The Los Angeles City Council gave its final approval to construction of a $30 million, nearly 13-acre park underneath the new Sixth Street Viaduct, which is set to open in the Summer.
Urbanize LA reported that council members voted unanimously last week to adopt the findings of an environmental impact report for the so-called Sixth Street Park, Arts, River & Connectivity Project – or PARC..
The project will create new open spaces at the foot of the bridge in Boyle Heights and in the Arts District of downtown LA. The design “Canopy & Objects” by the architectural firm Hargreaves Jones includes three main components, the largest being the East Park on the Boyle Heights side of the river.
Accessible from 6th Street and Mission Road, the East Park component will have meadows, picnic areas, a splash pad and an event space, among other amenities. Planned sports facilities include a soccer field – pictured in architectural renderings – basketball and volleyball courts and space for skateboarding.
Part of the funding of the East Park will come from an $8.5 million grant from the state through Prop 68’s Statewide Park Program, announced in December.
Other PARC components:
- The Arts Plaza and River Gateway will be located directly below the viaduct at Santa Fe Avenue and Mesquit Street in the Arts District and will feature a stage and terraced seating for performances, as well as a cafe and restrooms. The late downtown developer Leonard Hill contributed $1.9 to this project and the 1.4 acre arts plaza will be named in his memory.
- A West Park will be located at 6th and Mateo Streets and will include a large performance lawn, a dog park, and space for fitness equipment.
Here’s a video of the planned PARC by the Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering:
The new $30 million estimated cost of PARC is one third higher than the previously announced figure of $20 million.
Urbanize LA reported that construction of the three PARC components is scheduled to begin in Fall of 2022 and is expected to be completed in two years. A second phase of landscaping along the west bank of the Los Angeles River, still pending funding and approval, may begin in early 2025.
The $588 million Sixth Street Viaduct is in its final phase of construction and the city’s Bureau of Engineering says it will open this Summer. The original bridge was demolished in 2016 because of structural damage.
