River Development

At yesterday's Metro Board Meeting, directors approved a handful of initiatives that have great implications for the future livability of the Los Angeles Region. Here is the re-cap:

I got a chance to do a preview kayak tour of the Los Angeles River yesterday. The tour was part of the Los Angeles Conservation Corps Paddle the L.A. River program. It took place in the most natural stretch of the 51-mile-long L.A. River: the Sepulveda Basin. The river runs through the middle of the 2000-acre Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area, located in the middle of the San Fernando Valley, near the intersection of the 101 Freeway and the 405 Freeway. The Sepulveda Basin is easily accessible via the Metro Orange Line; both the Woodley Avenue and the Balboa Blvd. stations are located there.

At a hearing this morning, Judge James Chalfant denied an appeal that would have stopped the demolition of the city of Los Angeles' historic Riverside-Figueroa Bridge. Plaintiffs Enrich L.A. and RAC Design Build have been pushing for the city to preserve the span into and convert it into the Landbridge, an elevated park similar to New York City's High Line.

With billions in federal funding for the Regional Connector and the Westside Subway Extension already on his accomplishments list, today it was Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's turn to bring some attention, meaning some money, to the Los Angeles River.

There's a brand new security fence at Ed P. Reyes River Park, located just east of the Metro Gold Line in Lincoln Heights.

Last night, the city of San Fernando moved a step closer to constructing a new bike path along the Pacoima Wash. The city council voted unanimously, 5-0, in favor of seeking California state Active Transportation Program (ATP) funding. If everything goes smoothly, the Pacoima Wash Bikeway would open to the public in early 2017.

(Bruce Chan is an urban planner and designer in Los Angeles.  He advocates for a more livable and sustainable city, and is on the Board of the Silver Lake Reservoirs Conservancy.  His love for Los Angeles can be found at jiachi.tumblr.com.)