Bradley Plaza and Green Alley Project Completed

The City of Los Angeles Sanitation and Environment (LASAN) in partnership with Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, Pacoima Beautiful, and The Trust for Public Land today announced the completion of the Bradley Plaza and Green Alley project. The project is located in the alley southwest and parallel to Van Nuys Boulevard, between Lehigh and Pala Avenues in Pacoima, a neighborhood within Council District 7 of the City of Los Angeles. The completed project will have a range of benefits including: improvement of water quality by capturing and infiltrating stormwater runoff, eliminating alley flooding, and promoting sustainability and neighborhood connectivity by creation of a vibrant open space for community members to gather. 

“This is exactly the type of project LASAN loves to pursue and has cultivated a unique expertise in,” said Enrique C. Zaldivar, Executive Director and General Manager of LASAN, “The important and often unseen work that stormwater infrastructure does in our communities, reclaiming water and preventing flooding, can and should be paired whenever possible with other complete street projects that beautify neighborhoods and provide green space for residents.” 

By replacing the alley’s crumbling surfacing with new asphalt that drains into infiltration planters, subsurface infiltration trenches, and a catch basin system, this project will remove pollutants from and infiltrate approximately two million gallons of stormwater into the aquifer each year, thus improving water quality and eliminating local flooding during rain storms. 

This project was made possible thanks to the leadership of Monica Rodriguez, Los Angeles City Councilwoman. Additionally, the project had broad support from the San Fernando Gardens Housing Authority, whose residents live adjacent to the project, and the Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department. 

The alley is the first planned Shared Street in the City of Los Angeles, specifically designed to slow traffic down, creating a safe space for children to play and residents to gather, while also allowing for pedestrian and vehicle access to businesses and homes. This community-driven project includes custom locally reclaimed wood seating, a shade structure, outdoor fitness equipment, and a nature classroom along with decorative street paint to represent an arroyo stream. 

“From the beginning of the project, local community members were engaged in the design process,” said Veronica Padilla, Executive Director of Pacoima Beautiful, “providing feedback on the plants and trees that now line the alleyway to the fitness equipment and benches installed in the Plaza. Local residents and business owners endured tough challenges during construction to see this project come to fruition, and as a result, the entire community will be able to enjoy a safe and beautiful shared space that they can be proud of. It is projects like these that are envisioned, designed and used by the community that Pacoima Beautiful hopes to continue to bring to the Northeast San Fernando Valley.” 

Bradley Plaza and Green Alley is also the first completed leveraged project of the Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Grant awarded to the Northeast Valley Green Together Collaborative, a group of organizations and government agencies working in Pacoima and Sun Valley to impact neighborhood change and climate solutions. The TCC grant program, administered by the California Strategic Growth Council, empowers communities most impacted by pollution to choose their own goals, strategies, and projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution. Additional projects included in the Northeast Valley Green Together TCC grant award include mobility hubs, street trees, a park renovation, solar retrofits, and other climate interventions in the Pacoima and Sun Valley neighborhoods of Los Angeles. 

“The completion of the Bradley Plaza and Green Alley is the latest example of Wells Fargo’s long standing support of The Trust for Public Land’s equity and environmental justice initiatives,” said Marcia Choo, Community Relations West Region, Wells Fargo. “Because of its community assets, Pacoima is a strategic focus for Wells Fargo’s philanthropy and the Northeast Valley Green Together Collaborative presented a perfect alignment of community partners to leverage the Transformative Climate Communities grant. We are pleased to invest in the work of Pacoima Beautiful, The Trust for Public Land, and others.” 

“During the current coronavirus pandemic, we have seen firsthand how much Angelenos rely on parks and the outdoors to connect with neighbors and find solace and healing,” said Guillermo Rodriguez, California State Director for The Trust for Public Land, “Close to home community spaces like the Bradley Plaza and Green Alley are vital to ensure everyone has access to these benefits of the outdoors. This project is just the beginning of what we will accomplish with the community and our Green Together partners in Pacoima thanks to the TCC grant and our exceptional governmental and non-profit partners in Los Angeles.” 

LASAN and the Trust for Public Land have also created other similar green alleys across Los Angeles, with two additional green alley networks planned in South Los Angeles. 

The Bradley Plaza and Green Alley project is funded through the City of Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department, Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA/LA), Los Angeles Sanitation and Environment, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Los Angeles Waterkeeper & The Liberty Hill Foundation, California Natural Resources Agency, The Boeing Company, and Wells Fargo Foundation.