Arts District Designers Seek Public’s Input

To get a clearer idea of what the community wants, the company responsible for developing a NoHo Arts District streetscape design plan will hold a public meeting on Saturday.

At the meeting, Irvine-based Urban Design Studio will present a slide show of different streetscape components and the public will vote on their top choices.

“As far as the public input process goes this is the most important, the most critical stage, in the design process,” Urban Design owner Mark Brodeur said. “It sets the scene, the quality of materials, the function of the area and how we prioritize the options.”

Those in attendance will be given ballots to rank the different choices of trees, lights, benches, signs and even trash receptacles. Their rankings will be from one to five, with five being the most desirable.

“Statistically, we need about 50 people for it to be valid,” Brodeur said.

After the meeting, Brodeur and his staff will develop a theme board which displays all the highest scoring elements. The board will be presented for further public comment at a meeting of the Arts Subcommittee of the Project Area Committee, an elected citizens group for the 740-acre North Hollywood Redevelopment Area.

Brodeur estimated the concept phase would take five to six months to complete. Other contracts then have to be settled for final construction phases. Urban Design projects usually require about three years before the physical streetscape elements are in place, Brodeur said.

Saturday’s meeting will run from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at the North Hollywood Senior Citizens Center, 5301 Tujunga Ave. Parking is free.

For more information, call the North Hollywood branch of the Community Redevelopment Agency at (818) 753-1918.