Northeast Los Angeles River Collaborative

Tierra West served as project manager and economic development advisors of the Northeast Los Angeles Riverfront Collaborative working with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the City of Los Angeles Economic and Workforce Development Department (EWDD) on a $2.25 Million dollar Community Planning Challenge grant. The Northeast Los Angeles (NELA) Riverfront Collaborative is part of the HUD grant in implementing the next step to further developing the 2007 Los Angeles River Master Plan. Tierra West developed a comprehensive approach linking land use plans and economic development strategies to support the revitalization of the Northeast Los Angeles Study area, which includes the communities of Atwater Village, Cypress Park, Elysian Valley, Glassell Park, and Lincoln Heights.

The scope of Tierra West’s involvement with this multi-disciplinary project involved the following:

Directed a multi-disciplinary team of 18 organizations – ranging from non-profits, community advocacy groups, City Economic Development staff, and many other regional and federal governing entities – to form a cohesive approach to the project;

Surveyed over 1,800 parcels to compile market analysis data;

Conducted community outreach workshops for residents and stakeholders to share their collective goals and visions for the area’s revitalization;

Developed the Northeast Los Angeles Riverfront Vision Plan – a guiding document for economic development planning, land use and planning principles, market studies including retail analysis and workforce development, as well as local demographic and regional data.

In late 2014, Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved the final recommendations made by our collaborative. Tierra West’s final deliverable was a comprehensive Economic Development Roadmap report, which highlighted community outreach summaries, feedback from developers, opportunity sites, alternative funding mechanisms, and potential project feasibility.