Crenshaw/LAX Transit Line Joint Development Opportunity Sites Feasibility Studies, Development Guidelines, and Design Review
Location
Los Angeles, California
Client
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro)
Completion
Development Guidelines adopted June 2016
Upon completion of construction in 2020, the Metro Crenshaw/LAX light-rail line will connect the Los Angeles airport to South Los Angeles, and incorporate nine station stops with joint-development opportunities. Feeling their neighborhoods have been underserved at these locations, communities along the transit line have strong concerns about ensuring planning equity as well as design quality in future projects.
JKA and consultant team were hired by Metro to provide guidelines reflecting community ideas. This was achieved through a process that included interactive listening, design, and reaction workshops. Community voices were recorded, allowing future development teams to have clear understandings of local sentiments. A range of programs, development types, and amenities were explored and assigned to each station stop. The objective was to tailor the cultural as well as design framework for each joint-development site and project.
Upon completion of the process, the JKA team finalized the guidelines, highlighting the community input. These were adopted by Metro and included in requests for proposals for the two largest opportunity sites. Both sites attracted developer interest. The winning projects also both proposed ambitious designs addressing the community input. Providing design review of the projects, JKA continues to assist Metro as the development teams move through entitlements, working to ensure that the community intent is realized in the completed projects.