Bringing Back Broadway

View / Download the 2010 Year-In-Review, an overview of the third year of our ten-year plan for Bringing Back Broadway™

When we kicked off the initiative in January 2008, standing on the stage of the beautiful Los Angeles Theatre, there were some who may have doubted the momentum would last. In fact, momentum has not only lasted, it has increased and continues to build.

Some may have wondered if the plan would have enough support or be able to show enough tangible results to survive – since so many plans before this one have not. In fact, Bringing Back Broadway has had a stellar first two years of accomplishments, laying the foundation for our ten-year plan.

Bringing Back Broadway enjoys widespread support – from Washington DC to City Hall, to our downtown community and the number of people involved with various aspects of Bringing Back Broadway increases everyday.  What we have achieved thus far speaks volumes about what we will be able to achieve in the coming years.

We surpassed many of our own planned milestones thus far, while learning lessons from the efforts of other cities. The initiative has grown, evolved and continued to build consensus and momentum because Broadway’s time is now. 

And this is just the beginning.  There is no doubt, the first years of Bringing Back Broadway have set the stage for what we will strive to achieve in the coming years, as Bringing Back Broadway continues to evolve, grow and succeed. 

PROGRESS & MILESTONES

STREETSCAPE & INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS It is a tragedy that the infrastructure of one of the city's oldest and most historic districts is literally collapsing. Basements of historic buildings extend out under the sidewalks on Broadway, which are in poor shape due to years of water seepage and damage to structures and infrastructure underneath.  Basement reconstruction is the first step to improving the infrastructure. As those challenges are addressed, a new Broadway streetscape plan will provide Broadway with a better, safer, more beautiful pedestrian and transit experience while maintaining the sense of place, history and restored beauty that Broadway deserves.  “The streetscape plan boldly prioritizes people over vehicles, provides much-needed infrastructure support and major improvements to a street that has been neglected for far too long, while providing a showcase for the Downtown L.A. Streetcar and the revitalization of the Historic Broadway Theatre District” - Councilmember José Huizar. Melendrez Design Partners has completed the design for the Broadway Streetscape Master Plan.  The final design concepts were shared with the public at an open house attended by more than 100 stakeholders on November 24, 2009This event culminated a nearly one-year long process of community input and design.The process began with the Broadway Streetscape Walk on Feb. 27, 2009, where participants visited numerous interactive stations set up along Broadway to discuss topics such as Green Streets, Street Design, Character/Historic Influence, Transit Stations, Design Palette, Paseos/Open Space, Curb Extensions/Crossings and Pedestrian Safety and Comfort. Participants at the February event were also encouraged to bring along cameras to document things they wanted to see addressed in the plan. Input from the Broadway Walk was used to devise a range of options regarding street configuration, transit station design, signage and street furniture, which were presented for public input at a subsequent public meeting in May. On May 27, 2009, a Project Open House was held to discuss both the Broadway streetscape plan and the Entertainment Overlay Zone & Design Guide.  Nearly 200 members of the community attended to consider initial design options for public right of way areas, including street configuration, use of sidewalks, pedestrian lighting, street furniture, transit stations and other elements which enhance the historic character and serve pedestrians and transit riders in order to narrow the options for the refinement of a preferred design. The community was also asked to discuss draft design overlay zone ideas for guiding private development, and create a cohesive look for design, lighting, signage and facades and encourage/support/incentivize entertainment and cultural uses for private properties on Broadway.Feedback at the May workshop provided the design team with input needed to narrow down the range of concepts to a single design, which was refined throughout the summer.  On Tuesday Nov. 24, 2009 more than 100 community members gathered at The Exchange Building in Downtown's Historic Core to review and provide Melendrez Design Partners with input on the Broadway Streetscape Master Plan, which is part of Councilmember José Huizar’s 10-year plan to revitalize Broadway.Traffic studies were conducted on both the proposed 3-lane and 4-lane configurations for Broadway, as well as a one-way southbound option. LADOT has commented on those studies and found impacts can me mitigated to less than significant for the community-preferred 3-land option.  The Community Development Department has initiated the environmental assessment.ELEMENTS OF THE STREETSCAPE PLANThe Streetscape Plan calls for sidewalk and basement reconstruction where basements extend out under current sidewalks, which are collapsing in places. Widened and reinforced sidewalks, with a reduction in traffic lanes, will provide for greater pedestrian comfort and security on one of the city’s busiest pedestrian streets. Curb extensions will provide space for comfortable, real-time transit stations for bus and streetcar users as well as for ticket kiosks and tourist/visitor areas.On-street parking and loading will support Broadway’s small business merchants and provide a buffer between pedestrians and traffic along Broadway. Original engineering drawings of the very first Broadway streetlamps have been uncovered and the new streetscape plan calls for streetlamps made from the original, authentic design.  Transit stations, bike racks, wayfinding signage and other features are also highlighted in this design.  Trees and plantings will be added to offer green elements to the street (supported by a storm water retention and recycling system).BUDGET, TIMELINE & NEXT STEPSThe estimated cost for basement reconstruction and streetscape construction 2nd to Olympic is $30-million. (Basement / sidewalk reconstruction alone is estimated at $3M per block). More than half of total has already been identified and awarded to this important project, with more than $11M of sidewalk reconstruction work completed or upcoming in 2011. Additionally,$1,550,000 in Community Block Grant funding has been awarded for Broadway streetscapes and $4,257,600 will be put towards streetscape construction as a result of awards from the 2009 Metro Call for Projects ($3,548,000 from Metro [$1.290,000 Transit Demand Mgt portion; $2,258,000 Pedestrian Streetscape portion]); $709,600 20% City of L.A. match.  Other sources of local and federal funding will be put together as the process goes through its environtmental review.  Funding is being pursued at every opportunity. Despite a tough economic time, the funding gap is being filled one step at a time as the work progresses.  Basement reconstruction on the east and west sides of Broadway from 4th to 5th Street, the east side of Broadway from 3rd to 4th Street as well as the southern portion of the west side of that block (including Grand Central) is complete. The east and west sides of 2nd to 3rd and the northern portion of the west side of 3rd to 4th are next.   The next portions of the project will use new x-ray type technology to scan the underlying infrastructure so we have a detailed understanding of the condition, which will make the work from 5th to Olympic quicker and more cost effective. As reconstruction progresses, the streetscape plan will undergo environmental review, city adoption and a "dress rehearsal" conducted temporarily in paint and planters before construction begins. The implementation process will include review by the Cultural Heritage, Planning & Public Works Commissions, the City Council Planning & Land Use Management Committee and City Council. This plan addresses 100 years of deterioration. Progress will be incremental with anticipated completion within six years. 

