA want to thank you for all you did to support Measure J.

Sincerely,

Denny Zane, Marlene Grossman, Marisa Garcia, Gloria Ohland, Beth Steckler, Jerard Wright

Move LA

You are subscribed to this list as will@aialosangeles.org. You can unsubscribe here.

AIA|LA Breakfast Reception w/ Council President Herb Wesson - Thursday, November 15 (8am - 9:30am)

The AIA|LA Political Outreach Committee presents...
"VISION 2020: Leading Los Angeles into the Future"
the ninth annual AIA|LA Breakfast Series
Presented in part by Gensler
Council President Herb Wesson
Council District 10, City of Los Angeles
WHEN: Thursday, November 15 (8:00 - 9:30am)
WHERE: RTKL Associates, Inc.
333 South Hope Street, Suite C200
Los Angeles, CA 90071

Advance Registration Required. TO REGISTER, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Ticket Prices:
$15 for AIA members
$30 for non-members

Parking:
AIA|LA recommends METRO. Or, if you must park in Downtown, please note that parking at 333 South Hope can be quite expensive and the parking will not be validated. Therefore, there are several less expensive lots located nearby, such as the $8 garage at the WORLD TRADE CENTER (349 S. Flower St). Or, try this Los Angeles Parking Search Engine for other alternatives.

The AIA|LA Political Outreach Committee presents...
"VISION 2020: Leading Los Angeles into the Future"
the ninth annual AIA|LA Breakfast Series
Council President Herb Wesson

The AIA|LA Breakfast Receptions serve as a leadership forum to discuss issues relevant to improving the built and natural environment of the city in areas relating to economic development, energy and water conservation, open space, architecture, urban design and land-use policy. The casual, roundtable approach to meeting with city leadership enables architects & designers and other community stakeholders to discuss ideas for how Los Angeles can best attain a healthy, sustainable and economically competitive future.

Additionally, these receptions serve as an excellent opportunities for A/E/C industry leaders to learn more about various civic initiatives that we can all work together to help advance.

Council President Herb Wesson
Council District 10, City of Los Angeles

Councilmember Herb J. Wesson, Jr. was elected to represent the 10th Council District of the City Los Angeles in a Special Election in November 2005. The voters of the 10th Council District recognized Wesson's long service to the community by giving him their overwhelming support - 80 percent of their votes. He was reelected in 2007, and 2011 by wide margins.

In the City Council, Wesson Chairs the Rules and Elections Committee. The committee has jurisdiction over the City Ethics Commission, the Election Division of the City Clerk, and the Ballot Simplification Committee. This committee also has jurisdiction over scheduling ballot measures and other city election and campaign practices, Charter amendments, Council rules and policies, and the U.S. Census and redistricting.

He also serves as Vice-Chair of the Arts, Parks and Neighborhoods Committee, which has jurisdiction over the issues related to recreation and parks, cultural affairs, the library system, the zoo, senior citizens, various human services, and neighborhood councils.

Councilmember Wesson serves as a member of the Housing, Community and Economic Development (HCED) Committee - with jurisdiction over the city's economic development, housing, workforce investment and community development policies - providing him with a platform to shape the economic development not just for the 10th Council District but for the whole City of Los Angeles.

His service also includes membership on the Council's Intergovernmental Relations Committee which has jurisdiction over official City positions with respect to legislation, rules, regulations or policies proposed to or pending before a local, state or federal governmental body or agency; Council's Legislative Advocacy; liaison with City's legislative offices in Sacramento and Washington, D.C..; liaison with national, state and local intergovernmental associations such as the National League of Cities, the League of California Cities, the Independent Cities Association, and local councils of government.

Councilmember Wesson is also a member of the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority, which oversees the construction of the Expo Line.

Throughout his 20-year career in government, Councilmember Wesson is well known for his uncanny ability to bring people together. He began his career as Chief of Staff to former 10th District Councilmember Nate Holden and later as Chief of Staff to 2nd District Supervisor Yvonne Burke.

In 1998 he was elected to represent the 47th State Assembly District - a position he held until term limits forced him to step down in 2004. While serving in the Assembly, his peers accorded him the greatest honor by unanimously electing him the 65th Speaker of the California State Assembly - one of the three most powerful positions in state government. He was only the second African American to be elected Speaker of the California State Assembly. As Speaker, Wesson fought to protect society's most vulnerable and to pass groundbreaking legislation on the environment, education and healthcare.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Wesson is the son of blue-collar parents who taught him the value of hard work and persistence. In 1999, he fulfilled a promise to his family and completed his BA in History from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania - nearly 30 years after an illness in the family prevented him from finishing his senior year.

