Downtown Los Angeles to become green jobs center under new plan
by Rich Alossi on September 18, 2008
In the most significant boost in the drive to position Los Angeles as a green manufacturing, marketing and research hub, the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles (CRA) has announced a new bid to create a green-business tech center in Downtown, which they hope to complete as early as 2011.
Still in planning stages, the CleanTech Manufacturing Center is a major piece of the puzzle in creating a “clean tech corridor” from Chinatown to Washington Boulevard along the Los Angeles River, and would create a hub for high-tech research and manufacturing jobs in Los Angeles.
Requests for Interest are being sought for firms that engage in “clean energy generation, sustainable building materials and furnishings, clean water technology, reduced emissions vehicle technology, manufactured products using recycled or organic materials and similar cleantech alternatives.”
The 20-acre site generally bounded by 15th Street, Washington Boulevard, 12th Street and the Los Angeles River formerly housed a rail yard, and an extensive environmental cleanup campaign was undertaken to remove pollutants and carcinogens.
Prices for natural resources will continue to rise, and the effects of pollution are becoming ever more apparent. With a high concentration of renowned colleges and universities in the area, bringing green jobs to Los Angeles is a no-brainer.
Unlike the former heavyweights of the Southern California economy that have waned over the years through mergers and acquisitions — aerospace, insurance, and banking, to name a few — the demand for these new industries will only increase.
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Yea, I've lived that awful fate too.. From LA, to Chicago, to NY, and now Miami. I can't wait to get back to LA.
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