The struggling, industrial South Bay city of Carson wants to shake its image as the site of Los Angeles' landfills and waste treatment plants. It has embarked on a $1 million overhaul of its general plan, despite having a $4.1 million budget gap.
"The [Carson] City Council hired San Francisco-based urban planning firm Dyett & Bhatia earlier this month to oversee public outreach and rewrite the city’s 2004 General Plan," reports Sandy Mazza for the Daily Breeze. "The firm outbid five other companies for the two-year job."
“It’s going to set the stage for future development in the community,” City Manager Ken Farfsing said. “This is going to be a totally different city in five to 10 years.
Carson, population 100,000 [pdf], is the youngest city in the South Bay of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, 12th youngest among Los Angeles County's 88 cities [pdf]. The city celebrates its 50th anniversary next year.
As an unincorporated region in the county, it was unable to prevent the location of necessary but unsightly regional facilities, according to the city's history webpage.
By the time Carson finally incorporated as a city in 1968, its landscape was pockmarked with the dozens of refuse dumps, landfills, and auto dismantling plants which none of its neighbors would have in their own cities.
The city also has a history of oil drilling which led to the development of refineries and left a brownfield legacy. "Much of the developable land is contaminated by closed landfills or industrial waste," adds Mazza. But times are changing.
The city’s downtown, along Carson Street between the 405 and 110 freeways, has seen a huge boom in residential development in recent years. Hundreds of new apartments have been built in multiuse developments that include retail shops, eateries and offices.
A critical component of the general plan update will be to generate revenue through economic development.
“The city has been running on a structural deficit for the past several years. It is critical that this update examine ways to balance the increasing cost of providing services with limited sources of revenue,” the document states.
“The city’s economic viability may be at risk unless it formulates new strategies to promote fiscally sound practices.”
Hat tip to L.A. Transportation Headlines.
FULL STORY: Carson kicks off a major planning overhaul to transform city
A Win for Single-Family Zoning in California
Five Southern California charter cities need not worry about lot splitting in their single-family zoned neighborhoods thanks to a Los Angeles County superior court ruling on April 22. Depending on a forthcoming ruling, 120 cities may join them.
Tiger Woods Crash: Blame the Road, Not the Driver, Say Authorities
"Purely an accident" is how the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department characterized the one-person, single-vehicle rollover crash that severely injured golfing celebrity Tiger Woods on Feb. 23 while driving on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
When Whites Return to the Black Neighborhoods They Fled
Los Angeles Times op-ed writer Erin Aubry Kaplan shares her feelings upon seeing whites return to Inglewood, California half a century after they fled. One consistent theme emerges: "Whatever black people have can be taken away."
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.
Study: London ULEZ Rapidly Cleaning up Air Pollution
Expanding the city’s ultra low-emission zone has resulted in dramatic drops in particle emissions in inner and outer London.
The Unseen Aftermath: Wildfires’ Lasting Health and Emotional Burden
Wildfires in Los Angeles not only pose immediate physical health risks but also lead to long-term respiratory problems and mental health struggles, underscoring the need for a coordinated public health response to mitigate their lasting effects.
Public Parks as Climate Resilience Tools
Designed with green infrastructure, parks can mitigate flooding, reduce urban heat, and enhance climate resilience, offering cost-effective solutions to environmental challenges while benefiting communities.
What the Proposed Federal Budget Means for Transit, Rail
The proposed FY 2025 budget keeps spending for public transit and passenger rail essentially the same as in 2024.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments
City of Edmonds
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research