DON CARLOS BUILDING
East Hollywood / Beverly NormandieEarthquake Recovery Project
Hollywood & Central Region
Community Redevelopment Agencyof the CITY OF LOS ANGELES
Building communities with jobs & housing
354 South Spring StreetSuite 800Los AngelesCalifornia 90013
Public InformationT 213 977 1951F 213 977 1666www.crala.org
CHILDRENS HOSPITAL LOS ANGELES
KAISER PERMANENTE
About the Communities
About CRA/LA
1
East Hollywood/Beverly-Normandie
The East Hollywood/Beverly-Normandie Earthquake Disaster Assistance Redevelopment Project Area is comprised of 656 acres in two non-contiguous areas. The project area is located in portions of the 4th and the 13th Council Districts (CD4 and CD13), approxi-mately four miles west of Downtown Los Angeles.
The East Hollywood Project Area contains 464 acres and is home to many important health care facilities, including Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.
The area includes a heavy concentration of retail businesses and apartment buildings predominantly along Hollywood Boulevard; a portion of the Los Feliz Village Commercial District, which contains neighboring middle-income residences; and a Metro Rail station at Vermont Avenue and Sunset Boulevard. The focal point of East Hollywood is the city-owned Barnsdall Park, an 11.4-acre recreational area situated on a hilltop site and home to Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous Hollyhock House.
For over half a century, the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA/LA)
has been Los Angeles’ public partner in housing, commercial, neighborhood
and economic development. When City Councilmembers, community-
based organizations, faith-based institutions, or other civic leaders and
organizations request that CRA/LA establish a Redevelopment Project Area
in a community, CRA/LA works with local community and business leaders
and residents to create a vision for their neighborhoods. CRA/LA’s main task
is to lend a hand - to investors willing to take risks for a more vibrant city;
to neighborhood residents with renewed aspirations for their communities;
and to those in need who strive to take part in the city’s growing prosperity.
CRA/LA helps: (1) increase the supply of housing for low-and moderate-
income families; (2) provide the infrastructure for commercial and industrial
development; and (3) create jobs necessary to maintain acceptable levels
of employment. CRA/LA also makes sure that citizens are engaged in the
decision-making process every step of the way.
PANOS BAKERY
LOS BURRITOS RESTAURANT
Images from left to right: Colorful Storefronts on
Sunset Boulevard:Ozzie Dots and Wacko.
32 East Hollywood is one of the most culturally diverse communities in Los Angeles. It is home to a large Armenian (Little Armenia), Thai (Thai Town) and El Salvadorean communities. Thai and Armenian reinvestment into the community resulted in an economic resurgence of the area. This commitment has given the area its unique charm and sense of place, fresh with the aromas of its restaurants and food shops. The diversity of its array of goods and products is reminiscent of its residents’ homelands. Latino, Filipino, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Eastern European and Middle Eastern descendants also live and own businesses in this area.
The Beverly-Normandie portion of the Project Area contains approximately 192 acres bordered by Beverly Boulevard to the north, New Hampshire Avenue to the east, Third Street to the south and Normandie Avenue to the west. This area contains a mixture of neighbor-hood retail and ethnic businesses, such as Latino and Asian restaurants and grocery stores, which serve the densely populated multi-family residential district.
About the Communities
“ The Thai Community Development Center
(Thai CDC) applauds the Community
Redevelopment Agency’s commitment to
revitalize East Hollywood where the nation’s
first and only Thai Town was founded in
1999. The CRA’s commitment to investing
in multi-ethnic, multi-cultural enclaves has
made it possible for ethnic neighborhoods to
become vibrant and thriving urban centers
in the City of Los Angeles.”
Chanchanit Martorell, M.A.
Executive Director Thai Community Development Center
5
Why CRA/LA Is Here
The Northridge Earthquake had a devastating impact on the East Hollywood and Beverly-Normandie communities. There was more than $10.9 million in structural damage to approximately 327 multi-family sites and $2.6 million in structural damage to 39 commercial sites. In total, 509 buildings (commercial, multi-family residential and public facilities) were affected, resulting in an estimated $15.5 million in total damages.
In addition to the overwhelming impact of thesubstantial property damage, the earthquakewrought havoc on living conditions, as many of theareas’ residential units were rendered uninhabitable.Families were forced to move from the area, andtheir displacement had a devastating effect on retailbusiness viability and commercial sustainability asthe consumer base for the neighborhood-basedbusinesses ceased to exist. These devastating effectsled the City of Los Angeles to direct CRA/LA torebuild and revitalize the areas. After the Northridge Earthquake, CRA/LA produced a redevelopment plan to simultaneously rebuild the physical, social and economic components of the East Hollywood and Beverly-Normandie communities.
