The City of Los Angeles, in partnership with several community organizations, has completed construction of a new shared street in Pacoima.
Formally known as the Bradley Plaza and Green Alley stormwater and open space project, added new pavement, landscaping, and stormwater capture features to an alley located parallel to Van Nuys Boulevard between Lehigh and Pala Avenues.
LA Sanitation & Environment estimates that the alley's new catch basin system will capture roughly two million gallons of stormwater each year.
The project is also billed as the first "shared street" to be open in the City of Los Angeles, in which automobile traffic will be slowed to provide a gathering area for the surrounding community.
According to the Trust for Public Land, which along with Pacoima Beautiful was one of the community partners on the project, there are roughly 8,500 people who live within a ten-minute walk of the alley.
“During the current coronavirus pandemic, we have seen firsthand how much Angelenos rely on parks and the outdoors to connect with neighbors and find solace and healing,” said Guillermo Rodriguez, California State Director for The Trust for Public Land in a news release. “Close to home community spaces like the Bradley Plaza and Green Alley are vital to ensure everyone has access to these benefits of the outdoors."
The new shared street will connect to an brief stretch of Bradley Avenue which the City closed to vehicular traffic in 2015. The pedestrian plaza now includes shade structures, fitness equipment, and seating for use by residents.
The City is planning a network of similar green alleys in South Los Angeles.
