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Part of Griffith Park Blvd. in Silver Lake to Become Public Plaza

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Finally there is news for a section of Sunset Blvd. through Silver Lake that doesn't involve stucco or concrete blocks. Councilmember Eric Garcetti has proposed a motion that would close a section of Griffith Park Blvd. to vehicle traffic to create a pedestrian plaza, according to Eastsider LA. The project covers "nearly two blocks of Griffith Park Boulevard between Sunset Boulevard and Edgecliff Drive [that] will be off limits to most motor vehicle traffic to create...a public space with seating areas." A section of Griffith Park to the north already periodically closes to make room for the Silver Lake Farmers' Market. The pilot project would close the street for a year and possibly beyond if the experiment proves popular, according to a spokesperson for Councilmember Garcetti who spoke with Eastsider. The timetable for the project is unclear given that this is a very preliminary step in the process, but the city has gotten a $25,000 grant from the Department of Transportation to help pay for the project.

The proposed pilot project is the work of Streets for People, a coalition bringing together the Planning Department, Planning Commission, County Department of Public Health, LA County Arts Commission, Metro, and Living Streets LA, among others. According to their website, Streets for People is planning three sets of temporary pedestrian plazas.

The pilot project would be located just a few blocks east of Sunset Junction, which is expecting its own innovative reconfiguration of a small triangle median in the near future--this in the form of a plaza at the Jiffy Lube site that'll include a giant saddle.
· Pedestrians and bikes to rule the road on this Silver Lake street [Eastsider]
· Griffith Park Boulevard / Sunset Boulevard / Edgecliffe Street / Vehicular Traffic Closure [Council File 11-0183-S2]