City of Los Angeles, Partners Announce First Community Meeting for New Sepulveda Basin Vision Plan
LOS ANGELES – The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering (Engineering), in partnership with Council Districts 6, 4, 3, and 2, the Office of the Mayor and multiple federal, state and local partners, has announced the first community meeting for the new Sepulveda Basin Vision Plan project.
First Community Meeting for Vision Plan
The meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 8th at 6:00 p.m. in-person at the Encino Community Center Auditorium located at 4935 Balboa Blvd, Los Angeles, 91316.
This meeting is the first of many upcoming opportunities for the community to create a Vision Plan for the Sepulveda Basin, a collaborative and historic process that will reimagine the future of the Sepulveda Basin, focusing on natural habitat, climate resiliency, and recreation and cultural spaces.
“More than twice the size of New York’s Central Park, the Sepulveda Basin is one of the great natural treasures of the San Fernando Valley. The Vision Plan creates an opportunity to provide Valley residents with much needed outdoor recreation space while preserving the natural beauty of the setting and enhancing the responsible management of our precious water supply,” said Council President Paul Krekorian. “The Los Angeles River has been a lifelong passion of mine, since I rode the river bike path as a boy. It was the first public issue I ever worked on as a staffer for Assemblymember Tom Bane, and I’m proud that the Sepulveda Basin Vision Plan will give the Valley stretch of the river the attention it deserves.”
About the Sepulveda Basin
The Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area is the largest open space in the San Fernando Valley within the approximately 2,000-acre flood management basin owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Basin is also currently home to a variety of recreational spaces, an unpaved stretch of the Los Angeles River and natural habitat areas. Although the Basin is an important hub for passive and active recreation, much of the space is difficult to access. It is located directly adjacent to two communities defined as being in a high or very high need of park space, according to the Trust for Public Land, this Vision Plan presents an opportunity to connect these communities to existing and future open space amenities.
"The Sepulveda Basin is an important environmental and recreational asset for the entire San Fernando Valley. With robust community participation, the City can develop a Vision Plan that maximizes the potential of the Basin not only for current Angelenos, but for generations to come,” said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, Council District 3. “As a long-time advocate for the Los Angeles River, I am especially excited about the opportunity to transform the Sepulveda Basin so that it joins Griffith Park as a crown jewel in the 51-mile necklace of parks and paths along the River."
Community-Based Design Process
From now until spring 2024, the City will lead a community-based design process that will engage with local residents and a wide range of stakeholders.
Starting with the February 8th meeting, the City will begin holding community meetings, design workshops, and conduct community surveys and digital outreach. There will be numerous other opportunities for community engagement and participation, such as environmental “walkshops,” discussions with local groups to understand traditional ecological knowledge held over centuries by Indigenous peoples that relate to plants and landscapes, and youth workshops, along with many other events and activities.
“The Bureau of Engineering is excited to join with our partners and the community to begin this historic planning process,” said Ted Allen, City Engineer. “Our bureau’s long and successful history working on the revitalization of the Los Angeles River and river-adjacent projects equips us with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the areas of river restoration and revitalization, habitat enhancement, stormwater capture and open space development across the city.”
Goal of Vision Plan
When the community process is complete, the Vision Plan will propose designs that can be implemented in phases, enhancing opportunities for recreational uses, improving access throughout the Basin for multiple modes of travel, enhancing natural functions of the LA River and its tributaries, improving habitat and wildlife areas, improving water quality, and strengthening the flood capacity of the Basin to manage future risks.
“The San Fernando Valley has been underinvested in for decades and the Vision Plan is an opportunity for us to turn the Sepulveda Basin into a world class park that will enhance wildlife habitat, reduce flooding, capture stormwater, and provide recreational space for our park poor communities. It’s crucial that we continue to include community members in these discussions - they know what their community needs,” said Alexis Wesson, Chief of Staff for Council District 6.
Project Team
The project is being led by the City’s Bureau of Engineering, the Mayor’s Office, Council Districts 6, 4, 3, and 2 in coordination with numerous agencies, including the Departments of Recreation and Parks, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Planning Department, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board and the California Department of Transportation.
The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games will also join meetings to stay apprised of Sepulveda Basin planning efforts ahead of 2028 to determine opportunities for community engagement.
Following a City-led “request for proposal” process initiated by the Bureau of Engineering, a team was selected to support the development of the Vision plan that includes outreach specialists, landscape architects, planners, architects, and a multi-disciplinary team of engineers. A contract for this team, consisting of Geosyntec Consultants, OLIN landscape architects, as well as the Robert Group and Pacoima Beautiful to support the community engagement process, was approved by a unanimous vote of the Board of Public Works in November 2022
For more information, and to stay updated on community events and engagement opportunities, please visit our project website at bit.ly/sepulvedabasinvp.
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