the village corridor...
TRANSCRIPT
Volume 6 Issue 2
2nd Qtr 2015
4305 Degnan Boulevard, Suite 102
Los Angeles, California 90008
Inside this Issue:
Leimert Park Village/Crenshaw Corridor Moves to the Next Level
Art and Music Festival
Welcome LAPD Foot Beat
Leimert Park Village Book Fair
Community Build Park Reopens
Metro Construction Update
Eso Won Relocation
Board of Directors:
Bakewell Company
Representative
Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Representative
Ben Caldwell
Fred Calloway
Allan DiCastro
Curtis Fralin
Paul L. Guidry, M.D.
Lydia Hart
Yesenia Monsour, Representative Kaiser Permanente
BID Administration:
Community Build, Inc. Brenda Shockley, President (323) 290-6560 [email protected]
CKG Communications
Writer, Graphic Design
(310) 410-9039 [email protected]
THE VILLAGE CORRIDOR NEWSLETTER
Leimert Park Village/Crenshaw
Corridor Moves to the Next Level
Plans to take Leimert Park Village/Crenshaw Corridor to the next level continue to move forward
with a land use study and a second community charrette.
The Leimert Park Village 20/20 Vision Initiative requested and received funding from the office
of County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and support from LA City Council President and 10th
District Councilmember Herb Wesson for an independent land use study. The Urban Land In-
stitute (ULI), through a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) was selected to conduct a survey and
make recommendations. TAP provides strategic advice to sponsors on complex land use and real
estate development issues.
On August 7, industry experts presented their initial findings to a capacity crowd at the Vision
Theater. The findings were based on key questions developed in the areas of market, develop-
ment and implementation. The TAP interviewed over a dozen stakeholders, includ-
ing Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson.
Based on these interviews, their experience and research, industry experts developed a detailed
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis for Leimert Park Village/
Crenshaw Corridor.
Major points from the SWOT analysis include:
Strengths: Affluence of the neighborhood; Afr ican Am erican cultural enclave;
Engaged residents; Strong political leadership; Historic architecture; Track record of cul-
tural events.
Weaknesses: Retail storefronts used for storage; Inactive streetscapes;
Perception of safety; Lack of compelling competitive retail; Irregular business
hours; Unwelcoming park atmosphere.
Opportunities: Leverage interest in com m unity ow nership; Attract
compelling destination anchor retail; Maximize use of open space; Integrate art
into public spaces; Promote cultural assets through integrated branding campaign.
Continued on Page 3
GREATER LEIMERT PARK
VILLAGE CRENSHAW
CORRIDOR BUSINESS
IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
John Dlugolecki/ULI LA
Village Corridor Newsletter Page 2
Art & Music Festival
Celebrating its seventh year, the Leimert Park Village African Art and
Music Festival (LPVAAMF) will kick off Labor Day weekend, September
5, 6 and 7. This year, the popular Leimert Park Village festival has dou-
bled its footprint to include two city blocks and feature 30 performers,
80 artisans, a three-day Hair, Health & Beauty Expo; an Empowerment
Village and an expanded food court.
Barbara Morrison, the Azar Lawrence Quartet, Beau Williams, Medusa
and Funkalicous will headline the 30 live performances of jazz, blues,
reggae, R&B, Afro-beat, neo-soul, hip hop, rock, African drumming,
comedy, spoken-word and dance. Harlem Dance-A-Palooza™, present-
ed by the Conversant Dance Company will return for an encore perfor-
mance. A crowd favorite in 2014, the lively troupe will keep the crowd
on their feet with an old school music dance-a-thon that includes a cash
dance contest.
As part of the three-day Health & Beauty Expo, Revlon’s Crème of Na-
ture will sponsor this year’s Raw 2 the Roots Natural Hair Show on
Monday, Sept. 7th, at 1:00 p.m. Crème of Nature’s styling team and top
L.A. natural hair stylists and salons will showcase the versatility of nat-
ural hair styles. Madison Blu Make-up Lounge will offer free makeo-
vers. Total Woman Gym and Spa, a newly-constructed 16,000-square-
foot facility in Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza opening in September, will
give away free memberships.
The Village Marketplace will feature more than 80 fine artisans and
quality craft vendors selling original fine art paintings, Shona stone and
ceramics from South Africa. Handcrafted gold, silver and bronze jew-
elry, handmade quilts, authentic African wood carvings and masks will
also be available.
Other not-to-be-missed programs and activities include: Sankofa Sun-
day, a celebration and remembrance of those that have transitioned in
the past year; the “Africa I Am’ runway fashion show on Saturday, and
the new Empowerment Village, a zone for non-profit organizations that
will provide essential community services or information.
