Grand Avenue and Music Center Improvement Project Moves Forward |
On October 8, 2002, the Board of Supervisors approved the Environmental Impact Report for enhancements to Grand Avenue, the County of Los Angeles Pedestrian Mall, and the Music Center Plaza, which will enable the Music Center and Public Works to move forward with plans to realign Grand Avenue prior to the opening of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Fall 2003.
The roadbed on Grand Avenue will be realigned to an average of 20 feet east of its existing location in front of the Music Center, with sidewalk widths of up to 40 feet in front of the new Walt Disney Concert Hall. New trees and plantings will create a street environment that will change color and character with the seasons, and visual continuity will be achieved along the avenue with plantings of California's native palm. There will be new lighting, seating, and plantings along the street at the eastern edge of the Music Center, wall screens will shield the unsightly view of the Center's loading dock, and a series of three pocket parks along the Civic Center side of Grand Avenue will feature generous seating in pleasant green spaces complementing the new tree-lined boulevard. Views into the County Mall will be improved. Access to the Mall will be improved between Hill Street and Grand Avenue and the Metro Red Line Civic Center Station will become more visible and accessible. In addition, a pocket park area adjacent to the County Court building will provide more amenable space for queuing jurors or waiting courthouse visitors. As a separate project, Otto's restaurant will also be remodeled into a light-filled brasserie with indoor and outdoor dining and more visually appealing access from the street level.
Currently, there are few locations from which to view street-level activity from the Music Center Plaza. In order to enhance the views both from and of the Plaza, a lush landscaped balcony will be created to overlook the bustling cultural corridor and pedestrian thoroughfare along Grand Avenue. A friendlier and greener environment will be created by relocating donor plaques so that they no longer inhibit vistas and replacing existing plant material with more colorful and appropriate low-scale plants and sculptural trees. Casual seating with a visual connection to the street will provide intimate space for small-scale performances and other gatherings, and new places will be created within the garden balcony for public art.
The Grand Avenue Stairway leading to the Plaza from the avenue below will be widened to create an aesthetic and visual connection from the street level up to the Music Center Plaza and across to the County Mall. A new water feature will be added to the staircase echoing the elements of water on the Plaza.
Music Center President Joanne Kozberg sent a letter to Director Jim Noyes expressing the Music Center's deep appreciation for the dedication and professionalism of Public Works staff on behalf of the Grand Avenue Pedestrian Improvement Project.
"Within the last month, the project has reached numerous significant milestones including adoption of the Environmental Impact Report …These milestones could not have been met on time without the assistance of your staff," wrote President Kozberg. "Patrick DeChellis, Bill Winter, and Dominic Osmena have dogged necessary documentation through various agencies, going so far as to travel to Sacramento to secure necessary approvals on time. Tom Remillard has been a consistent supporter and friend of the project, and Barbara Cangas has been a terrific project manager. Thanks are also due to your staff members Erik Updyke, Josie Gutierrez, and Tim Bazinet, as well as many others.
"We are most appreciative of the teamwork and support of the Department of Public Works on this most difficult project. You have reason to be very proud of your professionals," President Kozberg concluded.
The Music Center is a major downtown destination and its outdoor Plaza is separated from Grand Avenue by a height of 13 feet. The newly approved plan will strengthen the connection between the Plaza and the street level while creating a parklike setting that will be attractive to both day and evening visitors.
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