WILSHIRE CENTER UPDATES

The RFK Memorial Park and the Ambassador Hotel status: There is support for green space along the front of the Ambassador site. Councilman Martin Ludlow supports the green space and so do the school district and all organized groups that have come together around this site. In question is the size of the public park and how the green space will be organized and used. This community needs a minimum of a three-acre public park along Wilshire Blvd., which is to be maintained by the WCBIC. Support the park by contacting Councilman Martin Ludlow and School Board President Jose Huizar and inform them that the community needs this three-acre park. Contact: jose.huizar@lausd.net, (213)-241-6180, Fax: (213)-241-8459; mludlow@council.lacity.org, (213) 473-7010, Fax (213) 485-9829.

The other question as to the future of any development on this site is whether or not the hotel will be demolished. There are two major community groups that have opposing views about the future of this site. The L. A. Conservancy and the A + Coalition wants to keep the hotel but the K-12 and Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund (MALDEF) do not want the District to spend at least an additional 50 million dollars to preserve the buildings. What the K-12 group wants is an all-new facility.

The school district is proposing a compromise by keeping the front facade of the first tower and building a new school behind the facade. They are assuming that this concept will make some preservationists happy.

Also, there is new school demographic that may affect what is built. There seems to be fewer school age kids projected for the future than was projected five years ago, based on the new demographics. "LAUSD may be overbuilding; a 10-year report predicts modest student growth", from the Daily News, May 04, 2004. "Before, the danger of overbuilding was very limited," said Roger Rasmussen, LAUSD deputy budget director. "There is a possibility of overbuilding now that never existed before." The Los Angeles Times, Oct. 18, 2003, noted the district's facts that L.A. school enrollment took an unexpected drop of 2,000 students from last year's peak. The lower than expected figures reflect an enrollment decline in kindergarten through third grades in Los Angeles. For our area, as the cost of housing goes up, there is a decline in school age kids living here.

The Conservancy's concept of remodeling the hotel for a school could move this project forward. The stumbling block is that the MALDEF could sue the School District for spending an extra 50 million dollars or more to remodel, funds that could be used for other projects.

The school district believes that they can move forward with the planning of the new school and fight the Conservancy in court and win. They believe that the tower facade concept will win public support for their project. This is a big belief on a courthouse win and a conservancy community that can be bought by a stage front. If they lose in court, its will cost us millions in spent dollars in planning and in extending the time to open the school. There is a great community and citywide support for keeping the hotel.

The Wilshire Center-Koreatown Neighborhood Council status: The scheduled election was postponed this spring and is planned to be rescheduled for December 3rd 2004. The question: is there the community will to keep this Council moving forward? The next question is, can this community come together to create a balanced representative body between the diverse groups within our community? As president of the Council, Gary Russell, is trying to rebuild the group to do a better job at outreaching and explaining the purpose of the Council to our community and to get more participation. Get involved; for more information go to www.wilshirecenter.com/wcknc

The WC Urban Vision & Strategy Workshops status: WCBIC along with the CRA Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) are sponsoring workshops this fall with a plan to create a vision and strategy process over the next 9 to 12 months, to create and promote long-term economic, ecological and social sustainability for our community. This process is to engage the CAC members, the community and others about our future. We will be addressing trends, issues, problems and desires with presentations by experienced individuals in a series of subject specific half-hour to an hour discussions at the beginning of each CAC meeting. Over time the CAC will produce a vision, principles and a five-year action plan for the project area. Go to www.wilshirecenter.com/VisionWorkshops.htm for more information on the workshops.

The City street lighting project along Wilshire Blvd . status: The City's Construction Engineer for the street lighting project has informed WCBIC that they will not have all of the project completed by November 15, 04. The best they can commit to at this time is that the area between Hoover and New Hampshire will be completed by November 15. They may complete up to Normandie from Hoover by November 15. They ran into a number of problems that are creating delays for the project. I will have more information in the next couple of weeks. Those sidewalk patches are temporary, to be replaced with material similar to the existing sidewalk.

Expansion of assessment area between 6th and 3rd Street status: At this time there seems to be support to proceed with the assessment of this area. This is after two meetings and two letters to owners about the proposed plan to assess this area. The maintenance program would entail general maintenance, graffiti removal and bulk pickups. The security program would consist of two evening car patrols, seven days a week, 365 days per year.

Wilshire Center Angel's Walk is proposed to start their planning work in January 05. The Walk will be along Wilshire Blvd. from Alvarado to Western with some side strolls on 6th and 8th Street. The Walk is a self-guided historic walking trail through the area. The material Angels Walk LA will produce will consist of 100,000 copies of a guidebook with a pedestrian map highlighting the points of interest, architecture, public art, history and folklore of the area. It will also include 15 historic markers (stanchions) along the sidewalk

WCBIC Annual Membership meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 25, 2004. A continental breakfast will be served at 8:00 a.m. and the meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. The meeting will take place at: Southwestern University School of Law, Former Bullock's Wilshire Bldg. 2nd Floor in the La Directoire Room, 3050 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.

Contact: Gary Russell, AIA, Executive Director, at glra@pacbell.net

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