Pasadena has a vision for the Arroyo Seco, one that combines modern
amenities alongside rustic features in the sprawling river system that
plunges out of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Among the highlights of that vision: new and upgraded playing fields,
an overnight camping area, more parking and better access to certain
parts of the arroyo and an increase in the number of events held each
year at the Rose Bowl.
The goals for the 1,000 acres of the arroyo within city boundaries are
contained in a development blueprint released last week. Almost two
decades in the making, the Arroyo Seco Master Plan offers a glimpse
into how Pasadena foresees the use and protection of the canyon, named
for an intermittent river that runs from the base of the San Gabriels
to the Los Angeles River.
"It's unleashing a very exciting process, by reaching into the
past and extending into the future," said Tim Brick, managing
director of the Arroyo Seco Foundation, a nonprofit group created by
author and preservationist Charles Lummis more than 100 years ago.
Although it's only one page in the five-volume document, the Rose Bowl
Use Plan may have the most immediate impact for residents living near
the arroyo. Currently, the Rose Bowl hosts about 14 events a year
that, with at least 20,000 attendees each, are considered
"major" by the city's definition. The plan would boost that
number to 25.
How the Rose Bowl Operating Committee might reach that higher number
is uncertain. The Los Angeles Galaxy, which plays at the Rose Bowl, is
poised to move to a soccer-specific stadium in Carson next year, and
plans are taking shape for a 64,000-seat football stadium in downtown
Los Angeles.
The Rose Bowl's contract with UCLA, which uses the stadium for its
home games, expires after the upcoming season, and the team is said to
have had preliminary talks with the group hoping to build the downtown
stadium.
'The Genteel and the Wilderness'
The rest of the master plan seems to embody the description that State
Librarian Kevin Starr has used for the Arroyo Seco itself: "a
juxtaposition of the genteel and the wilderness."
In some areas, the natural habitat would be preserved, if not
restored, under the plan; in other spots it would be replaced with a
more managed, user-friendly version of itself.
About 40% of the work proposed in the plan would complete deferred
maintenance; the rest would be new projects, many of which have
already been presented to city residents, according to Pasadena
officials.
"I don't think there's anything in here people haven't already
seen. Nothing here should be new to anybody," said Kathy Woods,
administrator of the Parks and Natural Resources Division of the
city's Public Works and Transportation Department.
"I think the plan contains a lot of what the community
wants," Brick said of the plan released Thursday. "I hope
people get real involved in it and use the review period and the whole
process as a real opportunity to better define what the community
wants."
Still, he added, "I get a little worried we are getting a little
too utilitarian about the arroyo."
The bulk of the plan concerns the 300-acre Hahamongna Watershed Park,
to the south of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
More than 75 projects have been identified within the Hahamongna,
including more parking lots, an amphitheater, a supervised overnight
camping area and two new athletic fields, one of which would be
fashioned from an unused overflow basin.
Half of 'Disc Golf' Course to Be Moved
To preserve natural habitat in the park, the city plans to relocate
half of an 18-hole course for Frisbee golf--or "disc golf,"
as it is called in the plan--to another area.
South of the Hahamongna, in the central Arroyo Seco, the master plan
focuses on preserving the status quo while upgrading some facilities.
That area, around the Rose Bowl, is a popular recreation spot for
cyclists, walkers, runners and ball players, and city planners hope to
repave parking lots, improve roads and trails, and post better signs.
The master plan also includes the creation of a grand ceremonial
entrance on the west side of the Rose Bowl.
In the lower arroyo, south of the Colorado Street bridge, "the
concept is bringing the area back" to its natural state, Woods
said. A bird sanctuary, improved trails and the expansion of a habitat
restoration project already underway are included in the plan.
A Chance to Hear Residents' Comments
Residents will have 45 days to review and comment on the master plan
and the environmental impact report that accompanied it before the
City Council takes up the matter, expected as early as late summer.
City officials hope to raise the money for the projects through grants
and available funds after the plan and environmental report have been
approved. They do not have a price tag for the whole plan, but they
estimate it would take $30 million to implement just the Hahamongna
part. Only about $4 million of that has been raised, mostly from the
1996 Los Angeles County Park Bond Act.
Woods said she believes that the master plan tries to balance
restoring some areas to their natural state with making others
available for public use. "All my life, I've watched this
area," she said. "I'm really excited about the things that
are going on."
Copies of the master plan are available for viewing at all branches of
the Pasadena Public Library and at the city's Planning Department.
Electronic copies will be available next month on the city's Web site,
www.ci.pasadena.ca.us.
Pasadena will hold a meeting to hear public comments at 6 p.m. June 25
at the Victory Park gym, 2575 Paloma St.