STREETSCAPE DESIGN VISUALIZATION

CLICK HERE to view the streetscape final design visutalization as presented on November 24, 2009

ADDITIONAL STREETSCAPE MATERIALS

ENTERTAINMENT OVERLAY & DESIGN GUIDE

The Broadway Entertainment Overlay Zone and Design Guide provides design, sign, and historic lighting guidelines to support entertainment and cultural uses on Broadway. The Urban Design Guidelines and Historic Lighting Element developed in past years through consulting contracts are being updated and written into policy for official adoption.

The CDO working group met twice monthly (often more) through 2008 and early 2009 to develop the overlay zone and design guidelines, taking into consideration previously developed plans, urban design and lighting design guidelines, existing codes, Secretary of Interior standards for rehabiliation of historic structures, and the newly adopted Downtown Design Guidelines.A Delegation of more than 50 people traveled to the San Diego gaslamp entertainment zone in August 2008 to tour downtown San Diego and speak with the leaders who developed this district.  We learned how they used planning tools to make that district thrive.  Broadway is a different place, but we are using many of their ideas - and expanding upon them - here. The overlay guidelines are also responsive to community input gathered during Community workshops held in 2009.
A Public Hearing was held on the Entertainment Community Design Overlay on Wednesday June 10, 2009. The project was approved by the City Planning Commission on July 9, 2009 and was considered by the City Council Planning & Land Use Management Committee in summer 2009.The Entertainment Community Design Overlay was reviewd by City Council and adopted in September 2009 and became effective in October 2009. 

HISTORIC COMMERCIAL REUSE

More than one million sq. feet of commercial space is vacant and not all buildings are suitable for adaptive reuse to housing. Current ground floor retail vacancy at 15-20%.  Mom & Pop shops are sometimes discouraged from opening businesses on Broadway because of difficult change of use process which is often faced in historic and older high-rises.  It is a unacceptable in the center of L.A.’s urban downtown, that such beautiful buildings are so significantly underutilized, producing no jobs, no revenue and no support for revitalization in the area.  With the Historic Commercial Reuse effort, that can change.

