Screenshots from the Lower LA River Revitalization Draft Plan, Chapter 3.
The Lower LA River Revitalization Draft Plan is now available for the public to comment on and review, announced River LA this week.
Created through 82 community meetings sparked by Assemblymember Anthony Rendon’s bill in 2015, AB 530, the plan will be included in an update to the LA County’s Master Plan for the entire 51-mile LA River, according to the site. The 19 miles of river outlined in the draft plan stretch from Vernon to its outlet in Long Beach and include the signature concepts: Cudahy River Road, Rio Hondo Confluence and Willow Street.
“I’ve been kayaking on restored portions of the Upper L.A. River and seen the development of trails, walkways and parks,” Rendon previously stated following Governor Jerry Brown’s signing of the bill two years ago. “Residents along the Lower River deserve the same opportunities to reconnect with the river that flows through their neighborhoods.”
The channel that begins south of Willow Street in Long Beach is soft-bottomed and resembles a “natural” river. The plan’s design concept for the Willow Street site, which runs through South Wrigley and the city’s West Side, involves preserving the natural habitat that has developed there while providing access for the surrounding communities.
The levees here reach taller than most one-story homes and appear as giant walls at the ends of several streets. Stairs and ramps would provide access onto the levees as well as the bottom of the channel, while pavilions and art installations would serve as a visual connector between the neighborhood and access to the river.
Floating boardwalks extending into the soft-bottom channel would bring pedestrians closer to the existing flora and fauna and adapt to changing water levels, while a multi-use path at the bottom would give access to this particularly wide river segment, according to the plan.
Also included in the draft is a Bridge Park stretching across the channel at Hill Street. Not only would the bridge allow pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians to cross safely, but also provides look out points over the river and places to sit in shade.
This is an example of a Bridge Park for Greater City Providence included in Chapter 3 of the draft plan and does not represent specific plans for the one in Long Beach.
Viewers can ask questions and make suggestions for the future of this LA River segment up until January 11, 2018. Those interested can also attend a celebratory event on Saturday in Lynwood, and provide input on the signature concepts. Visit the link here to learn more.