Downtown Group Sees Opening for Minipark

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The concrete jungle of downtown Los Angeles is about to become greener.

The South Park Business Improvement District is working on opening a half-block-long temporary minipark in the two center lanes of Hope Street, just south of 11th Street.

“Los Angeles is park poor,” said Jessica Lall, executive director for the district. “We are trying to figure out ways to incorporate green space into the community without spending a lot of money.”

The 33-foot-wide parklet, known as Spot @ Hope Street, will be surrounded by concrete traffic barriers on the north and south ends. Temporary midblock crosswalks will allow pedestrians to enter the park, Lall said.

The outdoor space will have tables, chairs, benches and a picnic area in addition to a security guard who will patrol the space at night.

The minipark is still in the planning stage, but it could open as soon as April. The BID will assess the number of visitors to the site after eight weeks and decide whether or not to keep it.

The hope is that the parklet will attract more customers to local businesses, such as the newly opened Impresso Café, North African bistro the Briks and the Downtown Dance & Movement studio.

“There are a lot of fences and it makes it hard for people to walk around,” Lall said of the existing physical space. “Our hope is that it will help visitors actively engage with businesses.”

The BID will use sensor cameras to analyze foot and vehicle traffic in the parklet as well as surrounding businesses, said Lall.

The project is budgeted at $80,000 to $100,000, but that number could change depending on how much money the BID will have to spend to obtain city permits.

“The money will mostly come from nonassessment revenue that the Business Improvement District raised,” Lall said.

The idea to install a temporary park came from a survey of residents, businesses and tourists conducted by the BID last year in which respondents said they wanted to see more green space in the downtown area.

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