LOPEZ CANYON COMMUNITY RECREATION PLAN
On May 25, 2007, the Los Angeles City Council approved a motion introduced by Councilmember Richard Alarcón, instructing the Bureau of Sanitation to develop a Community Use Recreation Plan for Lopez Canyon Landfill. The plan would include active and passive recreation and other safe and appropriate uses of the site. The Bureau of Sanitation was instructed to enlist the assistance of other departments to develop the plan’s outline and timeline. An inter-departmental task force was formed made up of representatives of the Department of Public Works Bureaus of Sanitation, Engineering, and the Department of Recreation and Parks.
The implementation plan that was developed consisted of the following actions:
- Reviewing the current landfill closure plan
- Evaluating the existing park facilities and possible expansions
- Meeting with the Councilman Alarcón’s office and the Councilman’s Lake View Terrace Community Advisory Committee as needed
- Assessing community needs and requesting community feedback as the plan is developed
- Proposing appropriate recreational uses in conjunction with a phased-in plan to accommodate landfill closure activities
- Preparing a Community Use Implementation Plan outline and timeline
A draft conceptual plan consisting of three phases of development over twenty years has been developed and presented to the community. It involves three phases:
| Phase 1: | 2-4 years: Two parks will be developed and connected to each other with a trail. The park adjacent to the Lopez landfill entrance will be expanded, provided with new playground equipment and the picnic area will be improved. A new park will be built in the “White Horse” area that is adjacent to the new housing developments near Fenton and Van Nuys. The parks will cover about 4 acres. Amenities in the parks will include: a new play structures, picnic areas, landscaping, a hitching area and bathroom facilities. In addition, an Environmental Education Center is planned to be constructed at the entrance of the landfill. |
| Phase 2: | 7-10 years: Hiking, bicycle and equestrian trails will be developed with access to buffer lands The old Dubois barn site at the end of Van Nuys will be developed to serve as an equestrian staging area. |
| Phase 3: | 20+ years: The top of the landfill will be developed for recreational use including playing fields, vista points and picnic areas. |
Implementation of the plan including construction will depend on the available funding.
This plan was first presented in July 2007 to the Lake View Terrace/Pacoima Community Advisory Committee that was created by Councilman Alarcón. At that meeting, members of that Advisory Committee expressed a desire for equestrian access to trails and amenities. The plan was revised and presented to the larger community at a Lopez Canyon Restoration Project Community Meeting in November 2007. Additional comments were received and incorporated into the plan. This revised plan was presented at the February 2008 Lopez Canyon Restoration Project Community Meeting. The community emphasized their desire for multi-use trails and requested improvements to Bartholomaeus Canyon trail as part of Phase 1.
A revised plan that incorporates these requests was presented at the June 2008 Lopez Canyon Restoration Project Community Meeting.