Van Nuys Neighborhood Council was represented at the recent The LA River Master Plan Community Meeting on July 25, 2018 at Canoga Park High School to learn about the Los Angeles County Plan to update the 1996 LA River Master Plan, addressing the entire 51 mile LA River.
The County Draft Vision is: A re-imagined River to connect and serve the diverse communities of LA County.
This was the first of 17 Community Meetings to provide opportunities for community input on the drafting of the LA River Master Plan which will be finalized in early 2020. County officials will identify the challenges and unrealized opportunities for 2,100 contiguous acres of publicly-owned land along the river corridor. The 25 month long process will focus on 6 preliminary goals:
1. Reinforce local culture and community.
2. Provide a protective and resilient flood management infrastructure.
3. Identify and address potential adverse impacts to housing affordability.
4. Provide equitable, inclusive, and safe parks, open space, and trails.
5. Support healthy, connected ecosystems.
6. Improve local water supply reliability.
Canoga Park kicked-off the meetings because the LA River begins in Canoga Park, runs for 51 miles and terminates in Long Beach. Future community meetings will be held in various jurisdictions along the river route. Some of the major challenges include addressing safety concerns and crafting a unifying vision that will be supported by all 17 overlapping jurisdictions that will be affected.
The meeting was hosted by Michelle Miranda (President of the Canoga Park Neighborhood Council), and speakers included Concilman Bob Blumenfield, Sheila Kuehl’s office and a slide presentation from the Department of Public Works.
For more information and to sign up for notifications go to: http://larivermasterplan.org/
Or see https://www.riverla.org/