Earlier this week, Los Angeles Unified School District rep Noel Campos said construction of the new Echo Park school planned for the 9A site around Alvarado St couldn't happen till the city signed off a street vacation for Marathon Street. According to Campos, City Councilman Eric Garcetti's signature is necessary for a work to continue. "I have no idea when that might happen," he told us, referring to getting the permit. The sting here is that LAUSD won the long legal battle to destroy about 50 homes in Echo Park to build the school. (UPDATE: Technically, the LAUSD lost the battle aka the lawsuits, but won the overall war; backstory here) Yesterday, Garcetti's press secretary Julie Wong, passed on the following statement regarding the vacation: "LAUSD needs sign off on a street vacation on Marathon Street so that they can build over what is currently now a roadway. Council President Garcetti has requested that the district review its plans for the school and see if it can be made more appropriate in size, scale, and design for the neighborhood. Until that process is complete, he cannot support a street vacation." UPDATE: Eastsider LA has more on the topic. Check out the blog's comments, too, for more detail on why the city wants a smaller school built on this site.
· Echo Park 9A Homes Gone, Latest School Renderings [Curbed LA]
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