How will Metropolis interact with pedestrians? (Photo: Collarmele Partners)
With the recent news of the Metropolis project being brought back to life, development advocates (myself included) around Downtown are understandably excited. The project is being hailed as a much-needed pedestrian connection between South Park and the Financial district, bridging FIGat7th and L.A. LIVE.
The development potential of Metropolis is surely exciting, but it’s also worth noting that there are a number of issues that must be thoroughly considered before plans are finalized.
The activity at Metropolis will not simply be an extension of activity along Figueroa. This development has the opportunity to create an entirely new pedestrian corridor, but if each side of the development is not carefully considered, Metropolis could become an island mall with severe breaks in its connection to the city around it.
On its north side, Metropolis faces the FIGat7th parking garage. While that center fronts Figueroa, most of the shops are actually underground, with a small plaza on the backside above ground level. There is currently no pedestrian access from FIGat7th to 9th Street. Between the parking garage and the shopping center is a giant pit.
Empty lot near Metropolis and Figat7th
This pit needs to be developed to provide a true connection point between FIGat7th and Metropolis at 8th and Francisco. (It is worth noting that this space is owned by a separate landowner, which will surely complicate my ideas.) It’s a perfect place for green space between the malls, maybe including a small outdoor cafe. The pit will need to be filled in or excavated (the parking garage’s bottom three levels could be expanded into it) and then capped. A wide, terraced staircase can provide the change in elevation to allow pedestrians to reach the ground at 8th St.
(Click to enlarge) An idea what the empty lot could look like
To the east of Metropolis, and perhaps most important, is the need to make Francisco St. great for pedestrians. There needs to be space. The east side of the street is only home to parking lots and garages (some of which are more permanent than others), and there is really no need for sidewalk here. The street can be shifted to the east, removing the eastern sidewalk and creating a wider sidewalk on the west side, directly in front of Metropolis. Current plans for the development have done a good job of leaving room for people on this side by not building right up to the property line.
On the north corner, the hotel is set back, with a circular driveway branching off of Francisco St. Access is preserved across the front door of the hotel, inviting people to explore the lobby, pass by it and enter the atrium of the shopping center, or continue south along the street. The driveway also creates an island that can include a grand fountain. There is an open plaza (with a standalone single-level plus rooftop restaurant) on the south side–a design I simply love.
Metropolis site plan (Photo: Collarmele Partners)
The part that concerns me is the center of the development. These “junior anchor” tenants have a prime location, facing both the interior and the street, yet a parking garage ramp divides the street in half right here. I would move the parking access to the north and south sides of the development, off 8th and 9th Streets (possibly at Georgia, next to the freeway on-ramp, under the freeway off-ramp).
The current drawings do show a vehicular road on the back of the development for parking lot and loading dock access, though not how it will connect to 9th Street. These side streets will be far less pedestrian heavy zones and much more suitable entry locations for cars, allowing fast parking lot access, unbroken pedestrian flow along Francisco and providing retailers with better storefront display and entry space to the east.
Pedestrian flow around Metropolis site plan (Photo: Collarmele Partners)
The south side of the development presents possibly the biggest challenge. There’s currently a freeway off-ramp crossing the length of the space. Some of the renderings and plan overviews seem to have conveniently left this out, but the ramp is currently being expanded and I doubt will be removed in the next few years. I’ll assume that the ramp must be left as is and worked around, regardless of how much I’d love to create a plan that completely relocates it.
Cars currently have a stop light at this intersection, and moving their limit line back 10 feet or so will not have a negative impact on the ramp. Use this extra space and the extra-wide western sidewalk on Francisco to create a much wider-than-usual crosswalk on the west side of the intersection. If not for number of pedestrians, this will at least be for their safety. Because Francisco is offset at this intersection, it would be great for this crosswalk to cut across 9th Street at an angle, connecting the west side of Francisco to the west side of Francisco south of 9th. The angle may be too great, however, for this to be realistic.
After pedestrians cross the street, there are two Salvation Army buildings, followed by open parking lot until you reach the JW Marriott on Olympic. The lot on the west side of Francisco at Olympic is already slated to become a hotel (Courtyard Marriott / Residence Inn combo). If the space between this hotel and the Salvation Army (currently parking) is converted to a public plaza, the pedestrian link from FIGat7th to Metropolis to L.A. LIVE would truly be complete. The plaza could include public art and/or sculptures, outdoor seating, and greenery.
