Guess Who Wants Another Pedestrian Bridge?

Less than one year after an ugly controversy surrounding a proposed pedestrian bridge at the half-destroyed Da Vinci complex, the Geoff Palmer is ready to rehash the same storyline on Broadway. According to a case filing from the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, the Beverly-Hills-based developer intends to construct a pedestrian bridge across Olympic Boulevard, linking the two halves of his Broadway Palace development.  The project, which broke ground in September, will offer 686 apartments and over 50,000 square feet of ground-floor retail when completed. Palmer frequently incorporates pedestrian bridges into his Italian-themed apartment complexes, most of which flank the Central City freeway ring.  In May 2014, he argued to the City Planning Commission that a bridge was necessary at the Da Vinci complex to for both internal circulation and protection from a nearby homeless encampment.  While that argument was rejected by the Commission, their ruling was later overturned with the help of 14th District Councilman Jose Huizar, who represents the majority of Downtown. However, Palmer’s other developments are located on the neighborhood’s fringes, isolated from significant pedestrian traffic.  The same cannot be said for Broadway Palace, which is located near the popular Ace Hotel and a slew of upcoming residential-retail complexes.  A bridge over Olympic Boulevard, though not specifically prohibited by the Broadway Design Guide, would seem to conflict with the pedestrian-friendly neighborhood envisioned by the Bringing Back Broadway initiative.