LOS ANGELES, CA (October 22, 2020) — In partnership with The Trust for Public Land, Pacoima Beautiful, and Los Angeles Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, Los Angeles Sanitation and Environment (LASAN) has cut the ribbon on the Bradley Plaza and Green Alley stormwater and open space project. The completed project will provide a range of benefits including improving water quality by capturing and infiltrating stormwater runoff, eliminating alley flooding, and promoting sustainability and neighborhood connectivity by the creation of a vibrant open space in which community members may gather.
This venture was made possible thanks to the leadership of Monica Rodriguez, Los Angeles City Councilwoman for CD7. “I'm proud of our collaboration to deliver much-needed green space in Pacoima. This project showcases how we can design with both the community and environment in mind. Bradley Plaza and Green Alley brings together beautiful community gathering spaces, and engineering that will improve water quality and reduce local flooding during rainstorms. This effort will have long-term impacts and improve the quality of life in Pacoima,” said Councilwoman Rodriguez.
"The Bradley Plaza and Green Alley project represents everything for which the Department of Public Works stands—collaboration, community, sustainability,” said Greg Good, President of the Board of Public Works. “We're grateful for the leadership of Councilmember Rodriguez, Pacoima Beautiful, and the Trust for Public Land in bringing this to fruition—and I'm proud of LA Sanitation, Enrique [Zaldivar, Director and GM of LASAN], and the tireless Public Works workers who actually made it happen on the ground."
The site is located in the alley southwest and parallel to Van Nuys Boulevard, between Lehigh and Pala Avenues in Pacoima, a neighborhood within Council District (CD) 7 of the City of Los Angeles. By replacing the alley’s crumbling surfacing with new asphalt that drains into infiltration planters, subsurface infiltration trenches, and a catch basin system, this project will remove pollutants from and infiltrate approximately two million gallons of stormwater into the aquifer each year, thus improving water quality and eliminating local flooding during rainstorms.
“This is exactly the type of project LASAN loves to pursue and has cultivated a unique expertise in,” said Enrique C. Zaldivar, Director and General Manager of LASAN, “The important and often unseen work that stormwater infrastructure does in our communities, reclaiming water and preventing flooding, can and should be paired whenever possible with other complete street projects that beautify neighborhoods and provide green space for residents.”
The alley is one of the first planned Shared Streets in the City of Los Angeles, specifically designed to slow traffic down, creating a safe space for children to play and residents to gather, while also allowing for pedestrian and vehicle access to businesses and homes. This community-driven project includes custom locally reclaimed wood seating, a shade structure, outdoor fitness equipment, and a nature classroom along with decorative street paint to represent an arroyo stream.
“From the beginning of the project, local community members were engaged in the design process,” said Veronica Padilla, Executive Director of Pacoima Beautiful, “providing feedback on the plants and trees that now line the alleyway to the fitness equipment and benches installed in the Plaza. Local residents and business owners endured tough challenges during construction to see this project come to fruition, and as a result, the entire community will be able to enjoy a safe and beautiful shared space that they can be proud of. It is projects like these that are envisioned, designed, and used by the community that Pacoima Beautiful hopes to continue to bring to the Northeast San Fernando Valley.”
Bradley Plaza and Green Alley is also one of the first completed leveraged projects of the Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Grant awarded to the Northeast Valley Green Together Collaborative, a group of organizations and government agencies working in Pacoima and Sun Valley to create neighborhood change and climate solutions. The TCC grant program, administered by the California Strategic Growth Council, empowers communities most impacted by pollution to choose their own goals, strategies, and projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution. Additional projects included in the Northeast Valley Green Together TCC grant award include mobility hubs, street trees, a park renovation, solar retrofits, and other climate interventions in the Pacoima and Sun Valley neighborhoods of Los Angeles.
“During the current coronavirus pandemic, we have seen firsthand how much Angelenos rely on parks and the outdoors to connect with neighbors and find solace and healing,” said Guillermo Rodriguez, California State Director for The Trust for Public Land, “Close to home community spaces like the Bradley Plaza and Green Alley are vital to ensure everyone has access to these benefits of the outdoors. This project is just the beginning of what we will accomplish with the community and our Green Together partners in Pacoima thanks to the TCC grant and our exceptional governmental and non-profit partners in Los Angeles.”
“The completion of the Bradley Plaza and Green Alley is the latest example of Wells Fargo’s long-standing support of The Trust for Public Land’s equity and environmental justice initiatives,” said Marcia Choo, Vice President - Community Relations West Region, Wells Fargo. “Because of its community assets, Pacoima is a strategic focus for Wells Fargo’s philanthropy and the Northeast Valley Green Together Collaborative presented a perfect alignment of community partners to leverage the Transformative Climate Communities grant. We are pleased to invest in the work of Pacoima Beautiful, The Trust for Public Land, and others.”
The Bradley Plaza and Green Alley project is funded through the City of Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department, Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA/LA), LA Sanitation and Environment, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Los Angeles Waterkeeper & The Liberty Hill Foundation, California Natural Resources Agency, The Boeing Company, and Wells Fargo Foundation. Additionally, the project had broad support from the San Fernando Gardens Housing Authority, whose residents live adjacent to the site.
LASAN and the Trust for Public Land are creating additional, similar green alleys around Los Angeles, with two new green alley networks being planned in South Los Angeles.
