Supervisors asking for grants for Florence-Firestone and Lennox

 

  NEWS

    Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas

             L.A. County Board of Supervisors, 2^nd District

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 24, 2009                                                               Contact:    James Bolden

                                                                                                               213-200-5314

 

SUPERVISORS RIDLEY-THOMAS AND MOLINA INITIATE PROCESS TO APPLY FOR CALTRANS’ COMMUNITY-BASED GRANTS FOR FLORENCE FIRESTONE & LENNOX AREAS

 

LOS ANGELES COUNTY – Poised to benefit from the updated planning programs that identify sustainable strategies and opportunities that address both community’s unique conditions and concerns, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas joined Supervisor Gloria Molina, calling for the County’s Regional Planning Department to apply to CALTRANS for its Community-Based Transportation and Environmental Justice grants for the unincorporated areas of Florence-Firestone and Lennox.

 

Supervisors Ridley-Thomas and Molina asked the Board to authorize the Regional Planning Department’s Acting Director to take all appropriate action to apply to CALTRANS Transportation grant for the Florence-Firestone community, as well as the Environmental Justice grant for the Lennox community. The Board supported their request to approve the resolution authorizing the application.

 

The CALTRANS Community-Based Transportation grant for Florence-Firestone is an allocation of up to $300,000, and the Environmental Justice grant amount is up to $250,000.

 

“The CALTRANS Transportation Planning Grant Program aims to coordinate transportation and land use planning projects that encourage community involvement and partnership, providing a timely opportunity for Los Angeles County to solicit resources for this objective,” Supervisors Ridley-Thomas and Molina stated in their request to the Board.

 

Recent efforts in Florence-Firestone, particularly the “Visioning Project,” have engaged constituents in the development of a community vision to address the community’s deteriorating infrastructure, significant criminal activity, zoning violations, and mobility limitations. The community is located near major employment centers, and has access to light rail transit.

 

The Florence-Firestone area is suited for the Community-Based Transportation grant, as its program focuses on long-sustainable community and economic development, and incorporates community-based stakeholder collaboration and consensus building.

 

Lennox residents stand to benefit from planning efforts that address aircraft and automobile traffic, related noise and vibration resulting from proximity to the 405 and 105 freeways and the Los Angeles International Airport. The CALTRANS Environmental Justice grant is intended to promote the involvement of low-income and minority communities in the planning of transportation projects.

 

“The planning program in Lennox would assess the impacts of the airport and freeways to the community, and allow for community collaboration in fostering opportunities that enhance community mobility and access, improve the business climate, and promote economic development,” Supervisors Ridley-Thomas and Molina stated.

 

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