The County of Los Angeles has long sought to realize development in the blocks to the west of El Pueblo de Los Angeles, the historic origin point where this City was founded in 1781. Incorporating Olvera Street, La Placita Church, La Plaza, and many historic structures, the district to the west of the site is a void utilized for surface parking. Now the County, which controls many of these key parking sites, wants to move forward with a vision that links the El Pueblo district to historic Fort Moore and Chinatown and that is sensitive to the history of the place.

JKA was asked to quickly develop and visualize master plan parameters that took into account both the historic context and real estate pragmatics. Working in concert with James Suhr and Associates, the development advisors, and The Maxima Group, real estate economists, JKA sketched out numerous site development options utilizing a variety of market mixes. As each mix was tested from both a program, constructability, and financial feasibility standpoint, JKA simultaneously developed a set of draft design guidelines that any future development team would need to follow to ensure urban design and environmental quality.

One of the key pressures of the master plan process was satisfying Los Angeles County officials, including Supervisor Gloria Molina, that the combination of real estate factors that were generating program types, and design factors that were shaping the master plan in relationship to El Pueblo, would result in an enduring design. Towards this end, JKA developed renderings based upon the master plan diagrams that “proved” the efficacy of the design and real estate concept to decision-makers, by demonstrating the presence of the desired community linkages and the potential for careful relationship of new buildings to historic structures. This rendering ”test” was approved by the Supervisor, thereby allowing the plan to move forward towards issuance in January 2014 of the request for proposals to the development community.