Other than proximity to City Hall when the top brass has to make a visit, is there anything smart about the plans to erect the new LAPD headquarters in the midst of the downtown residential boom? It will take up land that more visionary planners suggested for a park to open up the Civic Center, it will ruin the view for loft dwellers in the Higgins building (and the L.A. Times), and it's likely to clog up a pretty reliable traffic corridor on Second Street. At BlogDowntown, James Rojas also points out that the project is taking away a bunch of street trees and uglifying one of the few welcoming streets in that part of downtown.

2nd Street is the only east-west pedestrian friendly street connecting Little Tokyo and the Downtown's Historic Core. The widening of 2nd Street will destroy the street's pedestrian friendly nature.....

Most of LA's downtown streets lack wide sidewalks, shade and landscaping that this section of 2nd Street has to offer. No matter how inconsequential the 8 street trees and landscape parkway seems, they are part of wider attempt to make LA pedestrian friendly and livable. Open space begins with our streets and sidewalks. We need to preserve this section of 2nd street to use as model for pedestrian friendly street design!

Also: The Downtown News has a story about residents building community on the Web. And the Garment & Citizen has a photo from the renovation of the Eastern Columbia building into condos.

Photo: Edward Fuentes