December 17, 2014
LA River Revitalization Effort Assessment Implementation Opportunities
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |2 2
HR&A is at the leading edge of civic engagement to fund, design,
operate, and program new urban open space.
Planning Design &
Construction
Phased
Implementation Complete
MSP Green Line
Fort Mason Center
OK City Ctri Pk
Seattle Waterfront
MOA Peavey Plaza
Mem. Shelby Farms
Waterfront Toronto
NYC The High Line
B’klyn Bridge Park
Cincy Fountain Sq.
Boston RK G’way
NYC Battery Park
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |3 3
USERS
NEIGHBORHOOD
CITY/REGION
Enjoyment Property Value
Premiums Tourism
Public Health New Business and Real
Estate Development
Spending and
Multiplier Impacts
Air & Water Quality Resident & Business
Attraction
Public Safety “Brand”
The current wave of (re)investment in great urban open space has
many of the same goals as previous waves.
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |4 4
You asked us to convene three series of meetings to assess the LA
River Revitalization effort and recommend next steps.
• Meeting Series 1: Stakeholder Engagement – July
• Meetings Series 2: Board Committee Workshop – December
• Meeting Series 3: Presentation to Convened Leaders – TBD
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |5 5
You asked us to convene three series of meetings to assess the LA
River Revitalization effort and recommend next steps.
• Meeting Series 1: Stakeholder Engagement – July
• Meetings Series 2: Board Committee Workshop – December
• Meeting Series 3: Presentation to Convened Leaders – TBD
Private/Non-Profit Sector
Lewis McAdams, Friends of the LA
River
Tori Kjer, The Trust for Public Land
Nancy Steel, Council for Watershed
Health
Eric Bruins, LA County Bike Coalition
Veronica Padilla and Max Podemski,
Pacoima Beautiful
Miguel Luna, Urban
Semillas/DakeLuna
Amy Lethbridge and Joseph Edmiston,
the Santa Monica Mountains
Conservancy
LARRC Board Members
Brian Moore
Bruce Saito
Allan Abshez
Cynthia Hirschhorn
Jordan Kerner
Chris Rising
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |6 6
You asked us to convene three series of meetings to assess the LA
River Revitalization effort and recommend next steps.
• Meeting Series 1: Stakeholder Engagement – July
• Meetings Series 2: Board Committee Workshop – December
• Meeting Series 3: Presentation to Convened Leaders – TBD
Public Sector
Terri Grant and Gary Hildebrand, LA County Watershed
Diego Cardosa and Eric Carlson, Metro
Enrique Zalvidar, LA City Bureau of Sanitation
Gary Moore, City Engineer of the City of LA
Michael Shull, LA City Department of Recreation and Parks
Christine Peters, Office of Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell
Greg Good, Ted Bardacke, and staffers at the Mayor’s Office
Barbara Romero, City of LA Department of Public Works
Commissioner
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |7
Opportunities and Challenges What has happened so far?
Where can we go from here?
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |8 8
The revitalization of the LA River is an opportunity to achieve a
number of objectives.
Establish a signature open space in eastern LA to rival the beach and mountains of the coast.
Improve Los Angeles metro’s brand as a place rich in non-car oriented public space.
Continue to contribute to LA metro’s necessary water management strategy.
Drive economic benefits, aspiring to a 500%+ return on public capital, as elsewhere.
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |9 9
20 years of increasingly focused planning has been largely led by
engineers.
1996
The County of LA River
Master Plan approved
by the Board of
Supervisors
2002
The Ad Hoc
Committee on the LA
River is established by
City Council
2003
The LA River City
Department Task Force is
established and chaired
by the City Engineer
2006
The LA River Planning
Unit is established in the
Department of City
Planning
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |10 10
Among the most important products of that planning has been the
development of various lists of viable projects.
• The LA River Revitalization
Master Plan is established
and published with funding
from DWP
• The LA River Project Office
is formed within the City
Bureau of Engineering
2009
The LA River
Revitalization
Corporation
is established
2013
The City Council adopts the
Cornfields Arroyo Seco
Specific Plan (CASP), which
establishes new mixed-use
zoning districts River.
2014
Army Corps of Engineers announces
the selection of Alternative 20, the most
comprehensive alternative in their
Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study
2007
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |11 11
Compilation, rationalization, funding and management of those
projects will require unprecedented regional cooperation.
LA County Flood Control
Districts
Los Angeles River
City of LA
Other LA River-Adjacent Cities
Council Districts
Source: ESRI, GIS, HR&A Advisors
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |12 12
Leaders have recently undertaken a variety of relatively small
capital projects and programs.