East Hollywood & Beverly/Normandie
Other Hollywood & Central Project Areas
4
East Hollywood / Beverly Normandie Earthquake Recovery Project
East Hollywood/Beverly Normandie
Completed Projects:
Don Carlos Building5228 Hollywood Blvd.Commercial Rehab.
Normandie Villas1747 Normandie Ave.New Construction
Norwood Market5070 Hollywood Blvd.Seismic Rehab.
1726 Kenmore AveSeismic Rehab.
Edgemont Manor1716-1724 Edgemont St.Seismic Rehab.
Barnsdall ParkPublic Improvements
Current Projects:
East Hollywood Streetscape Plan
Barnsdall Transit Oriented District Streetscape Improvements
Barnsdall Park Structures1. Hollyhock House, 19212. Barnsdall Art Center (Residence A), 19213. Spring House, 1921
4 Schindler’s Terrace (Little Dipper), 19232. 5. Junior Arts Center, 19676. Municipal Art Gallery, 1971
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
Images from left to right: Vermont Village Area,
Mural on Normandie Villas,Vermont Avenue Sidewalk.
DON CARLOS BUILDING
METRO PORTAL, SUNSET AND VERMONT
BARNSDALL PARK
NORMANDIE VILLAS
Redevelopment Update
6 7A New Vision for the East Hollywood / Beverly-Normandie Communities
Because the East Hollywood and Beverly-Normandie communities were selected for redevelopment to address the devastation caused by the Northridge Earthquake, facilitating the repair, restoration, and/or demolition of damaged residential and commercial buildings is at the heart of long-term goals. Working toward rebuilding, CRA/LA seeks to support the recon-struction and re-occupancy of the damaged housing and commercial centers, and encourage the return of consumer and resident confidence within these areas. CRA/LA is committed to replacing and improving the communities’ housing. CRA/LA also recognizes the need for creating substantial job opportunities in the communities, especially for the immigrant and second generation youth of the community. To achieve this, CRA/LA is working to preserve the area’s existing employment base and restore local job opportunities affected by the earthquake. CRA/LA’s new vision for the East Hollywood and Beverly-Normandie project area also includes improving the physical appearance of the communities through architectural, landscape, urban design and mixed-use land use efforts that are designed to capitalize on the presence of mass transit and the already strong pedestrian activity in the area.
Success Through Reconstruction & Revitalization
Since CRA/LA adopted the East Hollywood and Beverly-Normandie redevelopment plan, the area has experienced some significant development. CRA/LA continues to redevelop areas that were damaged, stagnant or adversely impacted as a result of the earthquake.
• In 1997, CRA/LA received a $550,000 loan to help acquire and renovate the Don Carlos building at the intersection of Harvard Street and Hollywood Boulevard, now offering ground space to accommo- date 11 businesses and 32 senior citizen rental units on the upper two floors.
• The Metropolitan Transportation Authority approved funding for the Barnsdall Park Transit Oriented District streetscape project.
• CRA/LA allocated funding for the reconstruction of a large multi-family building on Normandie Avenue, replacing a portion of the housing units lost in the earthquake with new housing and boosting confidence that the area would return to normalcy.
• Utilizing funds that were set aside for public improve- ments from the Cinerama Dome project in Hollywood, CRA/LA assisted in the restoration of key parts of Barnsdall Park, expediting the recovery of the park as a key recreational center of the community.
See map on page 5 See map on page 5
See map on page 5
Hollywood & Central Site Office6255 Sunset BoulevardSuite 2206Los AngelesCalifornia 90025
T 323 960 2660F 323 461 [email protected]
HOLLYHOCK HOUSE INTERIOR SIDE WALK CAFE
Future Plans
8 The Future Looks Bright
CRA/LA continues to alleviate the earthquake damage while improving the community’s residential livability and economic viability with the following goals in mind:
• Rehabilitating areas in dire need of repair, restoration, or replacement, and promoting sound development and rehabilitation of such areas.
• Repairing, reconstructing or developing infrastructure, including public improvements, facilities, and utilities.
• Developing and implementing programs and projects that will increase tax revenue and employment opportunities.
• Continuing to maintain and promote private sector investment in the area to restore commercial sales activity.
• Designing and constructing the Barnsdall Park Transit Oriented District project’s streetscape improvements as well as various other improvements between the Vermont/Sunset Metro Rail station and Hollywood Boulevard/Prospect Avenue. These projects will improve the area’s livability by linking the bus and rail transit systems and improving the pedestrian environ- ment in the community.
Get Involved in the Revitalization of Your Community
The success of your community depends on your involvement, and CRA/LA welcomes the valuable input provided by property owners, businesses, residents, and community organizations. CRA/LA will continue to work with the community to convey public information and collect input for revitalizing the East Hollywood and Beverly-Normandie areas. CRA/LA also works closely with Neighborhood Councils and various civic organizations.
To contact the East Hollywood project office, please call 323-960-2660.
Get Involved!