Studio City, Van Nuys Parking Garages Proposed

For Los Angeles motorists who find themselves circling the block looking in vain for a place to park, city officials have a plan to provide some relief.

Under a new proposal, the city would spend more than $61 million in the next few years to build parking garages in five Los Angeles business districts where parking is hard to find, including Studio City, Little Tokyo and Van Nuys.

Council President John Ferraro and Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski asked their colleagues to pursue design work as well as bond and parking-revenue funding of the projects--the largest of which would be a $40-million underground parking facility for 2,100 cars in the Art Park area of Little Tokyo.

The projects also include a 140-space, $4-million parking garage south of Victory Boulevard and west of Van Nuys Boulevard near Van Nuys Civic Center, and another in Studio City.

With the city trying to develop a stronger business base in Van Nuys, Miscikowski said parking is a key issue that needs to be settled.

“It’s dramatic,” she said of the need. “It’s a part of the focus of the Civic Center expansion.”

Parking garages are also planned near the Doolittle Theater in Hollywood and at El Pueblo in downtown Los Angeles.