In the Spring of 2003, the council staff of then City Councilman Nate Holden
invited leadership of the 10th City Council District to take part in a Coro
Foundation 10-week Neighborhood Leadership Program focused on Economic
Development. By its culmination, workshop participants had created a Vision for
Community Development in Council District 10.
On June 3, 2004, the UNNC Governing Board adopted the Vision Plan for our
community’s commercial corridors as developed from the Coro workshop which
envisions in part a “pedestrian-friendly, transit-friendly, green, sustainable, livable
urban village that is sensitive to historic preservation.” This is a vision we want to
bring to fruition for all our commercial corridors, but decided to begin with
Washington Boulevard for two reasons: (1) there was a lot of resident interest for
this; and (2) the recent development of the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center.
The UNNC Governing Board on September 2, 2004 passed the following
resolution:
“UNNC recommends that 10th District Councilmember Martin Ludlow introduce a
motion initiating a Specific Plan for Washington Boulevard between Normandie
and Crenshaw including but not limited to the following elements:
1). Pedestrian orientation
2). Transit friendliness
3). A Design Review Board
4). Mixed use (including live-work) zoning
5). Creation of a neighborhood district with neighborhood-serving
businesses
6). Elimination of conflicts between current zoning and uses
7). Elimination of nuisance uses
8). Designated common parking
9). Sensitivity to historic preservation as appropriate (both in terms of the
Corridor’s existing fabric of 1920s commercial buildings and/or older residences
on the corridor as well as the historic housing adjacent to it)
10). Inclusionary zoning”
