Crews began repaving the intersection of Las Palmas and Oakwood Avenue with concrete on June 9 in what city officials and Hancock Park community members hope is the first of many repair projects to improve the neighborhood’s aging streets.

Concrete street repairs began at Las Palmas and Oakwood Ave. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The repairs are part of a pilot project funded by $750,000 from the city budget and $300,000 in 4th Council District discretionary funds. The project is also an opportunity to analyze the cost of repairing streets using concrete, said Councilman David Ryu, 4th District.

“Our purpose here is to bring infrastructure investments to neighborhoods in innovative ways,” Ryu said. “We are trying to figure out how to repair and restore streets in a way that will last for generations.”

The Hancock Park Homeowners Association has been pushing for repairs using concrete, which is mandated by law because the neighborhood is a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ). City funding for the work had been unavailable in recent years, but Hancock Park Homeowners Association president Cindy Chvatal lobbied Ryu to move the repairs forward.

Ryu identified discretionary funding to get the pilot project started and worked with Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office to secure additional funding. Depending on the cost at Las Palmas and Oakwood Avenue, Ryu hopes to start repairs at other locations in Hancock Park.

Work has begun to identify other streets most in need of repairs. Locations such as Fourth Street and Hudson Avenue, and Beverly Boulevard and June Street have been identified as possible repair sites.

The Las Palmas and Oakwood Avenues project will add new curbs and American Disabilities Act compliant access ramps. The work is expected to be finished by the first week of July, said Bureau of Street Services director Nazario Sauceda.

“We are honored to be part of this pilot project that will make the community a lot better, more livable, more walkable and, at the end of the day, will improve the quality of life,” Sauceda said. “The councilman was able to secure the funding for this pilot project, and for that we are extremely grateful, but furthermore, there’s some funding available next year to continue these kind of improvements on concrete streets. Indeed, concrete streets tend to be more expensive – five to seven times more expensive than asphalt streets. We are very excited to be part of this innovative approach to addressing concrete streets here in L.A.”

City officials and community members shoveled dirt during the groundbreaking for the concrete street repair project. Pictured are Sarah Dusseault (left), chief of staff for Councilman David Ryu; Greg Spotts, assistant director of the Bureau of Street Services; Cindy Chvatal, president of the Hancock Park Homeowners Association; Councilman David Ryu; Public Works Commission president Kevin James; and Bureau of Street Services director Nazario Sauceda. (photo by Edwin Folven)

Public Works Commission president Kevin James said he has been trying to find ways to fix concrete streets in Hancock Park for the past three years. Some have not been repaved for decades.

James added that repairing streets in concrete is important because it preserves the character of the neighborhood. Hancock Park is also one of the top locations for filming in the city because of aesthetic features like concrete streets, and more filming means more jobs.

James also called for more state funding for street repair and a ballot measure to raise the sales tax in Los Angeles County for transportation-related projects.

“We have some challenges when it comes to concrete street repair,” James said. “To help expedite what we’re doing today, throughout Council District 4, throughout Hancock Park and throughout the city of Los Angeles, there are a couple of things that would be helpful to us. One of those, quite frankly, is we need additional funds to do this work.”

Chvatal said her goal is to preserve Hancock Park as much as possible, and she hopes the funding for more street repairs will materialize.

“Preservation represents a commitment to remembering the past and preparing for a sustainable future. An HOPZ can bring economic, environmental and cultural benefits to a community,” Chvatal said. “In 2007, Hancock Park got our first preservation plan, which was adopted by the full city council and was written by the planning department and the office of preservation with input from the community members. The first goal of that plan was to preserve the character of the community. The second goal of the plan was to preserve the streetscape. The concrete streets, the sidewalks, the curbs, the lights, it’s all an integral part of the plan. And it wasn’t by accident, it wasn’t an afterthought. It was an integral part because it’s part of the history of Hancock Park. Even though concrete is more expensive, we believe that going forward it is the right thing to do for the environment, for our history and for the neighborhood.”

Chvatal added that streets repaired in concrete last much longer than asphalt streets, so that longevity makes it cost effective to use concrete for repairs.

Ryu said his hope is to repair 10 locations as part of the pilot project – half to be completed by the city and half by private contractors – to see how to proceed with repairs in other parts of the city.

“Based on historic preservation, they are required to do concrete,” Ryu said. “We need the costs of concrete repairs. Then we can compare apples to apples.”