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The Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan will be detailed today — a $2 billion program to de-concrete much of the river and transform it from a giant flood control channel into green spaces and a community resource. The plan consists of more than 200 small improvement projects that could be undertaken over the next 25-50 years, plus some ambitious parks projects. There would be some big-time residential and office construction in Chinatown and Canoga Park. From the LAT:
Gail Goldberg, the city's planning chief, praised the plan for its scale. "These kind of plans are always long-term," she said. "And they need to be wildly ambitious to capture the public's attention and imagination. Urban design should be bold."At this stage, the plan is largely hypothetical. Most of the money has not been secured. Beautifying the river could be a hard sell in a city that chronically struggles to hire more police, repair streets and sidewalks, and find funding for transportation improvements.
But the plan— drafted by the city, consultants and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the behest of city officials — has growing political momentum on its side. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has said he is a supporter, and a majority of the City Council wants to see something happen.
Here's the Daily News story.
Speaking of massive un-paid-for civic ambitions: The CRA gave its approval for the Grand Avenue project, as expected.