2008-2010
LA River Bike Path
Albion Dairy Purchase
Source: City LA River Timeline, HR&A Advisors
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |13 13
These initiatives are starting to generate a sense of the possible.
LA River Bike Path
Albion Dairy Purchase
2011-2012
Glendale Narrows
River Walk
North Atwater Park
Paddle LA Pilot
Source: City LA River Timeline, HR&A Advisors
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |14 14
Despite little or no coordination of projects, which compete for
funds, there is a growing sense that the River’s moment has come.
LA River Bike Path
Albion Dairy Purchase
Glendale Narrows
River Walk
North Atwater Park
Paddle LA Pilot
2013-2014
NBC Universal Path
Ed. P. Reyes Greenway
Sunnynook River Park
Source: City LA River Timeline, HR&A Advisors
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |15 15
Glendale Parks and
Recreation Glendale
Narrows Riverwalk
LA River
Revitalization
Corporation
La Kretz
Bridge
The Trust for
Public Land
Aliso Creek
and LA River
Confluence
As of now, no inventory of projects exists, largely because so many
entities are advancing so many projects.
Source: LA Country Department of Public Works Project Listing
City of LA
Mayor’s Office
Acquisition of
G2 Parcel
The SM
Mountains
Conservancy
Pacoima
Wash 8th
Street Park
The Council
for
Watershed
Health
Watershed
Monitoring
Program
City of LA
Bureau of
Engineering
Albion Park
U.S. Army Corps
of Engineering
Alternative 20
LA County DPW
Arroyo Seco
Bikeway, Sign
Implementation
Project
Metro
LA River
Bikeways/
Greenway
2020
North
East
Trees
Steelhead
Park
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |16 16
Connector of diverse
communities and stakeholders
Achieving that level of regional collaboration will certainly require
agreement on what “the LA River Project” is.
Revitalization
Master Plan
32 Miles / 240 Projects
Greening and Value
Alternative 20
11 Miles / Ecosystem
Restoration
Greenway 2020
51 Miles / Bike Path
Community Development
Regional Economic
Development
Catalyst of business attraction
and real estate investment
Sustainability and Resilience
Partial solution to increasingly
dire water shortage
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |17 17
Capturing the regional imagination will be necessary to securing the
capital needed.
$-
$5
$10
$15
$20
$25
$30
$35
MilleniumPark
YerbaBuena
Gardens
High Line DiscoveryGreen
HancePark
CentennialOlympic
Park
Total Capital Costs per Acre, Signature Urban Parks
Capital Cost Per Acre (2014$)
Millions
Alaskan Way
Seattle, WA
$3.5b+
Infrastructure
realignment and
environmental
restoration to rebrand
the waterfront
Millennium Park
Chicago, IL / $480m
Public park, capping
transportation infrastructure
& creating a new urban
focus for the city.
The Big Dig Boston, MA
$24.3b
Infrastructure realignment
to reconnect the city to its
harbor and create open
green space and real
estate value
Anacostia Waterfront
Washington, DC
$20b+ ($5b+ to date)
Real estate investments
and industrial re-use to
fund public amenities &
environmental
remediation
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |18 18
Urban Gems
Regional Parks Neighborhood Parks
Passive
Annual Per Acre O&M Costs
$1M+ $12,500 $5,000 $1,000 $70,000
The project will need operating dollars as well. Park elements
alone will require a high level of continuing investment.
Active Passive Active
Source: HR&A Advisors
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |19 19
Clarity of vision will permit development of a strategy capable of
being revisited by successive administrations.
Mayor Garcetti’s successor may
not be as river-passionate.
Start of
Community
Organizing
Current Status
BAM Late 1990s Initial phases
complete
Ftn.
Square Early 2000s
Completed
2006
Beltline Late 1990s Initial phases
complete
BBP Late 1980s 50% built by
end of 2014
High
Line Late 1990s
Final phase
open 2014
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |20
HR&A’s Recommended Approach A six-step implementation strategy
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |21 21
Step 1: Define an easily articulable and powerful vision that is
commonly shared among leading stakeholders.
The vision
What the project is
How it will create value
How it will be implemented
(core values and priorities)
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |22 22
Vision Programs
Community develop-
ment
Economic develop-
ment
Resilience and
sustaina-bility
Transpor-tation
Step 2: Describe complementary programs to achieve the vision.
Consider the adequacy of planning to date.
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |23 23
Step 3: Inventory current and near-term projects that advance each
program.