Adding a public plaza, park and street improvements to the already planned hotel and retail developments will create a new pedestrian corridor that has the potential to see even more foot traffic than Figueroa one block east. If all goes well, this will even draw traffic along 8th and 9th from Figueroa, benefitting restaurants like Magnolia and Corner Bakery that are hidden on these cross streets. Maybe we’ll even get Corner Bakery to stay open for dinner (or that could still be wishful thinking)!
Note: Since first writing this and then going back to see both spaces, I think it may be better to put the plaza near FIGat7th and the park near the hotels. The park would have more space here, and the plaza could better lend itself to the terracing in the northern area. Open for discussion. — Steven White
The Paseo Colorado development in Pasadena is an existing example of how placing a parking garage entry in the middle of a block disrupts pedestrian activity. Hooray Steven for pointing out the need for a continuous storefront!
Great analysis Steven. Addressing how Metropolis interacts with all of its surroundings at the pedestrian level will really determine how this project contributes to an ever changing downtown L.A. This cannot be an insular development like an Americana or Grove. It’s imperative that it engage the pedestrian in as many ways as possible.
Interesting, but you have an area larger than the grocery store devoted to surface parking, making it pedestrian friendly on only one side of the development (25% of the perimeter). One potential solution is to have surface level retail, and upper level parking. This could increase the pedestrian friendliness to 75% of the perimeter.
Alan, I completely agree about the idea in general of having surface level retail (or restaurant, or whatever) and upper level parking. I wish we could get some garages built Downtown like this to alleviate the need for all of the flat, empty lots we have.
If you look at the http://collarmelepartners.com/ website, and navigate to PROJECTS and then METROPOLIS, you can see their plans for each floor (unfortunately it’s flash so I can’t give you a direct link). As you click through the floors, the parking does go up, and eventually is layered with additional retail, residential, and hotel space.
you mention how Francisco St is offset once it crosses 9th St. Why not build a gentle curb like what was done with 12th Street between Fig/Flower, Yea it may cause for demo of the Salvation Army bldg but it would make it easier to create a crosswalk there to alllow the continuous flow of Francisco between 8th & Olympic. btw what the deal with those bldgs (Salvation Army)?? they just really add to the dinginess of the area once you leave LA Live heading north.
Raymond, you bring up a good point with those Salvation Army buildings. I toyed with the idea of proposing that they be replaced, but couldn’t bring myself to actually write it. I mean, it IS the Salvation Army. But yes, would love to see those involved in a redevelopment effort of some sort.
Steve – that open pit you refer to is an unbuilt pad which is to eventually become part of the greater FIGat7th project, with allowable GLA for either another department store or high-rise building.
Finding out what the owners currently have planned for that “pit”, part of it being an imaginary extension of Francisco north of 8th Street would be interesting. Been vacant way too long.
Access to the Metropolis project is impossible on 9th Street, and thus 8th, Francisco or Georgia to the rear are your options. Would love to see most of that traffic funneled to Georgia, yet the hotel needs a drop off/valet place without being too hidden, and thus….
Getting a grocery store to the 9th Street end of the property is wishful thinking as I see it. Very modest residential development nearby, especially if it might happen to become a Whole Foods, Bristol Farms, Gelsons, etc. Twice the size of a TJ’s. Placing a grocery store here just encourages more car traffic from even downtown residents.
As to the 2nd floor restaurant food court, it just discourages pedestrian activity at street level, a la the food court at Santa Monica Place or Century City, both highly car-focused projects.
Carter –
Unfortunately, that “pit” is owned by a different group than FIGat7th. At least according to their PR/Twitter team. They haven’t heard of any plans for it and neither have I.
You’re absolutely correct, Georgia to the rear is definitely the best option for car traffic, other than the valet driveway for the hotel. I also agree that this location is not the best for the grocery store. My analysis, however, was not to change the development of the project itself, but simply explore how the existing plans can best interact with the surrounding area. I’m not too concerned with the 2nd floor dining (though you bring up a good point I hadn’t thought about) as long as the retail is street facing on Francisco and not simply a back-of-store display window.
I think the pit is owned by MPG if not misstaken.
Maybe we could encourage the city to get something done with it, as MPG is not in the new projects business these days.
That’s a great idea. We all know the city isn’t overflowing with money these days either — and expensive downtown parks upkeep have been in the news a bit recently ( http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/city-pays-premium-for-maguire-gardens/article_9bbf9694-ce82-11e0-aa75-001cc4c03286.html ), but I think this is such a prime site for SOMETHING. A pedestrian-only extension of Francisco into that space would be great — with any number of options around it. From green space to plaza to ground level retail/restaurant or even something high-rise. Though I’d see it more mid-rise on that space.