Last week, the Times profiled Ken Smith, the selected designer for Orange County's Great Park. We learn he was once an Iowa farm boy with a penchant for mixing synthetic with organic in his landscape designs - and he has funky glasses. His quirkiness is somehow charming.
· Next, he'll build a canyon [LA Times]
Affordable luxury housing is luring OC residents and other to make the trek into the Inland Empire, where a new population of well-educated young urbanites is now gaining a foot hold. Businesses have taken note, with white collar jobs moving into the area and those high-end stores like Williams-Sonoma moving in as well. The IE gets respectable. "Curbed Chino" in early stages of planning.
· Raw Dirt to Gold Dust [OC Metro]
Residents adjacent to the Orange Line busway can't get a good night's sleep. Sucks to be them. The MTA has determined that of 41 bus-related noise complaints received since October, nine did in fact have merit. The solution is to pay for double paned windows in houses effected by the noisy buses, much like those in El Segundo to protect against harsh airport noise.
· MTA May Install Windows In Homes Near Orange Line [CBS2]
Councilman Ed Reyes (CD 1) is in the middle of a "dust up" over a proposed interim control ordinance he proposed last week to limit development along the Los Angeles River (that big concrete canal thing -ed.). Community and business leaders felt Reyes' ordinance was an attempt to sneak development limitations past them before any meaningful discussion could take place. A decision on whether to act on the measure has been delayed so the ordinance can be debated. Oh Ed Reyes, when will you ever learn?
· L.A. River building rule stirs conflict [SGV Tribune]