CITY AIMS TO BOOST PRESENCE IN VALLEY : PROPOSAL LINKED TO NEW BUILDING.Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer A plan to boost the number of city office workers assigned to the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. by 46 percent is being linked to a councilman's proposal to build a new City Hall in Van Nuys. Officials said Wednesday that construction of a new, 100,000-square-foot City Hall would provide space needed for the new workers, including city planning city planning, process of planning for the improvement of urban centers in order to provide healthy and safe living conditions, efficient transport and communication, adequate public facilities, and aesthetic surroundings. and building officials. Developers will be asked to bid on the project in the next three months. ``It will cut costs, revitalize the area and improve public access to city services The examples and perspective in this article or section may represent an unduly geographically limited view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. ,'' Councilman Marvin Braude Marvin Braude (August 11, 1920—December 7, 2005)served as Los Angeles City Councilman for the 11th district from 1965 to 1997. At various times Mr. Braude (pronounced BROW-dee) served as chair of the Finance and Revenue Committee, the Environmental Quality and Waste said Wednesday as he formally introduced his proposal. About 89 percent of city office employees work in downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or , with the balance in outlying areas, including the Valley, said Daniel Rosenfeld Daniel Rosenfeld (born in Palestine, October 19, 1929) is a writer and expert on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His father was an official in the British Mandate's Government from 1921–1948, and he was educated in Hebrew and English schools. , city assets manager. He said city officials would prefer that about 23 percent work in the outlying areas as part of an effort to decentralize de·cen·tral·ize v. de·cen·tral·ized, de·cen·tral·iz·ing, de·cen·tral·iz·es v.tr. 1. To distribute the administrative functions or powers of (a central authority) among several local authorities. city government. Now 375 city office employees work in the Valley. The number would increase to 550 by 1999 if a new City Hall is built in Van Nuys. Building and safety, planning and redevelopment departments are among 15 city agencies in which there is interest in transferring staff to a new City Hall in Van Nuys, Rosenfeld said. One outcome could be the creation of a one-stop center for Building and Safety Department permits. ``We want more important decision-making authority transferred to the Valley,'' Braude said. He said more city staff in Van Nuys could save time and trips downtown for permits and other business. The one-stop center would be in a five-story City Hall built by a private development team on city land, then leased to the city for 20 years, according to a 25-page consultant report prepared for the city. At the end of the lease period, the city would become owner of the building, Braude said. The consultant report suggests that the ground floor of the proposed City Hall be devoted to retail stores and that a 450-space parking garage be built nearby. Once developers submit competing offers to build the first phase, the City Council would be able to approve the project in mid-1997 with the new City Hall completed in 1999, Rosenfeld said. Braude said the city either could spend $20 million to repair the earthquake damage to the outdated City Hall on Sylvan sylvan emanating from or pertaining to woods. See also sylvatic. Street or demolish the 63-year-old building and save its historic features, including walls and facades, to be incorporated into the new building. Braude said the Civic Center project he is proposing is necessary regardless of whether the Valley chooses to pursue a breakaway from the city. ``If the Valley should become a separate city, such a project would still be necessary,'' Braude said. ``In fact, it would facilitate a transition.'' |
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