Urban Greening: Western Gage Tot Lot
Western Gage lot before
Western Gage Tot Lot after LANI park build
An innovative approach to urban greening, this project converts a surplus lot into a thriving and vibrant resource for the community.
The project weaves together vacant and under-utilized City property to form an innovative and impactful community park that adds opportunities for increased physical and recreational activities in this high-need, park-poor neighborhood, where residents suffer disproportionately from elevated health risks including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension, among other serious ailments. This space for active play will support a culture of healthy habits for children and families and serve as a local green and open recreational space, drawing multi-generational users. The Western & Gage neighborhood has waited over a decade for this park, and we are delighted to have helped bring it to fruition.
This project was part of ongoing neighborhood discussions led by LANI since 2007. Identified as a priority project for community revitalization by the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (CRA/LA), the development of the underutilized property was a recurring agenda item at 24 monthly Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meetings previously hosted by CRA/LA as an open forum for South Los Angeles residents to share ideas for improving their neighborhood. With a consistent time, date and meeting location, the meetings were a known and expected part of civic life in this neighborhood, attracting a broad base of neighborhood stakeholders.
Subsequent to the dissolution of the CRA/LA and its associated CACs, LANI staff built on the CAC platform to keep the community engaged and continue the conversation with local stakeholders. Ultimately, we were able to persevere in securing funding for this important community asset with a combination of Proposition 84 grant funds through State Parks, supplemented by support from the District 8 City Council Office and the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) and a grant from The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation and a commitment to maintain the park upon completion by Los Angeles City Department of Recreation and Parks (LARAP).
Once funding was secured, local enthusiasm for the project remained high from a wide variety of stakeholders throughout the planning, design, and construction phases. As project manager, LANI oversaw finalization of the park plans and permitting, managed the bid process and selected contractors, and oversaw completion of all construction. Final walk-through with LARAP was held on site in December 2020, with final LARAP Board approval expected in February 2021. We look forward to hosting a ribbon-cutting with the community as soon as it is safe to do so.
