In 2015, the Palms Neighborhood Council published a report by UCLA Urban Planning Student Melody Wu that presented a detailed plan on improving Overland Ave in the Palms Neighborhood.
Five years later, amid new business and housing developments on Overland Ave., the street itself has changed little, and emphasis has shifted away from Overland Ave., towards the more widely utilized Motor Ave., and Venice Blvd.
While it looks like the Overland Ave., improvement project will take much longer to happen (if at all), let's revisit the detailed proposal and take a look at what could have been:
History
Overland Ave is one of the oldest streets in West Los Angeles and literally the First Street of Palms. Below is a topographical map of the LA Basin from the 1890s, showing the Palms community with Overland Ave., (known then as First Street) making up the western border of the "historic core". Overland has since become a major thoroughfare, connecting Culver City and Palms directly with the communities of Cheviot Hills, Rancho Park, and Westwood.
1) Community aesthetics and identity building.
The report suggests strongly that public art and uniformed signage would greatly improve the aesthetics and identity of Overland Ave. Since the report was published, several large-scale art projects have been commissioned on Overland, including the Palms Community Mural, which so far is the largest single mural in West Los Angeles.
Sadly, several businesses highlighted in the report have since shut down. The ongoing Covid19 Pandemic of 2020 and the rapid development of high-rise apartment and condominiums along Overland Ave., threatens to permanently close more businesses. This however, can be seen as a positive, as this can pave the way for more consistent branding of the corridor.
2) Pedestrian and Cyclist safety
Overland Ave., is a busy corridor that begins on a steep slope and ends in a major intersection, and throughout the years has sadly been the site of several fatal motor vehicle accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists. The report highlights these facts, and suggests improving pedestrian and cyclist safety by adding bike lanes, extending existing side-walks, creating parklets and building street islands to reduce traffic speeds.
Since the report was published, a new high-visibility cross-walk was installed at Rose Ave., and improvements to the timing of traffic lights on Palms blvd., has helped with pedestrian and cyclist safety. Elsewhere in Palms, an experimental parklet was also installed on Motor Ave. in front of the Motor Ave., Community Garden, and discussions to create a committee to maintain road islands on Venice blvd. has gained some traction. It has yet to be seen if these improvements would make their way to Overland Ave.,
3) Green Space
The report highlighted the numerous underutilized lots that dot Overland Ave., and suggested creative public usage, such as pop-up parks, tot-lots and dog areas. The report also suggested adding more trees to give shade to areas that lacked sufficient urban canopy. Since then, many of the vacant lots have been bought and developed, and private landscaping has taken over the sidewalks. It remains to be seen if dreams of another public park or community green space on Overland Ave., can be realized.
What do we do now?
Do you believe that the (Re)visioning Overland Ave. project should continue?
Do you want to bring the visions highlighted in the report to life?
Do you have your own visions for Overland Ave. that you want people to know about?
Here are some things you can do!
1) Attend the Palms Neighborhood Council General Assembly Meetings and participate in public comment.
2) Join one of the Palms Neighborhood Council Committees and advocate for specific improvements on Overland Ave.,
3) Follow in the footsteps of Motor Ave., Improvement Association and create your own organization to improve the quality of life for stakeholders of the Overland community by assertively promoting the community’s interests and facilitating community services and programs.
Here's to the future of Overland Ave.,!