Herb Wesson is married to Fabian Wesson. They have four sons: Douglas, P.J., Herb III, and Justin.

For more information, please contact:

Will Wright, Hon. AIA|LA
Director, Government & Public Affairs
AIA Los Angeles
tel: (213) 639-0764
email: Will Wright

City of Los Angeles General Plan Framework Health Chapter Project

Raimi + Associates is Hiring TWO New Staff for the City of Los Angeles General Plan Framework Health Chapter Project!    

R+A recently began a working with the City of Los Angeles on a Health Chapter for their General Plan Framework. This is a multi-year project funded by the County Department of Public Health with Community Transformation Grant Funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. R+A is looking for two creative and motivated people to work together on the project. The LA Health Chapter project staff will work full-time in the City of Los Angeles City Planning Department to ensure the project has meaningful community engagement, cross sector collaboration, and solid technical health and planning policy and analysis.

To learn more and apply, please review the Urban Planning and Public Health Specialist and the Outreach Coordinator job descriptions or visit our website: http://www.raimiassociates.com/news.php.

County of Los Angeles, Clean Water Measure

Dear Water Quality Urban Design Advocates,

Good news!  Clifton Allen, Benjamin Feldman and I just had an excellent meeting with Alisa Katz, Maria Chong Castillo and Phil Doudar of Los Angeles County to discuss opportunities to strengthen the proposed County of Los Angeles Clean Water, Clean Beaches Measure.

We're confident that County of LA Department of Public Works is going in the right direction and we've been reassured that our commitment to advancing multiple-benefit projects to enhance the beautification and environmental/ economic performance of our communities will be supported from a policy perspective.

It appears that we're all on the same page.  But of course, the devil is in the details. 

Therefore, I need your support ASAP.  

A Call to Action -

PLEASE REVIEW the attached draft ordinance and program elements and SHARE your specific thoughts and RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ANY CHANGES IN THE LANGUAGE.  Specific changes in the draft ordinance's language // not conceptual critiques, etc.  

Please make your suggestions as specific as possible, so that I can synthesize everyone's response as cohesively as possible.

Deadline = November 16

We have between now and early December to provide specific comments on the draft ordinance and program elements.  Therefore, I need to receive your specific recommendations by Friday, November 16 so that we can be as effective as possible.

Although we may not have our recommendations integrated into the final draft of the measure, we at least have an opportunity here to share our input.

Your leadership and commitment to this endeavor is much appreciated!

For more details on the proposed County of Los Angeles Clean Water, Clean Beaches Measure:  

http://ladpw.org/lacfcd/wqfi/

As an FYI, I am also attaching a copy of the 2012 slate of AIA|LA Issue Briefs, which further elaborates AIA|LA's position on the how to optimize our investment in water quality projects that also revitalize the Los Angeles River, our streets, sidewalks and public realm.

Very truly yours,

Will Wright, Hon. AIA|LA

Director of Government & Public Affairs

AIA | Los Angeles 

-

 

A Chapter of

The American Institute of Architects

3780 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 800

Los Angeles, CA 90010

213.639.0764  phone

213.639.0767  fax

will

@aialosangeles.org

www.aialosangeles.org

DraftOrdinance LA County Clean Water Measure.pdf Download this file

DraftProgramElements LA County Clean Water Measure.pdf Download this file

AIALALegislativeDay102612smallfilesize.pdf Download this file

Mayor's Office Strategic Matchmaking Event November 15, 2012

Thank you for your interest in the Bureau of Engineering's anticipated Request for Qualifications for Pre-Qualified On-Call Architectural and Related Professional Services consultant contracts.  

We would like to inform you that we are still working on the final draft of the RFQ and a release date has yet to be confirmed.  Your patience is appreciated.  In the interim, the Mayor's Office of Economic and Business Policy is hosting a strategic matchmaking event on Thursday afternoon, November 15, 2012 near Exposition Park.  Attached is information about the event.  This may be a great opportunity for your company to network with potential partners and subconsultants and to learn about business opportunities with different agencies.  We encourage your attendance.

If you have any questions, please contact me.

Mark Nakata

Matchmaking_Flyer_111512.pdf Download this file