LOS ANGELES — A 12-acre park under the new Sixth Street Bridge will begin construction this summer, following Tuesday’s unanimous Los Angeles City Council approval of $2 million to fill a budget gap for the project.
The new Sixth Street Park, Arts and River Connectivity Project will span both sides of the bridge connecting Boyle Heights and the Arts District in downtown LA and will include dog parks in both neighborhoods, skate park, restrooms, playground, splash pad, urban forest, walking path, flexible sports court for basketball and other events, a pair of flexible playing fields for soccer and plaza for public art and performances.
“This is a significant investment in our community, particularly for working families who face a disproportionate lack of park and recreation space,” LA City Council member Kevin de León said in a statement. “By providing more green space and recreational opportunities, we are investing in the health and well-being of our residents and creating a more vibrant and connected community.”
The Boyle Heights neighborhood in de León’s Council District 14 has just a half-acre of green space for every 1,000 residents, but that will change when construction is completed on the new park. It is being constructed with about $8.5 million in funds from Prop 68, a ballot initiative voters passed in 2018 to help fund parks and green space in disadvantaged areas, including Los Angeles.
LA ranks 78th in the nation when it comes to park access, investment, acreage, amenities and equity, according to the Trust for Public Land’s 2022 Park Score. That’s seven spots lower than its rank in 2021. The trust reported that just 63% of LA residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, and Hispanic and Latin American neighborhoods are 7% less likely to have park space compared to the city median.