JEFFERSON PARK : Planners, Residents Talk Jobs, Housing

Planners, designers and community members took part in a two-day workshop focusing on the portion of the Crenshaw district north of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Last weekend’s workshop addressed zoning, transportation, the environment, economic development, affordable housing and the history of the area. Chief among the concerns of the 125 residents who attended were the lack of jobs and investment in the area, the need for more property ownership, upgrading commercial structures, mass transit and increasing community services.

“This was a really significant event as far as the planning process goes,” said Lauren Schlau, a resident and member of a city-sponsored advisory committee focusing on the Crenshaw area. “Because of budget cutbacks within city and housing planning agencies, we as a community are going to suffer unless we have these kinds of efforts.”

Among the workshop participants were the city planning department, the Community Redevelopment Agency, the Community Development Department, the Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Southwest Assn. of Neighbors.

The workshops were coordinated by the Crenshaw Neighborhood Planning Cluster, a consortium of community groups and redevelopment officials. The session was the third of four such events begun in March to cover the three city council districts and the county territory that make up the Crenshaw district.

Ted Lumpkin, a coordinator of the event and president of the resident group Crenshaw Neighbors Inc., said input from the workshops will be compiled in a land-use plan.

“Eventually, our plan will go the city, county, businesses, everyone,” Lumpkin said. “Whoever wants to do something within Crenshaw can utilize it.”

Information: (213) 296-0924