Plans to redevelop an empty lot across the street from Los Angeles City Hall into a public park have been dealt another setback, according to a staff report to the Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioners.

First and Broadway Park, named for the intersection at which it would be located, would transform the site of a demolished state office building into nearly two acres of public green space.  The project, designed by Studio MLA and OMA, calls for new landscaping, walking paths, seating areas, shade canopies, and a two-story restaurant building with rooftop access.

As of March 2019, the Recreation and Parks Department had identified approximately $19.8 million in funding for the project, which had an estimated price tag of $28 million.  While the City had hoped to account for most of the budget shortfall with a Proposition 68 grant from the State of California, the First and Broadway Park was not among the projects selected for funding in February 2020.

The Department received approvals to solicit bids for the park's construction in late 2019, and received two responses, one of which was deemed non-responsive for failure to select subcontractors from the Bureau of Contract Administration's list of pre-approved firms.  This left the only viable respondent as Ford EC, Inc., which submitted a bid of nearly $27.5 million for the base project, as well as $3.1 million to construct shade structures as part of a separate contract.

Conceding that there is not sufficient funding to build the park at the current time, a staff report recommends that the Board should cancel all bids received for the project and re-bid at a later date.  An exact timeline is not specified by the staff report.

The First and Broadway Park is not the first Civic Center project to face delays due to swelling construction costs.  In June, the Los Angeles City Council voted to cancel the procurement process for a new office building at the former site of Parker Center, citing a growing price tag and other extenuating circumstances.