Metro Opens New Landscaped Plaza at North Hollywood Station
1:53 PM PST on November 28, 2018
L.A. City Councilmember Paul Krekorian cuts the ribbon on Metro’s new North Hollywood station plaza. All photos by Joe Linton/Streetsblog L.A. except as noted
This article supported by Los Angeles Bicycle Attorney as part of a general sponsorship package. All opinions in the article are that of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of LABA. Click on the ad for more information.
This morning, Metro hosted ribbon-cutting festivities to open a newly completed landscaped plaza at the North Hollywood Red/Orange Line Station. The 8,500-square-foot plaza is located at the northwest corner of Lankershim and Chandler Boulevards. The small plaza-park is the final phase of a $3.6 million renovation of the historic North Hollywood Depot.
Councilmember Paul Krekorian (at podium) speaking at today's ceremony
At today's celebration, L.A. City Councilmember and Metro boardmember Paul Krekorian spoke of the important roles that the historic North Hollywood depot played in the development of the San Fernando Valley. The depot served commercial freight when North Hollywood was, according to Krekorian, "the peach capital of the world." It also connected the Valley to the rest of Los Angeles via the Pacific Electric red car trains, which Krekorian's mother rode to get to Hollywood.
The design of the current plaza is based on one that was there in the early 20th century. That early plaza, pictured below, opened around 1914, and lasted until around the middle of the 20th century.
The current design incorporates the historic diagonal walkway layout. Also referencing the historic plaza are two prominent palm trees. Where a hundred years ago the site featured grass, today it has drought-tolerant and native landscaping.
Krekorian sounded a lot of positive notes - from the role of transit in the growth of sustainable vibrant communities, to the coming joint development of Metro's NoHo park-and-ride lots. Unfortunately he ended on a very car-centric point, asserting that when people "drive past" the new plaza it would inspire them to take pride in the community.
In his remarks, Metro CEO Phil Washington emphasized that the depot site project was about enhancing the transit customer experience. Instead of "dull stations," Washington leads Metro in investing to create "vibrant" ones.
LAPD got approval from the Police Commission to extend their BolaWrap pilot on Metro in August, but hadn't advised Metro of their plans until after the fact.