Attendees who take Metro to the event and show their transit access
pass (TAP) cards will receive a free Festival poster, while supplies last.
LYFT transportation service is offering a $20 first ride free credit for
attendees that download the LYFT app, enter “LPVFEST” in the pay-
ment section, and request a ride.
For information or for sponsorship, vendor or volunteer opportunities,
contact festival organizers at [email protected], call 323.596.0955 or
visit: www.leimertparkfestival.com.
Welcome LAPD Foot Beat July marked the beginning of the Los Angeles Police Depart-
ment’s Leimert Park Village Crenshaw Corridor Foot Beat. Los
Angeles Police Officer Sunny Sasajima, a 10-year veteran of the
police force, is the foot beat’s senior lead. According to Officer
Sasajima, the new foot patrol will allow officers to personally get
to know the residents and business owners in Leimert Park Vil-
lage and the Crenshaw Corridor.
The foot beat operates out of the busy Southwest Police Division
and consists of six officers working 10-hour shifts Tuesday
through Saturday. “Our goal is to open a dialog by having offic-
ers out there on foot and on bikes. Consistently having the same
core of officers allows folks in the community, businesses and
residents to get accustomed to the officers. Similarly, the officers
will get accustomed to what goes on in the Village and from
there, we can branch out and address some of the issues,” said
Officer Sasajima.
As City of Los Angeles employees, the officers on the foot beat
will also act as liaisons to other city services. During the first
month of the patrol, a business owner notified officers that there
was a constant sewage smell that was emanating from nearby.
Officer Sasajima informed Councilman Herb Wesson’s office
about the issue. The Councilman’s office is investigating whether
the smell is a result of the Crenshaw Metro Line construction or
ongoing business renovations. “It doesn’t always necessarily
have to be a police-related concern. We want to direct people to
the right departments,” said Officer Sasajima.
One of the foot patrol’s current areas of focus is homelessness in
Leimert Park and on Crenshaw Corridor. Officer Sasajima met
with Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas’ staff about the
possibility of getting case workers and social workers dedicated
to the area.
“The police are here to assist with whatever needs to be done as
best as we can. Obviously, our first function is going to be to en-
force the law, but we want to lend a hand where possible . . . al-
lowing our contacts to be contacts for the entire community.”
Officer Sasajima can be contacted at (323) 387-9618 or
LAPD Police Officer and Foot Patrol Lead Sunny Sasajima
9th Annual Leimert Park Village Book Fair
Book lovers converged on Baldwin Hills Plaza on August 1 for the
ninth annual Leimert Park Village Book Fair. Named “One of L.A.'s
Five Best Annual Book Festivals,” this highly anticipated yearly event
honors the literary legacy of African-Americans with panel discus-
sions, book readings and signings, interviews, film screenings, special
exhibitions, children’s activities, awards and musical performances.
The book fair featured an exclusive panel discussion with writers
from Fox’s hit television show Empire. The Empire panel featured
writer and producer Attica Locke (Black Water Rising, Pleasantville)
with several other esteemed writers from the show, including Joshua
Allen, Eric Haywood, JaNeika and JaSheika James and Car-
lito Rodriguez. Acclaim ed author and film -maker Tananarive
Due moderated the panel.
“The 1980s: The Decade That Made Us” was the theme for this year’s book fair. The event included a display of classic cars from the
1980s curated by the Petersen Automotive Museum, a vinyl album display curated by Amoeba Music, and a collection of 80s vin-
tage toys. The fair also hosted “Writers and Their Typewriters,” an exhibition that showcased Ernest Hemingway’s personal type-
writer from Steve Soboroff’s personal collection, among others.
Celebrity authors, from a variety of genres, also in attendance included: Actress Garcelle Beauvais and Sebastian A. Jones (I am
mixed, I am Awesome); former model and author Kathleen Bradley (Backstage at the Price is Right: Memoirs of a Barker Beau-
ty); attorney and award-winning author Pamela Samuels Young (Anybody's Daughter, In Firm Pursuit, Murder on the Down
Low); actress Erika Alexander and husband, screenwriter Tony Puryear (Concrete Park) and celebrity chefs Alice Randall
and Caroline Randall Williams (Soul Food Love: Healthy Recipes Inspired by One Hundred Years of Cooking in a Black Family ).
Village Corridor Newsletter Page 3
Moving to the Next Level
Threats: Inaction w orsens park ’s unwelcoming environ-
ment; Unrealistic expectations of the impact of Metro; Gentrifi-
cation perception.
The TAP presented detailed market information in three areas (1) mar-
ket demographics, (2) market niche: Community-Oriented Retail and
(3) Marketing Strategy. In the development segment of the TAP
presentation, experts reviewed Design Principals, Connectivity, Imple-
mentation and Development Strategies.
