[Photo by Susan Vogelfang] Del Reyans test out a mock-up of a crosswalk across Centinela Avenue during the December 2019 pop-up event.
It is official! The rollout of the Centinela Avenue Great Streets build phase has begun! The community-led transformation of Centinela Avenue is coming to fruition.
In March 2020, just before COVID hit, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the Heart of Del Rey as the recipient of a Great Streets build grant of $500,000. The project, which focuses on Centinela Avenue between Short Avenue and Braddock Drive, was one of only four (out of more than 10) submitted projects to win a build grant.
Volunteers from the Del Rey Neighborhood Council, Del Rey Residents Association, and MOA Wellness Center comprised the Heart of Del Rey Team who conducted a robust outreach in the second half of 2019 to gather input from the community on ways to improve the atmosphere, appearance and usability of Centinela Avenue between Short and Braddock. The Team conducted meetings with business operators along Centinela, with landlords who own those commercial properties, and with City and private sector planning and design experts; collected more than 1,200 surveys; held a robust listening session; and conducted a pop-up event that brought to life some of the possible infrastructure improvements, including a crosswalk. Core members of the team wrote a final report and presented their findings at City Hall to a Great Streets Program panel in February 2020.
Members of the Heart of Del Rey Team at a Great Streets celebratory event at City Hall in early March 2020.
Within a few days of announcing the Great Streets $500,000 grant awardees, the City went into lockdown as the pandemic hit, bringing all activity on the build phase to a screeching halt. As the City has started to come out of lockdown in the past few months, the project has kicked back into gear, and the Heart of Del Rey Team has again sprung into action.
The map below shows community-requested changes that will be constructed later this year as part of the Build phase of the Heart of Del Rey project. Improvements include a crosswalk, pedestrian-scale street lights, trees, sidewalk repairs and bike racks to encourage a vibrant and walkable neighborhood hub.
The community's input is needed as the design is finalized. The Heart of Del Rey Team wants and needs your input on tree types and paint colors for curb extensions. Please take a moment to voice your opinion on design elements for the Heart of Del Rey project by completing this survey, which can also be accessed via the QR code below.
You can also visit the Heart of Del Rey team at Glen Alla Park on Friday, June 4th, 3-6pm, where large scale renderings of proposed improvements will be on display. Team members will be present to answer your questions and gather any feedback you may have.
I think you need a crosswalk at both ends of the block shown between Greene and Walsh, or maybe one in the middle of the block. Human nature will have people crossing without walking north or south to get to the distant crosswalks. Will LAPD write j-walk tickets? I once got threatened by a member of the bomb squad with a j-walking ticket for taking my dog across Braddock in the block west of MdR MS, with no traffic on the street.