Quote:
Originally Posted by yakumoto
and as long as new developments are forced to incorporate 2.5 parking spaces per unit, and mixed use isn't the norm, LA is going to remain an auto oriented city.
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I know someone posted a link to the article below not long ago, but I'm gonna post the full story. At least when it comes to the construction of lofts in the OBD, it's the preferences of devlprs, investors & potential buyers that are setting the requirement.
Another thing: although NYC has some of the heaviest users of transit & most complete network of subway lines in the US, Manhattan still is burdened with crazy amts of traffic congestion. In fact, NYC's mayor is proposing that drivers be charged a fee to enter the city.
BTW, I know someone (a relative of mine) who is big into saving energy, protecting the environment, stopping global warming, promoting transit. Yet when I proposed a few months ago that we set up a carpool, she couldn't be bothered. A simple idea like that & she hemmed & hawed about it. Even worse----& even though I recommened against it, cuz her commute time & gas costs will be much greater----she recently bought a condo that's even farther from where she works. Unfortunately, I don't think ppl like her are uncommon, esp here in LA.
Adaptive Reuse Revisited
For Wade Killefer, Who Designed Numerous Downtown Housing Projects, Development Now Depends on Parking
by Kathryn Maese
Seven years ago, Wade Killefer was a man on fire. Work poured into his Santa Monica architecture firm as Downtown Los Angeles' adaptive reuse boom began transforming dozens of empty office buildings into loft-style housing. In fact, Killefer helped ignite the residential boom in 2000 by conducting a crucial study of housing possibilities in and around the Historic Core. The survey, for preservation group the L.A. Conservancy, discovered that 50 buildings were ripe for conversion into about 5,000 new units. The goal was to make developers aware of the area's potential by creating a database of these long-vacant structures.
The survey made an immediate impact, and since then nearly 3,700 units have been created, with dozens of additional projects under construction. Even buildings that weren't originally included in the study were rehabbed as a result of new design techniques dreamed up by a cadre of eager architects.
"My sense is that now all historic buildings are candidates for conversion," Killefer said during a recent interview in which he reflected on the adaptive reuse trend.
For a time, it seemed like the work would never stop: Killefer's projects included high-profile efforts like designing the transformation of the Old Bank District around Fourth and Main, the historic Pacific Electric Lofts and the dramatic Eastern Columbia. In recent months, however, it has done just that. Though the firm Killefer Flammang Architects currently has seven historic buildings under construction,
new commissions for adaptive reuse projects have all but dried up, Killefer noted.
With dozens of structures sitting unused and in disrepair along Broadway, Main and Spring streets, the lack of conversion activity was puzzling. "Our office was talking about the 2000 survey and wondered what had actually happened and wanted to see if we were right or wrong and what was the outcome." he said. "About 20 of the 50 had been converted and we wondered why did some get converted and some not?"
So once again, Killefer took to the streets of the Historic Core. In an informal survey conducted earlier this month, he counted 140 sites that could be brought back to life. Some buildings are completely dark, while others are used mostly for storage on the upper floors with low-end retail on the ground. Immediately, he noticed that one crucial element was missing - parking. "We found that all the buildings with parking, or access to parking, had been converted or were in the process of being converted to housing," said. "My theory is that the parking issue is now stopping adaptive reuse."
Getting Creative
According to the survey, about 60 existing buildings could be turned into housing if they only had parking, and another 80 lots that are either vacant or underdeveloped with one- and two-story buildings on them could also transform. Killefer and his staff argue that if housing is developed on at least half of those sites, and if each project averages 50 lofts, Downtown would see another 3,500 units - and even more residents.
"This would fill in the existing broken-comb-with-teeth-missing that is Downtown today," said Killefer, referring to the gaps in the streetscape.
For the plan to work, Killefer said there would need to be 3,500 parking spaces - or one per unit. To help offset costs, the properties' existing air rights would be sold to developers looking to build higher density projects in other areas (if a building is shorter than its zoned height allowance its owner can sell the "unused" space). Likewise the parking slots would be assigned to tenants for a fee. But there was a major problem with the plan: The lots identified by Killefer are narrow and long, which means the solution had to be creative.
Among his firm's proposed solutions for making parking work are:
- Parking garages would feature housing on top, with units facing the street to activate the façade.
- In some cases, stacked robotic parking, which is currently being proposed by the city Planning Department, would be used for higher density parking.
- The roofs of these structures would be activated with parks or recreational amenities.
In some ways, Killefer's proposal fits with the Community Redevelopment Agency's Downtown parking plan that is currently making its way through city channels. That effort envisions creating more shared neighborhood garages that would meet the needs of visitors and residents. But the CRA and some city leaders are calling for less reliance on parking and more dependence on public transit. In fact, the original adaptive reuse ordinance, which was approved in 1999, placed minimal parking requirements upon developers.
The problem is that few renters and homebuyers are willing to hassle with walking to an off-site garage or lot, which is why many buildings originally slated for conversion continue to languish.
Pocket Parks and Paseos
Parking isn't the only element of the vision. To make the narrow plots viable for housing, adjacent pocket parks would be created to provide access to light, air and views. Killefer suggested the green spaces could be gated and overseen by the Downtown Center Business Improvement District. In turn, the parks would make the ground floors more appealing to cafes and other retail business, and could potentially serve as locations for farmers markets or dog parks.
The final element in the plan would be to build mid-block paseos wherever possible. City blocks here are notoriously long - about 600 feet - and pedestrian walkways would help open the super-blocks to more retail and again provide light and air to adjacent buildings. Air rights could also be sold on these parcels.
"The land is suitable for both housing and offices," Killefer said. "There is all this vacant land out there, some 1.2 million square feet. If you multiply that by an FAR (floor area ratio) of 13, that's 15 million square feet available in the Historic Core."
Linda Dishman, executive director of the L.A. Conservancy, agreed that the proposal would help bring more life to Broadway and the Historic Core. As part of the Broadway Initiative, Dishman has been working to create a theater district that would also include more parking. "What Wade is bringing up is the next step," Dishman said. "We still have a lot of historic buildings to deal with. This is something that needs to be looked at. Leadership needs to occur, because it's very easy for a developer to take a vacant lot and plan a condo project and parking, but if you're also looking to provide parking for other uses then that's much harder to get financed. The city has the ability to do bonds for parking."
In Killefer's vision, developers would need to finance most of the elements, while the city would have to help implement an overall plan. Still, his original survey was done with a similar intent and ultimately helped launch a housing spree. "One of the obstacles is that there is not a cohesive vision for the Historic Core and perhaps this will be a catalyst for developing one," said Killefer. Then he added, "This is just one man's opinion."
page 1, 5/28/2007
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