Spring Street Project

Spring Park Project

A model of the proposed design for the park.

By Erik Jay

The “Spring Street Project,” as the City calls it, will replace a parking lot with a new 0.71-acre Downtown park.

California law empowers local governments, under the Quimby Act (1965), to require builders of new residential subdivisions to dedicate land or pay “in lieu” fees for parks and recreation purposes. Known as “Quimby Fees” (or “Funds”), the legislation requires a certain amount of park land to be set aside for each 1,000 residents of a proposed subdivision. Los Angeles City Councilmember Jan Perry (District 9) assembled a Quimby task force in early 2008 to bring more community-based parks to Downtown, whose residential subdivisions, of course, are mostly lofts.

Two years later, with members from the office of Councilwoman Perry, the Department of General Services, the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, the Chief Legislative Analyst, the City Planning Department, and other Downtown stakeholders, the task force is presently at work bringing to life a new park in the 400 block of South Spring, between 4th and 5th Streets. It is scheduled to open in the second half of 2012.

Several community meetings have been held since the first on September 30, 2009, at which time a design workshop solicited community input and communicated the City’s vision for the new green space. The “pre-design” work was finished on January 8, 2010, and subsequent meetings to review the design options and view conceptual renderings took place on March 18 and May 27 of this year. The topographic survey and geotechnical investigation are now underway.

“The park,” says Councilmember Perry, “is close to one acre in size and is uniquely situated in the historic core. We have engaged the public to get ideas about what they would like to see incorporated into their new neighborhood park. Now, we are using this feedback and are in the design phase.” Perry goes on to say that the plan is “to break ground before the end of the year” on this project, one she has shepherded through the bureaucratic maze and which she characterizes as “incredibly exciting and promising.”

The proposed design incorporates seating areas, walking paths, water features, integrated artwork and locking security fences. The park will likely feature “eco-permeable pavers” and “stormwater runoff mitigation” that will both capture and treat water runoff from the site before it enters the City drain system. The proposed landscaping is of primary interest to the area residents, who can certainly benefit from any increase in plants, trees, grass and shade in this urban space. It is entirely appropriate to call the Spring Street Project an oasis for Downtown’s denizens, including loft residents, tourists, employees on breaks, and every other species of Los Angeleno.

The City Bureau of Engineering’s Architectural Division is working with Michael Lehrer Architects on the final design plans. Assisting them is artist Rebeca Méndez, a professor in UCLA’s Design Media Arts Department, who spoke briefly at the May 27th community meeting about her role and her vision. To balance functionality with esthetic appeal, and create an “inspirational place” to visit, she says that the artistic elements will not be traditional, stand-alone objects (like generals on horseback). Rather, art will be fully integrated into the overall park design.

The ongoing Downtown revival is generating more than passing excitement, and serious headway is being made in returning the “Historic Core” to its position as the hub of Los Angeles. “The Spring Street Park will be an exciting new addition to the downtown landscape,” Councilmember Perry says. “As downtown continues to grow, new residents, businesses, and services are opening here in our urban core. To meet the needs of a growing urban, residential community, my office has continued to look for opportunities throughout the Downtown area where we can develop more park space, using our Quimby dollars.”

The Spring Street Project has been almost entirely free of controversy, outside of a few questions about property valuation. In March 2009, the L.A. Garment & Citizen newspaper wondered how the City arrived at “a premium price for the land despite the current slump in the local real estate market,” and questioned the $5.6 million offer for the South Spring Street parcel. Frank Meteljan, spokesperson for the City Attorney's office, told the L.A. Garment & Citizen in a subsequent e-mail that “the appraisal on the property was done by Cushman & Wakefield for the East West Bank,” and that the “internal appraiser” for L.A.'s Department of General Services “reviewed [the appraisal] and concurred with it.”

Councilmember Perry’s record in District 9 clearly indicates her commitment to Los Angeles, and she has remained popular with most of the many diverse niche groups that make up the Downtown area. Politics does have a way of inserting itself just about everywhere these days, but for Councilmember Perry it is simply a matter of constituent needs and City livability. “I will continue to look for more park and green space opportunities throughout the community,” she promises, “to enhance our efforts to make downtown a great place to visit, work, and live.” If everyone held to that same standard, political ping-pong aside, just how green could L.A. be?

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