Right Plan Offers North Hollywood Best Hope for Growth

The Santa Monica Promenade. Old Town Pasadena. The North Hollywood Redevelopment Project.

Are these the projects of the past, the present and the future? Has the time come for a project in North Hollywood to be considered fashionable? Can it be compared to the Promenade or Old Town? Some individuals scoff at the idea; some believe the future is here and that the area is fertile for revitalization. Many are standing on the sidelines, taking a wait-and-see approach.

The members of the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn.’s Land Use Committee recently took a position strongly encouraging the city of Los Angeles to endorse development in the commercial core of the North Hollywood Redevelopment Area. We believe a well-conceived plan will offer the most comprehensive and feasible project with the greatest potential for a positive economic impact to the San Fernando Valley.

To achieve the essential revitalization stimulus for North Hollywood and surrounding communities, a project should include certain criteria. The first and most basic step in the process is to have a well-defined plan. A look at other projects that have revitalized an area indicates that a project must be of sufficient size to be a catalyst for future economic growth in the region. It must be large enough to foster development of the site as well as the surrounding area. It must also be developed in a reasonable time frame to provide an immediate economic benefit.

Ultimately, the project should offer residents and tourists an enjoyable and mutually beneficial atmosphere / lifestyle. People must want to visit, spend time there and remain.

Key elements in the success of other redeveloped areas have included public transportation, general businesses, retail, restaurants, entertainment and governmental involvement.

The North Hollywood site can encompass many of these aspects. The Motion Picture Academy is located in North Hollywood. The site itself, consisting of 40 acres, is within a short distance of Universal, Warner Bros., Disney and NBC studios, some of the best known entertainment business names in the world. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s North Hollywood subway station and bus transit facilities are under construction and will be completed in 2000. This transit facility will meet the present and future transportation needs of the community.

The city of Los Angeles has a critical role in supporting a plan to help transform an area by condemnation and rezoning. The governmental approval process can be cumbersome, slow and tedious. To capitalize on the momentum of the economy, the business cycle and financial market, the city needs to create a partnership that will allow business to act quickly. The L.A. Business Team has successfully completed several recent projects in this manner and would be an asset, if not a necessity, on this one if expectations are to be fulfilled.

The life of a city is never stagnant, and North Hollywood can proceed in one of two directions. It can either decline or prosper. Given the population base and the local and surrounding employment base, there is no reason North Hollywood should not prosper. With current demographics, it is fertile with opportunity to support a new project of retail shops, restaurants and entertainment facilities, and in turn encourage further growth of pedestrian-oriented activities and strengthening of the area’s economy. Hence, prosperity.