Health & Fitness
Patch Blog: Pushy Polka Dots at Silver Lake's Sunset Triangle
The new pedestrian plaza at Sunset Triangle Park surprised many in the community by its sudden existence and coat of bright green polka dots. Neighbors with good taste expressed alarm.
, Neon Nightmare and The Green Goblin are a few names suggested for the newly painted pavement at Sunset Triangle. As controversial as it is garish, it is so far best known as a wake-up call to neighbors to get informed and involved before the reservoir is awash in DayGlo zebra stripes and Parkman goes purple paisley.
This dotty décor brings up a host of concerns ripe for debate, including lack of a clear vision from overzealous "improvement" activists; minimal outreach to stakeholders; accessibility, parking and traffic; and the general lack of a single exceptional detail.
I believe the community would get behind a genuinely attractive and welcoming plaza, but this dismal plan never should have been hustled through so swiftly, secretly and shoddily.
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Proponents make a big deal about the polka dot pavement's important role in reducing diabetes. That remains to be seen. What is proven to reduce diabetes is fresh produce available locally grown at the twice-weekly Silver Lake Farmers Market, which has fed thousands from this space for years, something plaza proponents would be expected to support. Yet the Silver Lake Improvement Association and its planners dismissed the site as “underused space”, now “reclaimed” as “open space”. Personally, I've always called it a “street”.
Installation of the plaza removed 14 metered parking spots from Griffith Park Blvd. and added 8 to Sunset, for a loss of 6 street spots during non-market hours. The market's 16 private, market-hours only free spots were reduced by half, to 8, due to barriers installed. Cars must now back in and out of the tight space, guided by attendants. The elderly and disabled relied on these spots and must now fight harder to get them.
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This tiny market parking area sits cut off from the main plaza by a driveway, leaving it a clumsy and unnecessary annex. The whimsical bike racks could be set up easily in the main space. With a bit of creativity in the design, parking spots could have actually been added to the area during market hours by leaving this parking intact while adding spaces to Sunset. Add Plaza of Lost Opportunities to the list of potential names.
