Wilshire Corridor forum: Blvd. back in a big way

CM LaBonge fields a question at the Wilshire Corridor forum Thursday.

“The Future of the Heart of Los Angeles” was the key topic of the Wilshire Corridor Forum II held yesterday at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple where a cross section of stakeholders aired their priorities in terms of density, design and mass transit along this major east-west artery. Councilmember LaBonge made opening remarks to kick off the four-hour long session that included participation by architects, business executives, developers, community leaders and public officials — keying his remarks to the history of the street and the changes that it has undergone through the decades.

At the invitation of the organizers, Renee Weitzer, CD4’s director of planning, was a panelist who spoke of recent in-fill developments in the Park Mile and Miracle Mile sections of Wilshire where nearly 1,500 multifamily units are in various stages of being built. As mixed-use projects, the council office at the direction of Councilmember LaBonge, has worked with the developers to ensure they have Art Deco design elements in keeping with the district’s architectural motif, sensitivity to height and setback as they relate to adjacent residential neighborhoods, ample landscaping and, of course, sufficient off-street parking.