FirstCarbon Solutions Selected To Prepare Environmental Studies For L.A.'s Groundbreaking Hollywood Central Park Project

LOS ANGELES and IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstCarbon Solutions, a pioneer and industry leader in environmental sustainability solutions for business, and the Friends of Hollywood Central Park (FHCP), a non-profit organization dedicated to building the Hollywood Central Park, today announced that FirstCarbon Solutions has been selected to prepare the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and other necessary studies for the groundbreaking and transformative Hollywood Central Park (HCP) project. Supporting one of the most dense and green space-starved neighborhoods in Los Angeles, HCP is a planned 44-acre street level urban park built over a one-mile stretch of the Hollywood Freeway (US 101).

The Park began as an idea more than 28 years ago. In 2006, it progressed from a Hollywood Chamber of Commerce initiative to a Hollywood Community coalition and finally to Friends of the Hollywood Central Park, a nonprofit organization.  FHCP is dedicated to raising funds to create a new urban park in Hollywood by covering a portion of the Hollywood Freeway (US 101) as it travels below grade between Hollywood and Santa Monica Boulevards. 

Funding for the EIR was made possible by a $1.2 million donation from the Aileen Getty Foundation.  Additionally, the City of Los Angeles contributed $825,000.  In November 2012, an RFP (request for proposal) was issued to interested parties.  Five firms submitted proposals which were evaluated by FHCP community Board members, legal counsel and Caltrans consultants.  In-person interviews were conducted in December, 2012, and on January 10, 2013, the selection of FirstCarbon Solutions was announced at For Love of Hollywood Gala benefiting the Hollywood Central Park.

FHCP President Laurie Goldman said FirstCarbon Solutions was selected because of the firm's strong technical qualifications and its shared passion and understanding of the needs of the Hollywood community.  "Hollywood is a bold community and constructing the Hollywood Central Park is a bold move," Goldman said.  "With this one project, Los Angeles will address the economy, the environment, the health of its residents and their quality of life.  Los Angeles will become the leader in sustainable cities and livable communities.  We are proud to have the forward-thinking FirstCarbon Solutions as our partner to lead the project's EIR process," Goldman continued.

In cooperation with Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, the EIR lead agency, FirstCarbon Solutions will deliver high-quality environmental services and support the timely implementation of the HCP project through preparation of the required California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) documentation on behalf of FHCP. As part of the EIR and other necessary studies, the FirstCarbon Solutions team will provide a whole host of technical analyses in conformance with CEQA and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements. These include community impact assessments, traffic/circulation studies, noise and vibration assessments, air quality studies, as well as conducting geotechnical and hazards/hazardous materials investigations.

Reuniting communities separated for more than 50 years, the Hollywood Central Park is a creative place making infrastructure project that contributes toward the livability of Hollywood and the Los Angeles region by transforming US 101 into a lively, beautiful, sustainable place with the promotion of healthier lifestyles, environmental justice and long term economic security at its core.

"Building a Hollywood Central Park over the 101 Freeway is a visionary idea that would create open space in one of L.A.'s most dense neighborhoods.  The Park will be a destination for the local community and shine as a global model of innovation in urban living," said LA City Council Member Eric Garcetti.  "It's wonderful that Friends of the Hollywood Central Park selected FirstCarbon Solutions and are moving us closer to making this vision a reality."

With its global headquarters in Irvine, California, FirstCarbon Solutions recently opened a new Los Angeles office at 11601 Wilshire Boulevard to expand its ability to offer fully integrated environmental sustainability solutions to its growing base of clients and prospects in the region. The environmental and sustainability consulting firm has provided environmental support for many L.A.-based agencies, including The L.A. Department of Water and Power, the L.A. World Airports and the L.A. Parks and Recreation Department. In addition, FirstCarbon Solutions was recently selected as an On-Call Consultant Member for the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works Bureau of Engineering.

"Consistent with our founding principle that sustainability matters, FirstCarbon Solutions is thrilled to help implement the vision Edward V. Hunt had over 28 years ago – that Hollywood needed a park to bring neighborhoods together but didn't have the adequate space. Reclaiming the airspace above the Hollywood Freeway trench for use as an urban park is an innovative and efficient alternative to purchasing land," said Robert A. Francisco, President, FirstCarbon Solutions.

As a member of ADEC Group, a global enterprise with more than 5,000 employees and operations in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, FirstCarbon Solutions is the only company to have in-depth, broad environmental and sustainability expertise combined with extensive back office processing and software capabilities that can be rapidly mobilized to augment or free up internal resources, allowing organizations to focus on their core activities and more strategic initiatives.

About Friends of the Hollywood Central Park
FHCP is a non-profit organization dedicated to building the Hollywood Central Park, a 44-acre street urban level park over the Hollywood Freeway as it travels below grade through the heart of Hollywood. The Hollywood Central Park is a landmark infrastructure project that will reunite diverse and dense communities separated for more than 50 years by the Hollywood Freeway, strengthen the economy through job creation and increased tourism dollars, provide healthy communities and provide children with open green space in which to grow and thrive.  The Hollywood Central Park will transform Hollywood's disadvantaged communities into thriving economic engines and is an investment in our children, our community and our future. For more information visit http://hollywoodcentralpark.org.

About FirstCarbon Solutions
FirstCarbon Solutions advances sustainable practices around the world and helps organizations responsibly grow and operate their businesses. Seamlessly delivering fully integrated, cost-effective consulting, data management and software solutions, FirstCarbon Solutions helps clients save time, reduce costs, optimize resource use, and drive operational efficiencies in a world where sustainability matters. With more than 30 years of environmental and sustainability consulting experience, FirstCarbon Solutions has offices throughout Asia, Europe, Australia and North America to ensure we meet our clients' ever-evolving environmental and compliance needs in energy, air and carbon management; environmental assessments and planning; supply and life cycle assessments; permitting and compliance; software and data processing. For more information, visit www.firstcarbonsolutions.com.  

SOURCE FirstCarbon Solutions