A three-part outline for implementation was recommended: Organiza-
tion and Leadership; Financing Options; Phasing and timing.
The TAP's final report will be released in within 90 days of August 7.
The power point presentation on the initial findings can be found on
Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas’ website: http://ridley-
thomas.lacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/TAP-Leimert.pdf.
Leading up to the ULI TAP presentation, the Leimert Park Village 20/20
Vision Initiative held its second annual charrette entitled “Harnessing our Cultural Economy” on July 27. The Initia-
tive’s thought leader, Sherri Franklin, opened the day-long conference by reiterating the 20/20 Vision Initiative’s pur-
pose, goals, milestones, strategy, date, tools and tasks. The agenda consisted of many informational presentations in-
cluding, Leimert Park Village Cultural Assets: Anchor Venues and Retail; Revitalization Tools and Adaptive Re-Use
Strategies; Mobility Hubs and Technology: Accelerators for Community Revitalization; and Two Public Lots: Design
Development Focus and Strategy.
Los Angeles Development Corporation President and CEO Michael Banner moderated Driving Placed-Based Economic
Development in Leimert Park Village and on the Crenshaw Corridor, a panel discussion on positioning the BID as a
destination spot. The charrette also featured three Building Blocks Working Sessions.
Continued from Page 1
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas is interviewed
by ULI TAP chairman Michael Banner. The
project was funded by Supervisor Ridley Thom-
as’ office with support from LA City Council
President and 10th District Councilmember Herb
Wesson.
Author Tananarive Due (far right) and writers from
Fox’s hit television show ‘Empire’
Village Corridor Newsletter Page 4
Community Build Park Reopens Community Build Park recently reopened with a new look. The once grassy 2,700
-square-foot area has been transformed into a beautiful eco-friendly drought tol-
erant oasis. Landscape designer Ruth Gallardo of Green Blossom Designs created
a desert garden to serve dual purposes: (1) a walkway where people could walk
and enjoy nature and (2) an outdoor space where tables/chairs could be set up for
events. Plants were selected from the Los Angeles Department of Water and
Power’s (LADWP) list of water-wise plants. Karen Bragg of Floral Palace, imple-
mented the landscape design, making adjustments where needed, and installed an
efficient drip irrigation system estimated to save thousands of gallons of water
annually.
By removing the grassy area and participating in LADWP’s Commercial Industrial
Drought Resistant Landscape Incentive Program, the Community Build Park new
garden installation qualified for an $8,100 rebate from LADWP.
The Community Build Park is available for rental. For information on rates and requirements, contact Phyllis Parker at (323) 290-6560, or [email protected]. For a list of LADWP’s landscape incentive programs and water wise plants, visit the water conservation page at www.ladwp.com.
Eso Won and A + P Lecture Space Construction is currently underway for a brand new two-story residence for Eso
Won Books. This will be the fifth move for the iconic book store which originally
opened in 1990 on the corner of Slauson and Crenshaw. Eso Won Books will be
located on the ground floor of Hammer Museum’s Art + Practice space at 4338
Degnan Boulevard. The bookstore will share an upstairs lecture and book sign-
ing space with Art + Practice. Eso Won co-owner Thomas Hamilton estimates
that the move will take place in late October.
In the meantime, the California African American Museum (CAAM) will host a
major Eso Won book signing event on October 30 at 7:00 p.m. New York Times
bestselling author Ta-Nehisi Coates will read excerpts and sign his memoir Be-
tween the World and Me. This critically acclaimed book has been hailed by To-
ni Morrison as “required reading.” CAAM is located at 600 State Street Drive in
Exposition Park. For more information, call (323) 290-1048.
Metro Update Work on the Leimert Park tunnel portal is moving to the next phase of
construction. This work primarily consists of continued pile installa-
tion, utility relocations, sidewalk reconstruction, street excavation and
decking, and construction of the tunnel/portal.
Upcoming street closures associated with this work include:
A 10-day closure of the one block section of Vernon Ave-
nue between Leimert Boulevard and Crenshaw Boulevard for pile
installation. Crenshaw will not be affected.
Four weekend closures of Crenshaw Boulevard between
43rd Street /Homeland Drive and 48th Street for utility relocation
and pile installation.
Forty-day closure of Crenshaw Boulevard between 43rd
Street/Homeland Drive and 48th Street to excavate and deck a
portion of the street.
Construction is a dynamic process, and schedules are subject to change. Please visit metro.net/Crenshaw for updates. For questions or
concerns, contact the Metro Construction Relations Team at (213) 922-2736, or [email protected].