For nearly a century, MacArthur Park has been split in half by Wilshire Boulevard, but thanks to an ongoing project, that could change.
On Thursday morning, on a soccer field in MacArthur Park, Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez celebrated the end of phase one of the reconnecting MacArthur Park project, which asked over 2,500 residents how they would improve the park.
A glimpse of a possible future for the park will be visible on July 11 and 12 when the city closes the section of Wilshire Boulevard that runs through the park for Park to Park, a block party that will connect MacArthur Park to Lafayette Park.
Hernandez said the event is a pilot project with a “people centered” approach for Westlake’s future.
“For two days, Wilshire Boulevard will become something different,” Hernandez said during a press conference at the park on Thursday. “Instead of traffic, you’ll find families; instead of cars, you’ll find community; instead of just rushing through the space, you’ll have opportunity to enjoy it.”
The event will bring live music and a space for vendors to sell their goods to the green space. Other resources will include support from multiple city departments, like the Community Investment for Families Department and several nonprofits.
“When was the last time Wilshire Boulevard was closed for the community?” Hernandez told The LA Local. “This is going to be a good moment, especially for a lot of the residents in this area, where the park is their front yard and back yard.”
The event is an experiment in what it might look like to close the street and make it a space for pedestrians rather than cars, Hernandez said.
In recent months, the park has seen large-scale drug raids carried out by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, and the park and the surrounding area have seen a growing unhoused population, along with open-air drug use.
The Los Angeles Police Department said that there are more sanitation sweeps being conducted in and around the park in recent months.
The first phase of reconnecting MacArthur Park asked residents what they would like to see done to improve the park, with one option proposing to remove the stretch of Wilshire running through the park entirely and expand the green space. This option received the majority of the votes and was ultimately recommended by the report released this week.
Preliminary findings of the report were released in April and noted that the most popular option was among the most expensive and would take at least four years for construction.
Laura Rubio-Cornejo, the general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, said that if the project comes to fruition, it would be the largest pedestrianization project in Los Angeles history.
The second phase of the project will involve environmental reviews and cost estimates for each of the ideas proposed in the report. The second phase will be led by the city’s Bureau of Engineering.
“We will work together to develop design concepts and collect input from all of you throughout that process,” Crystal Lee, a city engineer with the department, said. “The city will use a final concept design to pursue additional funds and detailed architecture and engineering designs to go into construction.”
The projected timeline estimates that phase two will end in 2030. Hernandez said that community members will continue to receive updates throughout that time.
In the meantime, the report encouraged taking action to improve existing areas of the park, such as reopening and improving the pedestrian tunnels. It also recommended hosting events such as Park to Park to demonstrate interest in the space.
“We’re looking to secure more dollars to continue these different events; Park to Park is being funded by a Metro grant, and so we’re going to keep looking for those opportunities to bring those experiences to our neighborhood,” Hernandez said.
The report cautioned against making any significant investments to the stretch of Wilshire Boulevard, given the ultimate goal of its removal. It suggested that if anything were to be done, it should use temporary or “quick-build” materials.
The city is also planning to install fencing around MacArthur Park. The plan would add a wrought-iron fence around both halves of the park and would close the park at night, giving city employees time to clean the space overnight.
The report said that whatever happens next in MacArthur Park, the fence will need to be seriously considered. Hernandez said the fence’s future is not set in stone.
“Right now, we’re in a phase where there is a fence being talked about, being put around the park, but nothing is permanent,” she said. “If changes need to be made to make the space open for everybody, I’m sure we’re going to move in that direction.”
Hernandez said the reconnecting parks project is important because people shouldn’t have to wait for special occasions to see the park.
“MacArthur Park is a very special neighborhood, and people on the outside that are not from this area often talk about it as like the sky is falling,” she said. “We are here every day, all the time, and we’re going to continue to be here every day, all the time, for this neighborhood. Because our people deserve it.”
