The Los Angeles City Council signed off this week on a plan to redefine two alleys in South Los Angeles as pedestrian areas.
Grass, trees and other plants will be installed in the alleys between 53rd and 54th streets, near the Main Street intersection, and at 52nd Street and Avalon Boulevard.
Cars and bicycles will still have access to the alley near Main Street, but the other alley will be completely closed off to vehicle traffic.
The two alleys are part of a larger effort under the nonprofit Trust for Public Land’s “Avalon Green Alley Network’’ program to convert alleyways into park space.
The city, county and state grant-funded makeovers will also include installation of permeable pavement, with construction slated to begin at the end of the year.
“I am so happy to have this key hurdle behind us, bringing us a step closer to breaking ground on this exciting new project,’’ said Councilman Curren Price, whose Ninth District includes both alleys.
“Green alleys are a perfect way to reinvent blighted and under-utilized space into safe and green pathways for residents, promoting a healthier lifestyle and building a sense of community,’’ Price said.
With Augustus Hawkins High School and Main Street Elementary nearby, the beautified alleys will create additional routes for students to get to those campuses, said Price aide Connie Llanos.
“The alley conversions in Price’s district will serve as a model that could be replicated in alleys citywide,” said Laura Ballock, program manager for the Trust for Public Land.
“The goal here is to show what is possible when we think outside the box about open space,’’ she said.
The southeast Los Angeles area has a high concentration of neglected alleys that tend to be piled up with trash and attract crime, according to Price’s office.
