From the fast lane of Interstate 5, heading north, the Taylor Yard is an unremarkable stretch of old railroad tracks, weedy vacant lots and big-box buildings. But those who look down on the yard from the high, winding residential streets of Echo Park can imagine a different and brighter future.
At its peak during the 1950s, Taylor Yard employed thousands of people, servicing and repairing the trains that chugged in and out of Los Angeles. Most of those operations have now shifted east to Colton, leaving the Union Pacific railroad, which now owns the entire property, with some 200 acres to sell.
The land is zoned for industrial use, and already some parcels have been sold and others are in escrow. But the wide yard borders the Los Angeles River, meaning this dreary stretch near downtown could be transformed into a scenic multiuse resource for city-weary neighbors in nearby Echo Park, Mount Washington and Elysian Park.
The choice here is not between development and no development. Already a Federal Express facility has gone up on the yard, a metal plating business is in the process of relocating and plans include construction of buildings for sound stages and other light industrial uses.
