Developer Defeats Planning Expertise in Downtown Los Angeles

"The Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved a controversial downtown pedestrian bridge that a developer said was needed to protect his tenants from homeless people living nearby," reports David Zahniser.

The unanimous council decision came after Planning Department staff and the City Planning Commission rejected the proposed bridge in February, "saying the project conflicts with downtown design guidelines and planning policies. They warned the bridge could make the sidewalk less safe by sending foot traffic above Temple."

For examples of how universally derided the idea was (except by the City Council, of course) among planning staff and design advocates, read all-for-naught editorials here and here and the soundbites from an earlier article by Zahniser.

The developer's name, Geoff Palmer, might be familiar to those following the planning discussion in Los Angeles. He's the very same who won a lawsuit against the city in 2009 effectively throwing out the city's inclusionary requirements, which had implications for the entire state.