In California, the now-demolished Ports O’ Call Village, located along the Port of Los Angeles main channel in San Pedro, was a seaside plaza that featured souvenir and gift shops, along with restaurants, sweetshops, fish markets and quick-bite eateries.
This New England-style seaside village encompassed 15 acres of shops, restaurants and attractions. A meandering promenade of cobblestone streets connects the specialty shops.
Ports O’ Call Village was branded as an “elaborately themed seaside entertainment venue.” It was conceived and built by David Tallichet in 1963, a World War II pilot-turned restaurateur who also built the Castaway and 94th Aero Squadron restaurant chains. Tallichet envisioned an eclectic mixture of international destinations knitted together with cobblestone pathways, strolling musicians and global cuisine.
In 2013, the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners called for the redevelopment of the entire 30-acre waterfront site in the Port of Los Angeles that includes Ports O’ Call Village.
After a series of public meetings and extensive community input, in 2015, the Port of Los Angeles released its Public Access Investment Plan intended to create a sustainable and predictable approach to the Port’s yearly investment in non-cargo related, public-serving projects and programs.
In March 2016, the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners approved a 50-year lease for the new San Pedro Public Market on the site. Plans for San Pedro Public Market include restaurants, shopping, fresh markets, office space and a waterfront promenade with outdoor space and an open-air amphitheater.
Now, on September 1, 2023, the Port of Los Angeles released the first draft of its plan to better connect the area to other San Pedro neighborhoods and the region at large.
After extensive community and local stakeholder input, the Port of Los Angeles has released a draft Waterfront Connectivity Plan for San Pedro, a long-term planning and visioning document outlining strategies to better link Downtown San Pedro, surrounding neighborhoods and the larger region to the LA Waterfront and its many attractions.
The plan is being developed in conjunction with SWA Group, a leading landscape architecture, planning and urban design firm.
Port and SWA staff presented the draft plan at a meeting of the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, September 7, where Harbor Commissioners and the public offered feedback on the plan’s proposed elements.
“The Port of Los Angeles has made significant investments over the last two decades focused on deindustrializing the LA Waterfront and transforming it into a visitor and recreational destination,” said Port Director of Waterfront and Commercial Real Estate Mike Galvin.
“Community input has been a critical component throughout the process. As we release this draft Connectivity Plan, we encourage the public to continue to weigh in as we finalize its development,” he added.
For the first half of 2023, the Port held six public workshops attended by nearly 300 community stakeholders to gather ideas and suggestions on the Connectivity Plan.
When finalized later this year, the plan will help guide future Port improvements and private development, serve to enhance and expand public access to both active and passive attractions, and create transportation connections along the expansive waterfront area.
Since 2015, the Port’s investment in both the San Pedro and Wilmington sections of the LA Waterfront has been funded by the Port’s Public Access Investment Plan (PAIP), which ties cargo business success to community investment.
Since its establishment, the PAIP has funded nearly $234 million in new public-serving waterfront infrastructure, roadways, public promenades and other community amenities.
Images courtesy of the County of Los Angeles.