One month after getting final sign-offs from the Los Angeles Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioners, construction has kicked off for a new pocket park just north of Soto Station in Boyle Heights.

Site plan for the Brooklyn Heights Park at 318 N Mathews StreetCity of Los Angeles

Brooklyn Heights Park, which will be located on an empty lot at 318 N. Mathews Avenue, is the first new park project in the City of Los Angeles to be funded by Proposition 68, a $4.1-billion bond measure passed by California voters in 2018.   Using $5.2 million in funds awarded to the City of Los Angeles in 2020, the roughly .19-acre site will be developed with a children's playground, fitness equipment, landscaping, outdoor seating, walking paths, a drinking fountain, and public art.

According to a 2019 report to the Recreation and Parks Board, more than 14,000 people live in the community that surrounds the Brooklyn Heights Park site, including 5,100 people within a half-mile radius.  In addition to those existing residents, the park will also serve new renters at new supportive housing projects from East L.A. Community Corporation and Abode Communities on Metro-owned sites located nearby.

According to an announcement from Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de Leon, who authored Proposition 68 as a member of the State Senate, there is just .6 acres of park space per 1,000 residents in Boyle Heights - far lower than the countywide average of 3.3 acres.

318 North Mathews StreetGoogle Maps

The Brooklyn Heights Park may be joined by another small green space a half-mile west near Mariachi Plaza, where East L.A. Community Corp is slated to build a similar pocket park in conjunction with a new affordable housing project.