The L.A. Fire Department and L.A. Department of Building & Safety are working with Bringing Back Broadway and a dedicated group of architects and code experts to review case studies and identify common obstacles faced by historic buildings undergoing changes of use and commercial reuse after prolonged inactivity. Draft guidelines are being developed using the CA State Historical Building Code and other resources to address these challenges. Once drafted, working groups comprised of attorneys, professional architects, engineers, electricians, and other building professionals will come together in working groups to discuss, review and adapt the draft guidelines into working guidelines and a possible ordinance. 

BROADWAY ARTS CENTER - CONCEPTUAL PLANNING

The National Endowment for the Arts awarded a planning grant in the amount of $100,000 to a public/private working group partnership in order to develop planning studies for creating a creative mixed-use facility – the “Broadway Arts Center” – along historic Broadway. Project partners, led by the City's Department of Cultural Affairs, include Bringing Back Broadway, CRA/LA, ArtSpace, The Actor's Fund and Cal-Arts.

The conceptual project would offer multi-disciplinary support for artists and arts service providers in Downtown Los Angeles, including parking and loading for theatres, affordable artists’ housing, incubator performance/exhibition space, ground floor retail spaces, creative office space, an educational facility, and support for cultural and theatrical edeavors along the Broadway corridor.  Broadway is one of the most important streets in our city – with generations of creative and commercial history, but it needs support so that it can be vital and thrive for generations to come. This grant from the National Endowment for the Arts will allow a world-class team of creative and cultural leaders to develop out-of-the-box ideas for using the arts as a catalyst for revitalization. The vision is to mix artist housing, arts education, and commercial uses to support the creative industries, which are the lifeblood of Broadway’s past, present and future.

Components of grant activity will include planning studies, resource development, and public meetings with stakeholders which kicked off in early 2011. The goal is to develop a conceptual project which can be implemented on Broadway to serve approximately 5,000 artists and 200 Cal-Arts students per year, and which can be used as a model for implementation elsewhere.

STREETCAROnce a distant dream, the streetcar effort is right on track.  The proposed Downtown L.A. Streetcar will be an approximately 4-mile urban streetcar system which would run 7-days a week, about 18 hours a day.  It would serve areas including Bunker Hill, Grand Avenue and the Music Center, Historic Broadway and the Historic Core, South Park, L.A. LIVE and the Los Angeles Convention Center. Visit L.A. Streetcar Inc. for specific details on the streetcar program, and to support the effort.

A streetcar feasibility study has been completed. Route options have been discussed publicly, and preliminary engineering studies are underway.Discussions are beginning about a Benefit Assessment District which will be necessary for the private component of project funding. Environmental assessment is due to begin in the coming months.The Downtown L.A. Streetcar will connect downtown's entertainment and cultural destinations.  L.A. Live on one end of downtown and the Bunker Hill / Music Center area on the other wil serve as the bookends with Historic Broadway as the spine for the approx. 3.5 mile couplet route.Los Angeles Streetcar Inc., a non-profit coalition of property owners and downtown leaders has been formed to raise private funds for partnership in designing, planning & implementing a downtown streetcar system, using Portland/Seattle as the model for this public-private partnershipA workshop to discuss route options was held in July 2009. More than 200 people submitted public comment and the response continues to be overwhelmingly positive. A Streetcar delegation to Portland & Seattle included two dozen downtown leaders to speak with Portland and Seattle leaders about how their streetcar systems were developed – and to learn from their experienceBringing Back Broadway, Reconnecting America and CRA/LA Co-Sponsored the Los Angeles National Streetcar Conference was held in May 2008, the largest event of its kind in the U.S. Experts from across the country discussed streetcar funding, planning and implementation.A streetcar design workshop was held in August 2008 at The New LATC where more than 120 people attended the all-day event. Discussion revolved around 6 options for how a Broadway streetcar could integrate with the Broadway streetscapes; how to best connect to other transit; make the best of use pedestrian paseos between Broadway and adjacent streets; options for mixed-use maintenance facilityAdditionally, we remain active with the METRO Regional Connector project to ensure connectivity to Broadway and the Streetcar and to advocate for a significant Broadway-oriented multi-modal station

