Port seeking input on waterfront connectivity
Planners to stage forum to get help on how all projects can be navigated
The changes taking place in San Pedro are hard not to notice.
But the quickly developing attractions also may be hard to navigate at some point, especially for those new to the now-branded L.A. Waterfront area — and the Port of Los Angeles seems fully aware of that looming problem.
So, the company the port hired to come up with a connectivity plan to make navigating the area easier will host a public workshop this week to get community input on what can be done. Potential ideas include creating more seamless transportation, signage, crosswalks and other amenities to better link attractions in the region together.
The public meeting will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Port of Los Angeles Boys & Girls Cub, 100 W. Fifth St., in San Pedro. Free parking will be available in the club's adjacent parking lot.
The plan, from the landscape architecture, planning and urban design firm SWA Group, especially will focus on transportation methods and other mobility solutions to get to and from L.A. Waterfront areas, including the new San Pedro Promenade and Town Square, the World Cruise Center and the West Harbor Development currently under construction.
Potential ideas so far include new and improved pedestrian and vehicle routes, beefed-up public transit, crosswalks, way-finding signs and open space with active programming.
After SWA gives an introduction and presentation about the plan, participants will be invited to share how they now typically travel to and through the waterfront area and then will be asked to participate in handson activities for new ideas.
“We want to hear from our residents and stakeholders on optimal
ways to enhance access to and through the L.A. Waterfront,” Mike Galvin, the port's director of waterfront and commercial real estate, said in a statement.
The goal, Galvin said, is to “map out a plan” that will help create those kinds of connections for the projects as they continue to come online.
Other San Pedro sites expected to be part of a future connected plan would be the historic Point Fermin Lighthouse, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, AltaSea and the Korean Friendship Bell.
The idea for the plan grew out of input from neighborhood councils and the local chamber of commerce, placing at or near the top of the list when the Port of Los Angeles asked those groups for ideas on community projects the port would fund.
Other ideas could include water taxis, more pedestrian-friendly streets and public art.
The new West Harbor waterfront development, set to open in late 2024, will attract much of the planning effort, as it is expected to draw not only locals but also visitors, including cruise ship passengers.
But officials say they hope the connectivity plan will have a broad scope and provide more visibility for other points of interest as well, including the historic downtown shopping, dining and gallery district.
The plan will be implemented with some flexibility as future development comes online.
Among the topics likely to come up during the workshop is one that's familiar to the port town: how to plan and provide for more public parking throughout the growing area.