Metro Planning New Developments in Boyle Heights

Mariachi Plaza, seen during a recent CicLAvia (Image: Shannon Ino)

Yesterday brought the pleasant surprise of a new mixed-use development catacorner to the Gold Line's Mariachi Plaza Station.  Looks like that was just the tip of an oncoming TOD iceberg.

According to the agenda of the November 5th meeting of Metro's Planning & Programming Committee, the agency is planning new mixed-use developments on four additional properties in Boyle Heights.  This decision follows an 11-month selection process, in which Metro staff evaluated multiple proposals for each site on the basis of 1) their overall development program, 2) project feasibility, 3) the experience and qualifications of the development team and 4) a financial proposal to the agency.

The resulting transit-oriented developments would feature mixtures of affordable housing, retail and office space.  All are located within walking distance of high-frequency bus and rail service, a core tenet of Metro's TOD plan.

Second Half of MacArthur Park TOD Finally Moving Forward

It might be a little behind schedule, but development is finally coming to K.O. the underutilized space atop the Westlake/MacArthur Park subway station.  According to a document from the Los Angeles City Council, Metro and developer McCormack Baron Salazar are gearing up to start work on the second phase of their $45 million MacArthur Park transit oriented development.  Set to rise five stories in-between Alvarado Street and Westlake Avenue, the Torti Gallas/Roschen Van Cleve-designed structure will contain 81 low-income apartments above approximately 17,000 square feet of ground floor retail space.  The highly successful phase one, which opened across the street in May 2012, received over 1,000 applications for its 92 affordable units.  Given that level of demand, it's probably safe to assume that phase two will have little trouble finding tenants.  Especially at a location which provides a front row view of MacArthur Park.  The city memo indicates that work on phase two must commence by March 24, 2014 in order to comply with affordable housing financing requirements.  In other words, Red and Purple line passengers should be on the lookout for construction fencing and heavy equipment.

• 660-686 South Alvarado/Alley Vacation Proceedings (LA City Council)
• Housing Secretary Tours Metro's Westlake/MacArthur Park Transit Oriented Development (The Source)