The implementation plan….
June 1, 2006
Memo to: CRA Commissioners, City of Los Angeles
From: Lois Arkin, Wilshire Center/Koreatown CAC
Re: Five Year Implementation Plan for WC/KT
Thank you for holding this hearing this evening. My name is Lois Arkin,
and I have lived in the redevelopment area for almost 40 years and have
served on the WC/KT CAC since 1994.
GOALS
Please be aware that in 1995, the City Council passed the 30 year
redevelopment plan with 18 goals, and I would like the Commissioners to
be informed that all of the goals are still part of our vision for the
area, not just the 9 in the document that is before you this evening.
Of particular importance to many of us in the Project Area are goals #4
and #18 which state:
- 4: Promote the livability of the Project Area as a cohesive and
sustainable neighborhood - 18 Promote and encourage the development of bicycle-friendly streets
and a full range of amenities, where feasible.
The word sustainable is key here, because when we use that word, we mean
to include social, economic and ecological sustainability. That leads
us to the issues of housing, transportation, jobs, air, soil and water.
All must be planned and implemented with sustainability in the
forefront.
SAVING OURSELVES/SAVING THE WORLD
We are reminded daily in all aspects of the news of global climate
change. Although individuals, some businesses, and many public agencies
are doing many good things to try to slow and ultimately reverse global
climate change, this redevelopment area has the potential to set an
outstanding example in the region, in the state, and the world, helping
ourselves and others far and wide.
JOBS/HOUSING/TRANSPORTATION BALANCE IS KEY
The plan should focus on producing livelihood opportunities that are
clean and green, that stress locally produced inputs and make local use
of outputs and that are created for local markets.
The largest percentage of people who work, go to school, recreate and
shop in the area should live in the area, and, therefore, be able to
walk, bike or use public transit for their main mobility needs. We
should systematically be reducing auto amenities over the next 20 years,
as we increase public transit amenities (including pedestrian and
bicycle amenities), and we should include the specific objectives in
these two areas in the five year plan.. The CRA should have the ability
to launch public education campaigns to help make this happen in its #9
Project General ($2,616,000) under Non-Housing Programs/Projects.
DEVELOPMENT
All of our developments should be based on LEED certification criteria,
that is, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating
system, and this requirement should be included in all of our NOFAS.
Now there is a LEED Neighborhood Development criteria as well, an
opportunity to look at and plan neighborhoods--whether new or
retrofitting– in fully integrated ways.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Our greatest need for housing is for lower income households. Ownership
is an important direction for lower income households. Social ownership
can be as powerful as legal and financial ownership. The public dollar
will go much further if we focus on permanent affordability of housing
through mechanisms such as community land trusts and limited equity
housing cooperatives as well as other forms of nonprofit housing that
support social ownership. We have one of the largest concentrations of
nonprofit housing developers in the nation here in our Project Area..
Networking people together who want to live in shared housing,
cohousing, ecovillages and other forms of intentional communities can
significantly reduce the burden of government overall as people engage
in a variety of self-help and neighborhood care activities. To
encourage these types of housing communities, the CRA should include a
call for demonstration projects in its summer 2006 NOFA for these types
of social housing. Such groups whose members income qualify should be
given priority for development assistance through working with
appropriate nonprofit or for-profit developers in the area.
Respectfully submitted,
Lois Arkin
WC/KT Project Area CAC
Chair, Housing and Social Needs Committee
Chair, Beverly/Vermont subregion
117 Bimini Place
Los Angeles CA 90004
213/738-1254
crsp@igc.org.