LA's First Self-Sustaining Park Breaks Ground In San Fernando Valley

TARZANA, CA — Los Angeles officials Thursday broke ground on what is billed as the city's "first self-sustaining park," using water-capture infrastructure on and off-site and solar power to irrigate future green space.

Councilman Bob Blumenfield led the ceremony alongside members of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, L.A. County officials and city department staff to celebrate what will be Caballero Creek Park, located just south of Victory Boulevard on Lindley Avenue. The site will convert a 1.5-acre lot into a park between the Los Angeles River and Caballero Creek in Tarzana.

"It takes a village to take underutilized city land and create this sort of new, innovative green space and while it may be a heavy lift, it's so wonderful to know that countless generations of Angelenos will be able to enjoy this incredible park," Blumenfield said in a statement.

The councilman, who represents the Third District, which includes neighborhoods in the western San Fernando Valley, helped bring in seven different funding sources, and cut through "significant" red tape over the past few years to get the project ready, according to his office.

The $5.5 million project is being jointly funded by the city, county and state, along with contributions from community organizations.

Nearby Reseda High School is also expected to use the park as an outdoor classroom.

Leonard Shaffer, president of the Tarzana Neighborhood Council, noted the project will be a place for students and residents to learn about water reclamation and conservation efforts -- something that has "grown in importance because of ongoing changes in our atmosphere."

The designs include elements for watershed protection, including a bioswale and a wetland component for storm water treatment. The new wetlands will create habitat, clean water and help connect Angelenos to California's struggling riverine ecology, according to Blumenfield's office.

The project will also include amenities such as an outdoor fitness center, play and recreation areas and more L.A. River bike paths.

"This will be the first self-sustaining park along the Los Angeles River," Joseph Edmiston, executive director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, which is one of the funders of the project, said in a statement. "Most importantly it will be the park that establishes the standards that all parks going forward will adhere to. That is how real change occurs."

The park is set to open in April 2025.

City News Service