Much internal fanfare has been made about The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (Metro) future plans for development of Union Station—the Western United States’ largest railroad passenger terminal—but it seems the ballyhoo may not quite be carrying over to the public.
In 2011, when Metro purchased the historic downtown Los Angeles station that is included on the National Register of Historic Places, Metro representatives soon began developing a Union Station Master Plan (USMP) to provide solutions for the city’s evolving transportation needs while addressing the space’s entertainment, office, residential and retail needs. Between 2012 and 2014, Metro partnered with a bevy of advisers with varied expertise — including principal consultant Gruen Associates and design chief Grimshaw Architects — to put the finishing touches on the USMP. The concluding plan was presented to Metro’s Board of Directors in October 2014 and, according to a Union Station news release, is said to be in its “first phase.”
Metro’s Transforming Los Angeles Union Station Summary Report states a multimillion dollar effort is underway to execute a “master planning process aimed at upgrading and enhancing [Union Station], elevating it to world-class status.” As part of this mammoth objective, Metro plans to potentially relocate Patsaouras Bus Plaza to the west of the nearby rail yard; consolidate bus operations within a new spacious, open plaza and integrate high speed rail on site, “multi-modal connectivity” (read: any planning incorporating cycling, automobile, public transit, walking, etc.) and sustainability efforts while also connecting El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument to the facility.
In addition to these improvements, newer restaurant additions will also be made available on the premises said Ken Pratt, Union Station Leasing & Property Management. The classic French shop Café Crepe is set to open its doors within the Spring. The café, which presently has locations in Vancouver, Toronto and Santa Monica, will offer a full menu and bar service to the public says Pratt. Also, new restaurant Oto-Oto Express just kicked off its soft opening at Union Station offering bento box grab-and-go fare. The Oto-Oto Express owners hail from Japan and according to Pratt, the bento, onigiri, bowls, sushi rolls and soups offered are “absolutely delicious.” Pratt further explained that Metro is aligning with Live Nation to map out a concert series featuring local acts.
With all of these revitalization plans in place (or in the works), one would think the public was waiting with baited breath on all these innovative campaigns. Surprisingly, most commuters and employees of Union Station businesses seemed relatively out of the loop of the USMP. New train rider Humberto Estratalán said he was unaware of Metro’s plans, but expressed excitement for the proposed ideas.
“I’ve been commuting for the last year and used to live downtown, moved to Pomona, now I’m coming back downtown – but in that process I’ve been on the Metrolink. I ride the red line and I’m now on the blue line here and there. I think that we should definitely invest more in public transportation…” Estratalán added that providing affordable alternatives to public transportation is vital for community members.
“I think that summer concerts … especially if they’re free … are great for the community,” said Estratalán. “Previously when I was downtown, there was a summer concert series over across the street from the Wells Fargo Building that was extremely well [attended], but that was downtown. I think if there was something here, it’d be a little more central for people to come from Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights and would be more accessible to the community…so that would be great.”
Similarly, a New York resident who is here in Los Angeles temporarily explained she was not privy to information concerning Metro’s plans. While she believes providing the public alternative forms of transportation, alleviating traffic congestion and revitalizing Union Station are all important, she expressed her hopes that Metro officials would also try to remedy issues concerning homelessness in the area, which she acknowledges is “a difficult situation to address.”
“I know that they’re putting money into [the USMP], but I see veterans and disabled individuals [and women] that are homeless in the area, so I really hope they [are] remedying that situation … in other cities they’ve actually put some counseling and intervention programs in public libraries where a lot of homeless people frequent, so I think that’s really important. You can’t have such polar opposites … all this wealth and this money that’s going into these programs, yet people who served the country and … who are disabled, who are homeless…”
On the other end of the spectrum are those who work at the handful of businesses now sprinkled throughout Union Station. One Wetzel’s Pretzels employee expressed excitement about the station’s upcoming plans after learning the detail. The employee stated she believes the plans will help increase business and overall awareness with customers.
“[Travelers] want shops or they want a place to sit or anything. You know, we are in a place where we just offer food to go and it’ll be nice for people to have a place to relax a little and enjoy the view. Union Station does carry a lot of history, so it’ll (revitalization) just be a nice thing to have so that people don’t just see it just as a place to go to work.”
Green Bowl 2 Go employee Danielle expressed similar views.
“I wasn’t [aware of Metro’s plans], but I am most definitely excited about it … because we’re a small business and it would be more customers for us, more business for the owner and … maybe we could expand our menu. It’ll be very exciting!”
Danielle said she believes the revitalization efforts will be positive overall, and she is hopeful it will bring more jobs and businesses to the Boyle Heights community.
“This place was known for … homelessness … so I think the renovation is gonna be good, the concert’s gonna be good … because it brings more people and more community. I think it’ll be more lively because before it was really dark and mysterious, there were no stores back here…this was like a newsstand. I remember coming here with my mom when I was really small, so it was really nothing like it is now. Now there’s lights, there’s people – I think a concert would be really, really good for Union Station.”
Union Station’s website further hints at potential plans to incorporate interactive art into the transportation hub. When asked about these plans, former art student Alex, and spoken word artist Bryce Smith, both commuters, said they shared an interest in seeing other artists’ work on display.
Smith said he believes the revitalization plans to be “a sign from that they’re [Union Station] still trying to connect with the community and I think that would mean a lot.”
As of now, Pratt reports a Cedd Moses and Eric Needleman-helmed microbrewery and gastropub at Union Station “is now in the design and architectural development phase and will eventually take over the Fred Harvey Restaurant.” The duo is responsible for many popular downtown bars and restaurants, including Coles, Seven Grand Whiskey Bar and Broadway Bar.
In regard to Metro’s master plans for Union Station’s redevelopment and improvement, Pratt said, “We wanna make it [Union Station] attractive to Angelenos,” and they are well on their way – they just might want to further introduce the idea to the public at large.
