Taylor Yard / Rio de Los Angeles State Park
The River Project has been actively involved in scientific research, community engagement, design alternatives, funding, policy, legislation, and advocating for an integrated approach to the site for over two decades.
For river activists, Taylor Yard has always represented the greatest opportunity for true river restoration. The more-than-200-acre historic site just north of downtown is not only the largest undeveloped parcel on the river, but also at a strategic location where the riverbank could be naturalized even with the rest of the channel as it is today. The site represents unparalleled potential for meaningful watershed planning to bring nature back: providing access to flowing water, shade, habitat, water capture and infiltration for groundwater supply, holistic long-term flood management, recreation, and economic revitalization for the densely populated, underserved adjacent communities.
Please see the Latest News below to see what we're advocating for today and get in contact if you'd like to know how to take action.
Take a tour through historic Taylor Yard.
Latest News
Pressing action happening now: the future of Parcel G2 may be diverging from decades of community voices and expert planning, a proposed development at Parcel J, and the design for the Taylor Yard Bridge.
Parcel G2
The City recently purchased Parcel G2, long studied and ideal for river floodplain expansion, natural habitat, and enhanced flood protection for adjacent at-risk communities. The Bureau of Engineering is leading a design process with the expressed intent of creating ‘something iconic’ for the Olympics. Workshops to date have focused on providing leading questions about what sort of recreation and revenue generating developments people would like to see at the site. None have mentioned the current level of flood risk adjacent communities are facing, or the unique opportunities of the site—reasons for decades of planning that have consistently identified that the site is best dedicated to realizing a living and thriving Los Angeles River. You can follow the CIty’s process here.
This is the first action of significance related to the LA River Revitalization Plan. Let the City know you stand with the Coalition's vision of Rio de Los Angeles State Park as a 100-acre urban oasis with 2 miles of River frontage. With continued community involvement, all of Parcel G will ultimately be added to Rio de Los Angeles State Park, realizing the Coalition's vision.
Parcel H
A New York developer is proposing to replace the existing business at the site with a 419 unit residential and 64,000 sq. ft. commercial development, a portion of which is within the 100-year floodplain. The development would also include a 7 story parking structure. Ideally, the site would be added to Rio de Los Angeles State Park. The project’s Initial Study is here. A Draft Environmental Impact Report is anticipated later this year. Stay tuned for breaking news.
Bridge
The design for the long-promised pedestrian and bicycle bridge connecting Elysian Valley and Taylor Yard has been released. Its foundations are currently specified to sit upon the existing concrete channel walls—an approach that is likely to eliminate the potential for climate-adaptive and public-safety-enhancing alterations to the channel walls. A different configuration for the bridge is necessary for a naturalized Rio de Los Angeles State Park extending from San Fernando Road to the LA River.
High Speed Rail
The California High Speed Rail project has been considering various alignments under and through Taylor Yard over the past decade. They are currently planning a surface route alongside the existing Metrolink Rail line that bisects Taylor Yard.