MARKETING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The Downtown Retail initiative, a partner along with the Community Development Department, sponsors workshops to assist small businesses with set up – or ways to grow.  Daytime and evening retail surveys have been completed to provide a baseline assessment of the functionality of Broadway’s ground floor storefronts, to provide assistance and help fill vacancies. A special workshop was held for existing property owners and merchants with a panel of experts to discuss historic tax credits, incentive programs, and architectural options. The goal is to support existing businesses and help small business owners access programs and assistance available to them to help them survive and thrive in a tough economic climate.  Earlier this year, more than 100 community members joined Bringing Back Broadway and the Business Improvement Districts for a community cleanup.  Cleanup activities included sweeping & disposing of trash and debris from street, sidewalks & alleys, planting flowers in planters, and removing graffiti, gum and stickers from sidewalks and other surfaces.  Lots of great work was done and all who were involved are greatly appreciated!There have also been several recent additions to Broadway’s revitalization activity. The completion and re-opening of the historically renovated Blackstone Building at 9th and Broadway has been embraced by the community. The former department store now provides upper floor housing and ground floor retail spaces. Mac & Cheeza opened in Broadway’s Chapman Building at 8th & Broadway and the Chapman Market is also up and running, providing for the needs of the area’s employment and residential population. Gary Leonard’s “Take My Picture” Gallery at 860 S. Broadway is a big draw, especially for art lovers. DTLA Bikes opened quietly in a formerly vacant space at 424 S. Broadway and has been a big hit with pedal-pushers throughout downtown thanks to their indoor riding track and affordable fixes. The star-studded Macy’s Passport Presents Glamorama moved to their new home at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown L.A. after nearly two decades in Santa Monica. The show which was held in September featured Macy Gray and Eric Hutchinson, with proceeds benefiting AIDS care and prevention. This fall, details were announced about Andrew Meieran’s plans for restoration, renovation and revitalization of the beloved Clifton’s Cafeteria on Broadway. The project will focus on historic preservation and community service, ensuring Clifton’s iconic tribute to American idealism, hope and imagination will be preserved and enjoyed for generations to come. 100 new jobs will be created, including opportunities for formerly homeless individuals through partnership with Midnight Mission. The cafeteria will remain in operation as a centerpiece of Clifton’s service, and hours of operation will gradually increase to 24-hours. A full-service restaurant and lounge are planned for upper floors, with reactivation of the Clifton’s Bakery. Meieran plans to seek historic monument status for Clifton’s and the cafeteria will remain open during renovations. This is exciting news, and proves the point that historic preservation is not about pressing the pause button indefinitely, but about finding ways to honor the wonderful history that makes Broadway so special, while utilizing historic buildings and businesses in innovative ways that allow them to be successful and vital into the next generation, while serving Downtown’s diverse community.Bringing Back Broadway works closely with property owners and each Business Improvement District in the area to actively recruit new businesses to fill vacancies along Broadway. There are considerable incentives available to businesses which locate on Broadway, so if you, or an entrepreneur you know, are interested in setting up shop on Broadway, there’s never been a better time!

BROADWAY CENTENNIAL: Broadway 100The Broadway Centennial for 2011 is envisioned as a multiple-event celebration of films, art, theatre and tours to honor the oldest surviving theater district in Los Angeles, and one of the largest intact historic theater districts in the entire United States.

The two oldest theatres on Broadway, the Arcade Theatre (originally the Pantages) and its next door neighbor The Cameo Theatre, turn 100 years old this fall, having opened on September 26,1910 and October 10, 1910 respectively. The Palace Theatre opened on June 26, 1911.Other important 2011 Broadway milestones include: the 90th anniversary of the State Theatre which opened on November 12, 1921; the 85th anniversary of the Orpheum Theatre which opened on February 15, 1926; and the 80th anniversary of the Los Angeles Theatre which opened on January 30, 1931. It will be an honor to bring attention to these centennial milestones of history, culture and entertainment born on Broadway.  The theatres and movie palaces stand as tribute to where Broadway has come from, as a bright future is built for this important and beautiful part of Los Angeles’ entertainment legacy. Partners and collaborators for the Bringing Back Broadway Centennial Celebration include the Los Angeles Conservancy, Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation, the Historic Downtown Business Improvement District, L.A. Stage Alliance, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and others.  Activities will include the 25th annual Los Angeles Conservancy Last Remaining Seats screenings in Broadway theatres, special screenings of early films, tours and discussions, historical retrospectives and other arts and cultural activities. Additional collaborators, as well as specific dates, times and details are under development.