The Slauson Metro Blue Line station, located at the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Randolph Street, continues to be a primary mode of transportation for residents, connecting the neighborhood to many regional destinations such as downtown Los Angeles to the north and downtown Long Beach to the south. But the station is often criticized by its users.
“It’s so bad but I have no choice,” Vilma Avila, a South Los Angeles resident and avid user of the Slauson Blue Line said. “When I wait for it, I feel unsafe… have you looked at the area?”
Avila is referring to the clothes and trash in the streets and bushes around the station. The station itself only has several benches for riders, narrow sidewalks and rare crosswalks nearby.
The Los Angeles Department of City Planning, hopes to change this through the design of a Transit Oriented District around the Slauson station. They're not the only ones, however.
Because the Slauson station lies between the city and county borderlines, with north of Slauson landing within the city of Los Angeles, and south landing within the unincorporated area of Florence and Firestone, both entities seek to change the station through a creation of a TOD.
In both cases, the aim is the same: to be one of nine stations to promote an increase in access to stores, parks, schools and transits, focusing on safe pedestrian and transit corridors.
Even with similar goals, Regional Planning’s Susana Franco Rogan, acting supervising regional planner for the Florence and Firestone Community Plan said there has been no talk between the departments so far.
However, Robert Baird spokesman for the City Department of Planning says “there’s potential that there could be mutual planning.”
Part of the city's vision, Baird says, is to make South LA as self-sustaining as possible, to have residents enjoy recreational activities there, “live there, shop there, work there, the list never ends.”
“We’re focusing on people who usually depend on those transits have a better time using it,” he added. “Those that don’t depend would if it was safer, it was more convenient, and they could integrate their lives around the stations.”
The purpose of the Transit Oriented District, according to Community Healthy Councils, Inc., who partnered up with the Department of City Planning to outreach to the community, will be to increase transit ridership, reducing car accidents, traffic congestion and decrease pollution.
“What we hope to do is enact an ordinance that will affect land use and design guidelines and requirements that will activate with more walk able parts,” Baird said. “We hope to have a draft created by July or August and then probably a staff report or hearing by the end of this year. “
City Planning has joined project RENEW, Renew Environment for Nutrition, Exercise and Wellness in Los Angeles County, a project funded from a two year grant from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Project RENEW, which include CHC, has just completed multiple community meetings. What’s next? According to Baird, encouraging businesses to participate with their input is their next goal.
“There were a few [businesses] that came out, probably not as many as we’d hope,” Baird said. “It’s a challenge to make this connection.”
While City Planning has just concluded its series of community meetings to inform South LA residents, the Los Angeles County Regional Planning is still in the midst of its own community outreach.
Franco-Rogan, said those involved in the community plan have also had talks about what can happen in the area in regards to redevelopment, and what is presently around the area. Their next meeting for the Florence and Firestone Community Plan is April 30th. A draft for poster plan will be brought back to the community for their input.
