If you’ve been on Larchmont after dark last week, you’ve seen the new bistro lights. The installation is now complete, just in time for holiday shopping and strolling.
The effect of these lights can be seen all over the city as they are installed in more and more neighborhoods, thanks to improvements in technology and methods of installation that don’t alter existing street infrastructure.
“These lights are a great way to active a neighborhood main street; they make it bright and inviting, encouraging people to visit and spend more time on the street,” explained Marc Weinstock, founder and owner of Pacific Event Services, whose work can be seen in Hollywood and Santa Monica as well as on Larchmont. His crew of four seasoned installers worked for four nights from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. installing the lights from one end of the street to the other, except where there are traffic lights. The lights are extremely low wattage and altogether use about the same amount of electricity as a typical refrigerator in a restaurant. While they do add more light to the street, they account for a fraction of a percentage of everything that’s already going on around the neighborhood, explained Weinstock.
Since the lights are already on coming on every evening with the street lights, the project organizers – the Larchmont Boulevard Association, and Larchmont Village Business Improvement District – have planned a celebration on Saturday, December 3, timed when the lights come on around 4:30 p.m. at Tailwaggers at 147 N. Larchmont Blvd. The celebration to thank everyone who supported the light project follows Tailwaggers’ Santa Paws and Mrs. Claus Holiday Family Photo event. The event also coincides with the LBA’s annual Holiday Open House, kicking off the holiday shopping season on Larchmont from 11:30 to 5:00 p.m.
The idea for the lights has been discussed for a long time, but the Larchmont 2021 Community Conversation (organized by LBA and the BID and neighborhood leaders) highlighted the community’s desire to beautify the street and create opportunities for more community interaction. More than 1,000 residents who participated in the survey following the conversations said the condition of the street was OK, but needed additional care and beautification.
“Neighbors who participated in our Larchmont 2021 conversations told us they would like to see improvements to the street,” Larchmont Village BID Executive Director Heather Duffy Boylston told the Buzz. “We took that to heart and started investigating high-impact ideas like these lights that will transform the street and create an even deeper sense of community – making our village safer, more festive, and more inviting to residents and visitors.”
“I’m honored to support the Larchmont Family Fair and the beautiful new lights above our beloved boulevard! It’s a joy to represent this community, and I’m excited to join friends and neighbors at this wonderful event. Thanks to all the collaborators and partners who have literally helped to brighten Larchmont Boulevard,” said City Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, whose funding helped to kick off the project.
“This has been a wonderful community-building moment with stakeholders coming together in such an impactful way. We are thrilled to have the support of the property owners who are contributing individually in addition to the commitment from the BID,” said Duffy Boylston. “Our thanks to the following property owners for their leadership in making this investment in the street: American Commerical Properties, Wayne Hughes/Marvin Lotts; ARBA Group; Christina Development; Arash Danialfar; Thomas Kneafsey; Meyer/Blumenthal Family; Mick McCullough; Mizrahi Family; The Rubinfeld Family and Simms Development Company.
In addition to the property owners and the businesses on Larchmont, CD13 City Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, the Windsor Square Association, Hancock Park Homeowners Association, the Wilshire Rotary, Muto-Little Costume and this publication, the Larchmont Buzz, have also made contributions to the lights at the time of this posting. Additional donations are welcome to cover the ongoing maintenance of the lights and the second phase which calls for installing seven strings of lights over the city-owned surface parking lot so that space can be used for programming evening events, like concerts, movies or a possible evening farmers market. If you would like to contribute, too, click here for more information.
