Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Downtown LA has worst pollution, Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Animal Advocates

Los Angeles, pollution, downtown, Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates
LA Times has a good article on pollution in Los Angeles. (I made a snap shot of downtown LA only in the map above. Links to full maps below.) I wrote an article few years back about pollution in downtown Los Angeles in the newer loft areas such as South Park, Business District, Jewelry District, Art District, China Town, Fashion District. You have the worst diesel particulate matter next to freeways. Downtown LA is in the middle of 110, 10, 5, 101 and 710 freeways. Downtown LA has the flower, produce, clothing, toy, pinata, kitchen accessory, fish marts so there are many trucks on the streets polluting the air while they make deliveries.

The City has been promoting downtown LA as a place to "live and work." Most of the projects that got subsidies or were given density bumps are all located right next to the freeways. These projects are heavily polluted. They don't have screens on the windows because they know no one will ever open them. If you open your window in downtown LA, your entire place will be covered in black soot within a day.

Not only is there particulate matter pollution but there is also sound pollution from the freeways, Metro and sports arenas. They try to mitigate the sounds with fountains but they don't help. The ones built on the Metro route are extremely loud. One in particular is 1130 S. Flower.

The city gave developers incentives to build in these polluted, dense, crime ridden areas to help the local economy. This is really the worst place for someone to live with the pollution and crime. I lived there for a year then moved. The pollution made my cat's eyes and nose run.

The developers lured buyers and renters by saying it's a safe place to walk to work, walk to the store, walk to Starbucks. The lofts were cheaper than West LA condos. These were soft lofts which are missing walls and ceilings with exposed plumbing. They were supposed to be arty cool. Instead they were just poorly made units with no bathroom, stove or dryer vents, few walls, no floorings. The developers skimped on the projects to optimize profits.

Some people did move into the units. This has caused car theft and robberies to explode. Before there were just sweat shops and run down apartments for very poor people. There was no one and nothing to rob. Now there is. While the City did up security and police in the area there is still high crime.

The City allowed the developers to build the bare minimum units with smallest parking spots, fewest parking spots per "bedroom," narrowest driveways, highest density of units per ground space... City allowed them to convert industrial, commercial buildings and zones to residential units or business/residential units. They did not make them upgrade plumbing from industrial use to residential use. These things have caused so many problems in the lofts from the last loft boom. I advise people to steer clear of these units. If you really want to buy one, get one that has been upgraded. Caveat emptor indeed.

http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-0423-pollution-neighborhoods-20140423,0,1487851.story#axzz2zjPw0NgZ

http://graphics.latimes.com/responsivemap-pollution-burdens/

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, single family, condo, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls,
By at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Barbara Carrasco Mural LA History A Mexican Perspective at Natural History Museum by Mary Cummins

barbara carrasco, dolores huerta, mary cummins, maria rivera, mural, muralist, natural history museum, la history a mexican perspective, art...