Can our favorite crashy public transit line spur development? The MTA thinks that the Orange Line is and will continue to be a catalyst for mixed-use “mini-towns” along its route. The MTA believes that developers are looking for land to develop retail-residential-commercial projects where public transit is already part of the infrastructure.
"We need to come back to neighborhoods that have been too long neglected and revitalize these neighborhoods," Goldstein [of developer J.H. Snyder] said. "Sometimes it takes new development to have the large amount of dollars come in and revitalize. The Orange Line will contribute to that."
Bruce Ackerman, president of the Economic Alliance, said developers can learn from mistakes made in other areas of L.A., where housing is miles away from stores and even farther from work. All three components should be planned together when envisioning communities, he said. No doy, Bruce. So explain that mess up in the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys. Whether the developers believe that the Orange Line is such a panacea remains to be seen.
· Mini Towns Could Dot MTA Lines [Daily News]