Renovation Plans for Grand Avenue

Re “Finalists Face Off in Grand Ave. Project Bid,” June 29: Let’s quit fooling ourselves about transforming Grand Avenue into some “grand pedestrian boulevard.” Such proposals are destined for failure, for they all must contend with the development patterns of the last 50 years in car-culture Los Angeles, where sidewalks are just an afterthought.

Grand Avenue is a perfect example of an L.A. boulevard that has “morphed” over the years from a once pedestrian-friendly downtown into a car-friendly downtown. These downtown boosters, developers and planners need to walk Grand Avenue, especially during weekday lunch periods, to understand that they are dealing with a lost cause.

To make Grand Avenue friendly to pedestrians, at the very least you would have to double or triple the width of the sidewalks, remove (or relocate) those infernal trees and adjust the grade of the street. The tree removal is the easy part; I doubt if the other two can be done at a reasonable cost without seriously impeding traffic flow.

I am all for the development of a more pedestrian-friendly downtown Los Angeles. But let’s face it -- Grand Avenue is just a too-narrow, ill-planned, messy Bunker Hill-redeveloped street to ever make it into a grand pedestrian boulevard. We should quit fooling ourselves.

Donald A. Bentley

La Puente

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After reading your article, I wondered when the public will be able to learn about the proposals and comment on this massive project, which is to be built on parcels owned by the city and county. Citizens have high expectations about public participation; the process is important.

Although I can see the need to have a select group (representing diverse backgrounds, of course) choose the design team and make key decisions, I truly hope that our elected officials provide a substantive way for the public to offer its input for consideration.

Kent Strumpell

Los Angeles