A new master plan to guide open space development at the San Fernando Valley's Sepulveda Basin could be in the works, according to a motion introduced on September 22 by City Council President Nury Martinez.
The 2,000-acre park - surrounded by the communities of Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, Lake Balboa, Reseda, and Encino - is the largest public open space in the San Fernando Valley. However, according to Martinez, the park has failed to reach its potential.
"[M]uch of the basin remains undeveloped and underutilized," reads the motion, which cites roughly 575 acres of land within the park that is either designated inactive or set aside for vegetation management by a 2011 plan created by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
Martinez, noting that the basin abuts two neighborhoods cited as being especially park poor in the County's Parks Needs Assessment, has proposed converting the underutilized acreage into new facilities including trails, benches, restrooms, and other features. Funding for the improvements could be potentially provided through state and local sources such as Proposition 68, Measure A, and Measure W.
Her motion, which has been referred to the Council's Health, Education, Neighborhood Parks, Arts & River Committee for consideration, calls for a report back from the Department of Recreation and Parks on the creation of a new master plan for the basin. The proposed master plan would lay out how motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists could access the park, as well as how the 2028 Summer Olympics and Los Angeles River restoration could be tied into future improvements.
Local and state officials have recently drafted new master plans for several of Los Angeles' large green spaces, including the Silver Lake Reservoir complex and Exposition Park.
