---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Commander Dazzle <commanderdazzle@gmail.com>
Date: Mar 12, 2006 3:14 PM
Subject: [DowntownArtists] Fwd: Arts Alert: The Future of LA Industrial Zones: Important Planning Meeting
To: Josh Flemming <josh@thedolab.com>, downtownartists@downtownartistproject.org
I think this could be considered important for anyone wanting be involved in the future of the arts district.
Commander D
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mr. X <louderr@aol.com>
Date: Mar 11, 2006 10:27 AM
Subject: Fwd: Arts Alert: The Future of LA Industrial Zones: Important Planning Meeting
To: X Geza <louderr@aol.com>
Begin forwarded message:
> From: Roy Montibon <roy@montibon.com>
> Date: March 10, 2006 3:40:22 PM PST
> To: RAM <newarch@ucla.edu>
><b>Subject: Arts Alert: The Future of LA Industrial Zones: Important
> Planning Meeting
>
> Hello Fellow Artists and Friends Operating in the
> Downtown Industrial Zone, or with an Interest Therein...
>
> Just in case you were not aware of it, the LA City
> Planning Commission / Planning Dept. is holding
> a Special (public) Meeting next Thursday for
> discussion and input regarding a study that will
> impact the future use of industrially zoned land
> across LA.
>
> This may be a bit of an oversimplification, but the
> impetus for this study is to implement an official
> city-wide policy (i.e., laws) of limiting industrially
> ZONED areas for purely "industrial" use - despite
> the fact that most of Downtown LA's "industrial"
> infrastructure is functionally obsolete and many
> large industrial/manufacturing/warehouse
> businesses have already left the area for cheaper
> digs elsewhere. LA's industrial zones, therefore,
> have been veering toward culture, commercial,
> retail and housing uses over the last few decades.
>
> This could have a huge impact on those of you
> who have a stake in the cultural uses of downtown's
> industrial areas, specifically artist live/work situations.
> The mindset behind this initiative is a priori against
> A.I.R., live/work, culture events, low-income housing
> and retail in all industrially ZONED areas (regardless
> of how they are currently being used, or the momentum
> of use trends, as in the total transformation of the
> Fashion District from purely manufacturing/warehouse
> to one of the most vibrant retail zones in the city).
> All "non-industrial" uses are being framed as a
> "problem to be solved" by policy from the get-go.
>
> The rationale behind this initiative is to "preserve"
> manufacturing jobs - and the taxes they generate...
> but doesn't take into account that the massive
> investments the city would have to make to bring
> these industrial areas up to competitive standards
> of functionally to compete with the Inland Empire,
> the Midwest - and even other countries - would most
> likely not be successful in luring large manufacturing
> operations back to the city... the costs here are just too
> high. (Large companies have to take into account the
> cost of housing for their workers, losses due to people
> showing up late for work due to traffic, insurance costs,
> etc., all of which impacts the overall wage level they
> will need to pay their workforce and the pricing of
> their products.)
>
> If you read the initial study (link below) it does not
> (in my opinion) adequately address the potential losses
> from the future displacement of small commercial and
> retail business, low-income housing (including artist
> live/work), one-person economic-base businesses
> (such as telecommuters and consultants that bring in
> money from outside the local area) and culture-based
> activity that has been filling in the voids by fixing up
> underutilized industrial space and putting it to good
> use over the last 30-odd years. Ironically, the city
> has been "seeding" this type of use through a variety
> of means, including tax breaks for small business
> and live/ work ordinances. We are now just seeing
> the fruits of these efforts.
>
> This study is similar to an economic report generated
> for the city of Santa Fe that lumped all art and culture
> activities under the category of "service businesses" and
> did not adequately account for the level of economic
> impact that art and culture have on that city (the third
> ranked city in general art sales in the U.S, after NY
> and LA).
>
> The arts and culture community there pressured the
> city for a new study that more accurately pegged the
> economic impact of culture activities in Santa Fe at
> a surprising level. This has literally changing the
> context of discussion and the course of planning for
> that city. We culture organizers need to do the same
> thing for downtown.
>
> It's important that you attend this meeting and voice
> your opinions. According to the notice, a "panel of
> experts will present information from the perspectives
> of industrial users, real estate developers, economists
> and housing advocates". NOTE: Artists, educators,
> culture producers, design professionals and consultants
> are NOT being represented.
>
> Some good news... this initiative will be opposed by
> a broad conglomeration of interests, from real estate
> developers and commercial brokers to the Fashion
> District B.I.D... who contend that the large, purely
> industrial/manufacturing users of the area have
> already fled... and that the current use trends make
> total economic sense.
>
> I personally believe that the evolving uses of areas of
> any city should be driven organically by what actually
> works - not by blue-sky bureaucratic policy decisions
> that result in ordinances that "lock in" uses for the
> foreseeable future... (with the exception of certain
> large-scale civic projects such as our own Grand
> Avenue project). A city is a multi-dimensional living
> thing, not a simple jig-saw puzzle.
>
> Even though I am on the Center City Project Area
> Committee for the CRA... and they are asking for our
> input, I cannot directly speak for those of you who
> actually live, work and are making investments in
> the industrial areas of downtown. So... BE THERE
> to speak up, or risk being shut out. It's critical that
> that you voice your opinions now, not after the
> conclusions of the study have been accepted.
>
> TIME & DATE:
> Thursday, March 16, 2006, 4:00pm
>
> PLACE:
> Council Chamber - Third Floor - City Hall
> 200 North Spring Street
>
> LINKS:
> cityplanning.lacity.org
>
> 1) Click on the "Press Releases" link in the upper
> right hand corner and download the Press Release
> called, "City Tackles Industrial Land Uses".
>
> 2) Click on the scrolling link for "Industrial Development
> Policy Initiative Report" to download the report PDF.
> (WARNING: if you are on dial up, it's a sizable
> download - 136 pages at 7.3 MB).
>
> 3) NOTE: EVERY PERSON WISHING TO ADDRESS
> THE COMMISSION MUST COMPLETE A SPEAKER'S
> REQUEST FORM AND SUBMIT IT TO THE COMMISSION
> EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT STAFF.
>
> If you have additional questions about the meeting
> or agenda, call Gabriele Williams, the Commission
> Executive Assistant to the City Planning Commission
> at 213-978-1247.
>
> Please feel free to forward this email to anyone who
> has a stake in the future of the industrial zones of our
> city.
>
> Thanks for your time.</b>
>
> Roy Montibon
>
> .................
> THE MONTIBON COMPANY
> Shaping Vision, Context & Experience
> www.montibon.com
> 213. 687. 8078 [ ph ]
> 213. 446. 6951 [ mb ]
> RAM@Montibon.com
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