Monday, February 25, 2013

Ports O'Call Village: Waiting to Love it.


Port's O'Call is a landmark in San Pedro, Calif. in the past it was a go-to attraction for tourists  but in the past twenty years it has become a depressing version of what it used to be. But soon that will all change. 

In the past Ports O'Call was booming with people buying fish, going dinner, or simply strolling along. But Now it is a ghost town, where tourist, let alone locals rarely visit.

Most of the mom and pop shops are on their last leg, and the decrepit buildings lack the charm they used to have, leaving room for much improvement. Which now, will be getting the TLC it deserves.  

Old buildings look run down.
Photo Courtesy of Beryl
Ghost town in the Port.
Photo Courtesy of Beryl

According to a press release  released last Thursday "the Los Angeles Harbor Commission has agreed to let Port of Los Angeles officials enter into exclusive negotiations with LA Waterfront Alliance – a collaboration between The Ratkovich Company and Jerico Development – to redevelop the Ports O’Call Village."


This news means that Ratkovich Company, a Los Angles based development company, and Jerico Development, a San Pedro based company, will now begin work on development plans for the 30 acres of land. This development plan will take about a year to complet before work on the Village begins. 

 “I’ve been waiting for this to happen for years," said San Pedro resident Chris Gonzales. “I have lived here all my life, and [Ports O’Call] used to be a fun place to hang out and take a date, so it has been sad to see it get so ghetto.”

This consensus between LAHC and San Pedro will provide a better future for businesses in Downtown San Pedro, and may even turn it into the community hub it was in the past.