The park-starved community of Walnut Park could be in line for new green space, according to an agenda item from today's meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Since October 2018, the County has been in negotiations to purchase a vacant property located at 2603-2611 Grand Avenue and 2614 Hope Street to redevelop it as a park.
The estimated acquisition cost of the half-acre site is just over $1.27 million. The County's Department of Parks and Recreation intends to submit a grant application to the State of California for $1.26 million in Proposition 1 funds to cover the purchase.
The Department will also submit a grant application to the County Regional Park and Open Space District for $300,000 in excess funds available to the First Supervisorial District to pay for environmental studies, community outreach, site development, and other improvements.
The motion to the Board of Supervisors, which was introduced by Supervisor Hilda Solis, calls for the acquisition of the proposed park site to be exempted from the California Environmental Quality Act. However, CEQA review would be required for the actual development of the park.
“Today’s action will facilitate a much-needed community park in park-poor Walnut Park," said Solis in a statement following the Board's approval of her motion. "As we saw two weeks ago at the Board of Supervisors, there is a very high need for high-quality, accessible neighborhood parks."
Walnut Park, an unincorporated community located five miles south of Downtown Los Angeles, is one of the most densely-populated areas of the County, packing more than 16,000 residents into an area .75 square miles. Simultaneously, it is among the most park-poor neighborhoods in the Los Angeles Area, with only one 4.5-acre green space at the site of an elementary school.
