A long awaited TOD called Blossom Plaza is slated for future development next to the Chinatown Gold Line station
As Los Angeles continues to expand its rail network, such as the recent opening of the long awaited Expo Line, we must look at the future of transit oriented developments (TOD) and how they will interact with our present and future rail stations. This Thursday, June 7, 2012 is the perfect opportunity to learn more about TODs in Los Angeles as Urban Land Institute’s 3rd Annual TOD Summit happens at USC.
Higher density developments (both residential and commercial) around our transit centers create a much more conducive environment for walking and lessen our dependence on automobiles. With more exciting rail lines currently in the making (i.e., Expo Line Phase 2, Purple Line Extension, and the Regional Connector), the future of Los Angeles may finally reverse the environmentally devastating effects of sprawl fueled by the proliferation of single family homes (SFR).
More from ULI: “The 3rd Annual TOD Summit explores the tremendous opportunities available for transit-oriented and transit-adjacent development. With $40 billion in transit funding already at work, the system is expanding at a rate never before seen in Southern California. With the State’s actions and major sources of funding lost, the TOD Summit will share strategies and tools to develop and finance TOD projects throughout the region.”
Read more about the ULI’s 3rd Annual TOD Summit on LA Streetsblog.
It’s a bummer LA didn’t develop the kind of dense, single-family homes you can find in other cities. (or where we did, we later destroyed them in redevelopment…)
San Francisco and Boston come to mind as cities with particularly good, dense, single-family homes that are in neighborhoods along with apartments, etc. Where we’re at now, it seems the only way to reach more density is with apartments/condos… which doesn’t fit everyone’s lifestyle. Some of LA’s beachfront areas like Manhattan Beach are actually as dense as the residential areas in the center of those aforementioned cities… but the density dies quickly as you get further from the ocean, and it’s not in the city center around Downtown.
Steve- The Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance is the answer. in essence, it made it legal to construct townhomes in Los Angeles.
http://www.modative.com/Small-Lot-Subdivision-Los-Angeles-Blog/
Since the ordinance passed, the projects constructed have mostly been in peripheral neighborhoods like Echo Park and Silverlake. I would love to these kinds of projects come to DTLA. This level of density is probably not appropriate for the Historic Core where space is at a premium, but I could totally see townhomes sprouting up in the Arts District, Chinatown, not to mention the southern part of Downtown heading towards USC.
Absolutely, I agree! The Arts District and South of South Park/North of University Park could definitely see this kind of development! Of course, I don’t expect to see single family homes on Spring Street either… but in nearby neighborhoods that still have access to transit, these sorts of single family homes with amenities nearby could be great.
I think it’d be great to have a neighborhoods develop like this, as long as it’s not around transit. I do think they’d have to zone that correctly to allow for businesses though and not just have it be residential. I bet they’d be highly valued over time.
They’re are a lot of downsides to townhomes/row homes/the (in)famous Boston triple deckers. In Boston’s case, they are almost all condos, and with so few people in the association (usually 3 units, sometimes more), the awful situations that can arise out of there are legendary. But it would be interesting to see a Back Bay, South End, or Chelsea type of neighborhood develop in the more remote parts of downtown.
I can see row homes sprucing up in south park in the side streets not busy blvds though. I saw a lot of this in the new york neighborhoods.