UNNC Washington Blvd Specific Plan
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”
