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Mayor’s ‘Great Streets’ initiative gives city needed makeovers

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Mayor Eric Garcetti has officially announced the first 15 Los Angeles streets that will undergo a makeover under his Great Streets urban renewal program.

The mayor’s office chose one street in each of the 15 council districts to receive improvements aimed at making them more pedestrian-friendly and livable.

The thoroughfares range from San Pedro’s Gaffey Street to the San Fernando Valley’s Van Nuys Boulevard, and from Venice Boulevard in Mar Vista to Cesar Chavez Avenue in Boyle Heights.

Angelenos soon can expect to see temporary additions at these streets, such as plazas and parklets, Garcetti said.

The city eventually will put in long-term upgrades such as curbs, lighting, trees and street furniture, he said.

Garcetti said his goal is to transform these “main streets” into “dynamic and safe places to meet, to shop, to spend time with their families.”

“It’s about focusing on the basics—more cops where needed, business improvement districts to clean up our streets and sidewalks, and amenities like improved medians and pocket parks to restore neighborhoods and attract investment,” he said.

A team of City Hall staff, dubbed the “Great Streets Studio,” will do outreach and develop projects for the 15 streets, Garcetti said.

Los Angeles has 6,500 centerline miles of streets, more than any other place in the country, the mayor’s office said.

These streets, which take up 13 percent of the city, are “our largest public asset” according to Garcetti.

The city’s 2014-15 budget, which the mayor signed Monday, allows for $800,000 to be used for Great Streets planning and outreach.

A few of the street modification already have funding through grants or other projects already in the works, the mayor said. His office also plans to work with individual council offices and stakeholders to get more funding.

The 15 streets are located in:

• Highland Park, along North Figueroa Street between Avenue 50 and Avenue 60, in the First District;

• North Hollywood, along Lankershim Boulevard between Chandler and Victory boulevards, in the Second District;

• Reseda, along Sherman Way between Wilbur and Lindley avenues, in the Third District;

• Koreatown and East Hollywood, along Western Avenue between Melrose Avenue and Third Street, in the Fourth District;

• Westwood, along Westwood Boulevard between Le Conte Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard, in the Fifth District;

• Van Nuys, along Van Nuys Boulevard between Victory Boulevard and Oxnard Street, in the Sixth District;

• Pacoima, along Van Nuys Boulevard between Laurel Canyon and San Fernando Road, in the Seventh District;

• Hyde Park, along Crenshaw Boulevard between 78th Street and Florence Avenue, in the Eighth District;

• Historic South Central, along Central Avenue between Martin Luther King Boulevard and Vernon Avenue, in the Ninth District;

• Mid-Wilshire, along Pico Boulevard, between Hauser Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, in the 10th District;

• Mar Vista, along Venice Boulevard between Beethoven Street and Inglewood Boulevard, in the 11th District;

• Northridge, along Reseda Boulevard between Plummer and Parthenia streets, in the 12th District;

• Hollywood, along Hollywood Boulevard between La Brea Avenue and Gower Street, in the 13th District;

• Boyle Heights, along Cesar Chavez Avenue between Evergreen Avenue and St. Louis Street, in the 14th District; and

• San Pedro, along Gaffey Street between 15th Street and the Harbor (110) Freeway, in the 15th District.

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