Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Great Streets Initiative and City Council Member David Ryu have announced plans for several new cultural, transportation and economic enhancements efforts to improve the vibrancy of our neighboring portion of Western Avenue – one of the city’s designated Great Streets.
The cultural improvements come in the form of five new murals, to be done this summer in partnership with local arts non-profit Beautify Earth, and in cooperation with property owners and area businesses. The works will be installed in the following locations:
Melrose Home Furnishings – 641 N Western
Home Lighting Crystal Gallery – 646 N Western
Jungsoodol Mattress – 225 N Western
GNC – 165 N Western
Safe Keep Storage – 4996 Melrose
There will also be four new utility box murals, at sites not yet named.
“Beautifying Western avenue with murals will make it a more vibrant commercial street where community members live, work and play. Murals will add new life to blighted walls, attract new businesses, and will instill renewed community pride along this major corridor. Additionally, these new murals will continue the important tradition of public art throughout our City of Angeles” said Ryu in a press release.
In addition to the new murals, funding will be provided to improve pedestrian safety on Western Ave. Both the mayor’s office and CD 4 are conducting community outreach to discuss the possible improvements. At the moment, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) recommends that continental crosswalks be installed at the following “signalized” locations on Western Ave.:
W 2nd St.
W 1st St.
Beverly Blvd.
Oakwood Ave.
Elmwood Ave.
Maplewood Ave.
Melrose Ave.
Also, in the fall of 2016, Ryu and Great Streets will launch a facade improvement and beautification program for businesses along the corridor. And finally, in addition to the other improvements, there are plans to plant up to 35 new street trees to improve comfort and shading along Western.
For more information about the overall improvement project, here are renderings of the proposed murals, along with a flier detailing the other planned enhancements:
Always good to see stuff like this, but I wish the city would return the crosswalk they removed at Western & Harold Way a few years back when they repaved. Every morning I see parents walking their kids to Grant Elementary and crossing Western at Harold Way rather than going to the crosswalks at Sunset or Carlton Way. I’m frankly surprised nobody’s been killed yet.
Let’s make sure that they move ahead with the Beautification: ?Street Trees plan with the 35 trees for the currently empty tree wells. The murals offer seems to have overshadowed this. They don’t need to wait to interview business owners and community about type of trees (although we do care to weigh in) because, unless I’m mistaken, the BSS has already decided which trees go with which streets, so actually THEY can tell US which trees they’re willing to allow and go forth as fast as possible. And the City should be responsible for the watering!
Hear hear!