CITY OF LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA - 1 - BOARD OF EL PUEBLO DE LOS ANGELES COMMISSIONERS HISTORICAL MONUMENT DAVID W. LOUIE ARTURO CHAVEZ PRESIDENT General Manager PATRICIA ALARCON VICE PRESIDENT 125 PASEO DE LA PLAZA, SUITE 300 LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 FABIAN GARCIA ERIC GARCETTI ALEX IBARRA TEL: (213) 485-6855 MAYOR JESSE MAREZ IRMA BESERRA NUÑEZ ELPUEBLO.LACITY.ORG NATALIE SAMARJIAN AARON THOMAS JOHN WIRFS Board Report 21-007 Date: August 12, 2021 To: Board of Commissioners, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument From: Arturo Chavez, General Manager, El Pueblo Historical Monument Edgar Garcia, Assistant General Manager, El Pueblo Historical Monument Subject: L.A. Union Station Forecourt & Esplanade Improvements Design Approval Summary Los Angeles County’s Metropolitan Transit Authority’s (Metro) Los Angeles Union Station Forecourt and Esplanade Improvements Project (Project) seeks to enhance pedestrian and bicycle access and safety to and from Los Angeles Union Station and surrounding communities including the El Pueblo Historical Monument. In accordance with Los Angeles Administrative Code Sec. 22.626, Metro is seeking the Commission’s approval of the street lights, street and sidewalk surfaces, fixtures and other appliances and furnishings that are related to the Project and will be located on or adjacent to the Monument on the west side of Alameda Street and Los Angeles Street. The Department recommends approval of Metro’s request. This Project implements elements of the Connect US Action Plan which was finalized in 2015 and identified active transportation improvement projects in the vicinity of Union Station to create safe access for people walking, bicycling and rolling to and from El Pueblo, Union Station, and surrounding communities. The Project is located in front of Los Angeles Union Station and on adjacent streets that traverse sections of the El Pueblo Historical Monument. The project includes the following elements: AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Recyclable and made from recycled waste Page 2 of 3 Alameda Esplanade A separated pedestrian and bicycle path with mixing zones on the eastside of Alameda St. between Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Arcadia Street (LAUS adjacent) Street trees and lighting on both sides of Alameda St. between Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Arcadia Street Curb and sidewalk replacement on the west side of Alameda Street Los Angeles Crossing Removal of the northern lane of Los Angeles St. between Alameda St. and El Pueblo Historical Monument crosswalk to make space for an expanded pedestrian path Raised crosswalk between Union Station and El Pueblo Two-way bicycle path and bicycle crossing on Los Angeles St. An ADA-accessible pathway between Alameda St. and El Pueblo. Union Station Forecourt Repurposing the existing northwestern Union Station parking lot into a new civic space with sustainability features (LA Union Station adjacent) Arcadia Street Designated parking for El Pueblo tourist buses during off-peak hours along the northern side of Arcadia St between Alameda St. and Spring St. Metro engaged in extensive stakeholder outreach throughout the development of the Project, including 5 public workshops and over 300 briefings. Specific to El Pueblo, in 2017, Metro presented on the Project at four (4) separate Commission meetings during the Project’s development/EIR phase. Metro staff recently presented in 2020 and 2021 for project design discussions and input. Both past and current El Pueblo General Managers and staff have been in continual contact with Metro representatives from 2015 to present, actively gathered feedback and providing updates. Over eight (8) focus groups, meetings, and workshops were conducted with El Pueblo stakeholders and community members. Background In 2015 and 2017, Metro secured two Caltrans Active Transprotation Program Grants (ATP) totaling approximately $18M to design and construct the improvements on Alameda and Los Angeles Street. The Project Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was certified by the Metro Board of Directors in 2018 with an Addendum #1 to the EIR in 2018 and Addendum #2 to the EIR in 2020. The Project completed geotechnical and utility investigations in 2020 and secured approval of the construction plans from City departments in 2020. In the summer of 2021, Metro was notified that El Pueblo Commission approval was required for the project design elements that are located on or adjacent to El Pueblo, which includes the features on the eastside of Alameda and Los Angeles Streets. With the El Pueblo Commission’s approval of the design elements, Metro would then go before the City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works to request approval of the Metro Revocable Permit for the elements on the eastside of Alameda Street (adjacent to Metro owned property), the First 5 Revocable Permits (for the elements adjacent to First 5’s property), and the Memorandum of Page 3 of 3 Understanding (MOU) between El Pueblo de Los Angeles and the City Bureau of Engineering (BOE) related to the maintenance of the El Pueblo adjacent items. Metro is finalizing the required grant documentation that is needed to complete the current project phase. This documentation must be submitted to Caltrans in the Fall 2021 to stay on track to secure the project construction funding. The El Pueblo Commission design approval is essential to complete this phase. Without approval, this project cannot move forward and both Metro and the City are at risk of losing the $18M in grant funding. RECOMMENDATION The El Pueblo staff recommends the Commission to approve the street lights, street and sidewalk surfaces, fixtures and other appliances and furnishings that are part of Metro’s LAUS Forecourt and Esplanade Project that will be located on or are adjacent to El Pueblo on the west side of Alameda Street and Los Angeles Street. Attachment: 1) Metro Report titled “LA Union Station Forecourt and Esplanade Improvements” dated August 2021 .