Projects: River and Lake Restoration: LA River

The Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan is being prepared for the City of Los Angeles. The Master Plan represents a 20-to-50-year planning document for revitalization of the River for the 32-miles of the River that runs through the City, from Canoga Park in the San Fernando Valley through the southern border of downtown Los Angeles. The City of Los Angeles’ Ad Hoc Committee on the Los Angeles River identified the following objectives to guide the revitalization process:

  1. Establish environmentally sensitive urban design guidelines, land use guidelines, and development guidelines for the River zone that will create economic development opportunities to enhance and improve River-adjacent communities by providing open space, housing, retail spaces such as restaurants and cafes, educational facilities, and places for other public institutions.
  2. Improve the environment, enhance water quality, improve water resources, and improve the ecological functioning of the River.
  3. Provide public access to the River.
  4. Provide significant recreation space and open space, new trails, and improve natural habitats to support wildlife.
  5. Preserve and enhance the flood control features of the River.
  6. Foster a growth in community awareness of the Los Angeles River, and pride in the Los Angeles River.

The Tetra Tech team consists of Tetra Tech and 11 other subconsultants. Tetra Tech’s responsibility includes overall project management for the consulting team, plan formulation, water quality analysis, preparation of the Programmatic EIR/EIS, hydraulic and transportation analysis, and website development.

Public Outreach is a critical component of this effort, since the Master Plan will be recommending governance structures related to zoning, jurisdictional authority over the river, land use changes, and implementation of community amenities. The outreach effort includes the following series of meetings, all of which have taken place so far and are continuing throughout the completion of the Master Plan (expected in April 2007).

  1. 18 Public Meetings plus a PEIR/PEIS Scoping Meeting
  2. Individual stakeholder meetings with over 50 individuals
  3. 3 Focused roundtable discussions with the stakeholder group combined
  4. Regular outreach meetings with neighborhood groups, economic alliance groups, and organized property owners
  5. Regular meetings with City Councilmembers, members of the Department of Water and Power, and the City’s Board of Public Works
  6. Monthly Task Force meetings
  7. Monthly Ad Hoc Committee (City Council) Meetings
  8. Monthly meetings with the Corps of Engineers and Los Angeles County Department of Public Works
  9. Meetings with the City Planning Department and the Community Redevelopment Agency
  10. 3 day-long meetings with a 30-person Advisory Committee
  11. 3 day-long meetings with a 6-person Peer Review Committee