Three and a half years from now, if all goes according to plan, West Hollywood residents will be able to play and relax in a dramatically redesigned park.
On the pages that follow are illustrations of the proposed park redesign prepared by LPA Inc., an Irvine architectural design firm. The design will go before the City Council for its approval on Monday. Note that they include a $750,000 dog park, something that was missing in a design presented to the Council in July to the dismay of Mayor John D’Amico and a number of local residents.
Heery International, the consulting firm working with city staff members on managing the project, estimates that construction will begin next Fall and be finished in the Spring or Summer of 2018. The plan is to build a new aquatic and recreation center before demolishing the existing swimming pool and auditorium so as not to interfere with swimming at the park. That will be followed by construction of a play area for children and an AIDS monument. The plan calls for modifying parking in the existing five-story parking structure to reduce the impact on parking that will be caused by construction operations in the parking lot on El Tovar Place.
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Honestly, I hate this. The old park was WAY better. Not to mention, umm my CHILDHOOD pretty much IS the park. No, me and my friends ARE the park. Tbh, there wouldn’t be a park without us. All yall can say “Nah” But you come to the same park every single week (rain or shine) For six years straight and then you can tell me you pretty much make up the park, cause I been doin that for seven years. Of course now because of the construction we can’t go, but still. However I’m not completely pissed because of the… Read more »
So many cooks spoil the soup. It is a great project for a wonderful city. Alot of thoughtful planning went into this.
Although the City spent plenty on consultants, somehow the issue of including a dog park did not get serious consideration from Council or Staff until John D’Amico rallied the community on the issue. It reflects how so many decisions are made behind closed doors at City Hall. D’Amico has been a breath of fresh air at City Hall and this is just another example of the need for some original thinking on the Council. Still we should celebrate the newly designed park as a huge improvement over the previous park lay out which was ineffective and uninviting. Personally I believe… Read more »
It’s ridiculous how overbuilt and out of proportion everything is becoming. We complain to city council and our urban planners that the scale of all these new developments are too large. But then look at ourselves? We commissioned this building and it too is out of proportion. I agree with the above commenter…this isn’t a park…its a civic center. The corner of SV Blvd and SM Blvd will soon tower with skyscrapers. With the overdevelopment of the PDC (we didn’t need that red building. The green and blue buildings are still empty). This new “park”, the library, the museum…and the… Read more »
Let’s admit we need a new swimming pool and gym. But the rest of this massive project is just nonsense. Hello city Council, IT’S A PARK. Two Dog Parks costing $750.000 is just ridicules. Were talking about putting chain link fence around a current grass area. I worked for the RTD/MTA for thirty years first as a bus operator then as a supervisor. Most of that time was working out of Division 7 on Santa Monica Bl. The project as currently proposed will not work. There are approx. 25 side by side lanes in the yard to park approx. 300… Read more »
THANK YOU for keeping the green space / lawn. Even with watering concerns we NEED parks with grass and open space, not more “tar & cement”. Also, THANK YOU for the dog park. I cannot wait ’till everything is finished.
When you keep in mind that we paid $100.000.00 just to paint the crosswalks, then the $750.000.00 for a dog park doesn’t seem so bad. As long as we keep voting for candidates who take large amounts of developer and contractor money, we shouldn’t be surprised when we see the developers and contractors get their return on investment.
Ah yes, and again we have Heery International Consulting in the mix with probably a sharp eye on the money and how much and howcrapidly it will find it’s way into their pockets. The lovely grey area of consulting. Well, councilmembers how about taking a sharp pen to that concept. That endeavor would be far more fruitful than saying yes, yes, yes
hoping Santa keeps delivering.
Any time the taxpayers foot the bill, the charges are excessive & I think the public has come to accept that as a fait accompli. There is no hope that profiteering developers, contractors & sub contractors will not pad the profit margins, line their pockets & fill up their personal coffers with as many excessive charges as they can get away with & there is no leadership, elected, appointed or hired by the people who seem to demand more accountability or care about saving the taxpayers money. Easy come, easy go. The military is notorious for it’s $550 toilet seats… Read more »
Pool access for the disabled? To the pool and in the pool. Hello?
@mikedunn: I’m not a fan of certain details, like that awkward staircase and that big water-sucking lawn, but this plan actually creates MORE green space than is there now. That’s the whole point! The new building is going up over what is currently a big empty concrete lot, so there’s no love lost there. And they will be replacing the current pool and auditorium with new green space.
This doesn’t look like a park, it looks like a civic center. They should just put City Hall in this mess and be done with it.
This is also an example to the residents on the East Side. Don’t let them do this to Plummer Park. Let’s keep them from touching it other than maintenance. They will ruin it like they ruined West Hollywood Park.
@Woody McBreairty McBreairty: A debt of gratitude for perseverance and leadership? Seems another one of D”Amico’s head scratching pursuits. Desperate pandering to the public, letting them know that he cares for their cuddly pooches without a clue about the scope or cost. $750,000. seems a colossal faux pas and lack of fiscal knowledge or responsibility, but hey, there is an election coming up so why not get a few more votes from the dog owners. Judgement is not one of his attributes. John D’Amico for Bigger, Faster and More Expensive. Throw caution to the wind as it isn’t his money.… Read more »
Jrose I don’t know where there is a big concrete lot. I believe there should be a total accounting as to why a chain link fence is going to cost $750,000. If there was no dog park the areas designated would be open green space. So all they need is a simple fence to enclose the two dog parks. But perhaps what is being proposed is a automated pooper scooper in each dog park. Let them replace the pool and auditorium with a one story low rise building not another matching monstrosity. We have a small park on the verge… Read more »