Economic Development Program
Geo.
Reach
Funds
Req.’d
Funds
Identified
Responsible
Party
Supporting
Agencies
Est. Year
Complete
Current Projects
Project 1
Project 2
Project 3
Near-Term Projects (5-10+ Years)
Project 4
Project 5
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |24 24
Step 4: Estimate order of magnitude total capital costs. Begin to
identify sources of funding by project.
Philanthropy
Required
Funding For
Current And
Near-term
Projects
Base Public
Funding
Value
Capture
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |25 25
Base Public Funding: There is current potential for $500M in ACOE
funding that would advance at least one potential program.
$-
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
Millio
ns
Local Match for $500M Army Corps Funding
Gap in
Local
Match
$140M: State Water Bond (Prop 1)
$100M/$5-8B): State Cap and Trade
Proposed City Parks Bond
U.S.
Army Corps
Local
Match
Long Term Debt Financing Techniques
Assessment Districts
Special Taxes
Exactions & Fees
State and Federal Programs
Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |26 26
Base Public Funding: Other sources must be explored,
particularly at the State level, to advance other programs.
Community development
Economic development
Resilience and sustainability
Transportation
Uses
TBD
TBD
TBD
Sources
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |27 27
Value Capture: Precedents for linking infrastructure-attributable
land value to funding from adjacent development are legion.
Presidio | Real estate portfolio provides half of operating revenues.
Brooklyn Bridge Park | One B’klyn Bridge Pk provides $3m annually.
Waterfront Toronto | Development proceeds provide revolving capital fund.
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |28 28
Value Capture: Significant development opportunities along the LA
River provide possibilities for value capture.
Perkins + Will Rendering
The Lincoln Heights Jail is one of many properties ripe
for redevelopment and a source of potential value
capture.
Vacant Parcels Source: ESRI, GIS
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |29 29
Value Capture: Recently-approved Enhanced Infrastructure
Financing Districts (EIFDs) have potential to raise capital dollars.
There is a motion in front of a LA City Committee to
consider an EIFD for funding LA River improvements.
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |30 30
Philanthropy: Parks have attracted philanthropy, but not for both
capital and O&M. Total private funding rarely exceeds 50%.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Public-Private Funding Partnership
Private
High
Line
Brooklyn
Bridge
Park
Millennium
Park
Discovery
Green
Fountain
Square
O&M
Private
Public
Capital
Private
Public
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |31 31
Maintenance
Districts
Step 5: Establish an O&M funding strategy with blended and
complementary sources to support increasing O&M needs.
Public
Funding
Earned
Income
Required
Funding
Philanthropy
Baseline
public
funding for
O&M will
be minimal.
Maintenance
districts have
some
potential to
enhance
public
funding.
Philanthropic
potential is
significant;
consider tying
capital gifts
to ongoing
operating
gifts.
Income from
programmed
portions of
the River has
significant
capacity.
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |32 32
Step 6: Consider that effective governance acknowledges
partners’ interests and core capabilities. Where does LARRC fit?
Clarity of motivation
Expertise, capacity, and interest
in all relevant disciplines
Ability to solicit, accept, and
spend funds from multiple
sources
Accountability to the public
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |33 33
Governance: Management requirements change over time.
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |34 34
Lesson #1: Some regional revitalization efforts are more
centralized than others; both can be successful.
Governance: Success is not necessarily a function of centralization
of authority.
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment | 34
Golden Gate National
Recreation Area,
Bay Area, California Williamsburg Waterfront,
New York
Emerald Necklace
Boston, MA
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |35 35
Shelby Farms Park
Memphis, TN
Governance: Nonprofit entities can be effective solicitors and
poolers of public and private resources.
Shelby Farms Park
Memphis, TN
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment | 35
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |36 36
Governance: In the immediate term, critical, unfilled roles that
could be filled by LARRC include:
Securing new capital funds
Leading/facilitating the articulation of a vision
Facilitating a coordinated outreach and media relations effort
HR&A Advisors, Inc. LA River Revitalization Opportunity Assessment |37 37
Next Steps
LISTEN
• Met with 20+ key stakeholders
DISCUSS
• Present HR&A’s assessment
• Share key lessons from national precedents
• Discuss board member impressions
SHARE
• Report HR&A findings to stakeholders
• Refine and share proposed implementation plan
Draft La River Revitalization Effort Assessment Implementation Opportunities
December 17, 2014
December 17, 2014
LA River Revitalization Effort Assessment Implementation Opportunities
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