Another recent development Downtown has offered an indicator to help fill the gaps in public disclosure created by city and state officials who refuse to provide details about a proposal to spend $6.6 million to buy a 0.7-acre parcel of land to be turned into a park at 9th and Hill streets.
The latest information has raised more questions from some Downtown community members because 14th District Los Angeles City Councilmember Jose Huizar, who is spearheading the park plan, has declined to say how much of the overall budget would go toward a performance stage, play area, "fitness stations" and other features as opposed to how much would be spent to buy the 0.7-acre parcel of land itself. Huizar is seeking $1.6 million in city funds and $5 million from state officials, who have also declined to offer a breakdown of costs to the public.
The marketplace has begun to help fill in the blanks left by the silence of city and state officials, however — a process that started with a recent report about a separate piece of land in the upscale Bunker Hill district. The report to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors offered an initial indicator that the plan for the park at 9th and Hill streets might overvalue the 0.7-acre parcel there, which is currently used as a parking lot and owned by the Kor Group, a real estate firm that developed the adjacent Eastern Columbia Building into residential lofts.
The report to the Board of Supervisors pegged the value of the 2-acre parcel of land on Bunker Hill at $7.7 million — or $3.85 million per acre. That's far less than the per-acre price at 9th and Hill, based on recent indicators.
Indeed, some Downtown community members have said the comparison offered by the valuation for the Bunker Hill land makes them think that officials are either preparing a lavish budget for amenities for the park at 9th and Hill or they intend to spend too much for the land there.
Such concerns grew in recent days, when the latest unintended indicator turned up on the 400 block of S. Spring Street, where city officials have estimated they will spend $1.8 million to develop a park of the same size and with a purpose similar to the facility proposed for 9th and Hill.
The estimate from the city's Department of Public Works indicates that the $1.8 million would pay for amenities that would be on par with those expected at 9th and Hill Indeed, the sites at 9th and Hill and Spring Street are both 0.7-acres and have both been supported by vocal groups of residents who arrived Downtown with the trend of residential redevelopment that preceded the current economic downturn. Both sites also appear to be planned with those loft dwellers in mind.
The similarities between the two sites make the estimate of $1.8 million for the amenities for the Spring Street park a reasonable baseline for comparisons to the facility proposed for 9th and Hill, according to some observers. Several of them have even said that spending any more on the park at 9th and Hill would be difficult to justify, given the current budget crisis that has city officials trimming parks programs and other services.
Critics of the plan for the park at 9th and Hill — many of whom have requested anonymity over fears of retaliation from City Hall — have also said that spending $1.8 million for amenities for a park at 9th and Hill would still leave $4.8 million to buy the 0.7-acre parcel. They have noted that the price comes to approximately $6.9 million when figured on a per-acre basis.
"This smells bad," said a Downtown business owner. "The county says land along Grand Avenue on Bunker Hill is worth $3.85 million per acre and the city is telling us that land at 9th and Hill is worth almost twice as much. That doesn't add up — and our elected officials won't offer any explanation."
Some observers are also on alert because the proposal at 9th and Hill streets comes approximately one year after city officials agreed to pay $5.6 million for the parcel that is now being turned into a park on the 400 block of S. Spring Street.
The price tag for the parcel on Spring Street — also a parking lot — included only the cost of the land.
City officials eventually cut their offer to $5.1 million after a series of reports in the Garment & Citizen shed light on a number of irregularities and inconsistencies in methods used to determine the land's value. That price is still about twice the value of the land on Bunker Hill on a per-acre basis, according to the recent report to county officials.
Related articles:
• CalAware Joins Probe of Hill Street Park Deal
• Did Move to Deny Us Defy Schwarzenegger?
• State Denies Request for Information on Downtown Park Proposal
• City, State Won't Say Price of Land for 'Pocket Park' at 9th & Hill
• Report on Eli's Museum Plan Makes Downtown Pocket Park Look a Lot Pricier
• Schwarzenegger OK With Silence on Hill Street Park Deal; CalAware Not So Sure
Jerry Sullivan is editor of the L.A. Garment & Citizen.
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