City closes escrow on G2 and inches closer to restoring LA River

A swath of land along the LA River known as G2 has been officially acquired by the city, which closed escrow on the site today, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced.

“We’ve always considered G2 to be the crown jewel in our vision to revitalize the L.A. River,” he said. “We got it done, and now this vast site can transform how Angelenos connect with the natural world.”

The council voted in January to spend $59.3 million to buy the Cypress Park parcel. Measuring 41 acres, it has long been considered a key element to Alternative 20, an ambitious plan to restore 11 miles of river habitat between Griffith Park and Downtown.

G2 will eventually connect Rio de Los Angeles State Park with the Bowtie parcel, which is state-owned. By linking the properties, G2 will open up more than 1 mile of direct riverfront access “for local communities that have been cut off from it for too long,” Garcetti said.

The next step is for the city to begin planning for to turn the site into a space that can be used by the public.

That will entail remediation of the contaminated soil, as the land was once part of the Union Pacific Railroad’s Taylor Yard freight-switching facility. The clean-up could take several years.

Via City of Los Angeles

• Mayor Garcetti celebrates final acquisition of land considered ‘crown jewel’ in vision to revitalize L.A. River [Mayor Eric Garcetti]
• City votes to acquire 41 acres known as the ‘crown jewel’ of LA River’s revitalization [Curbed LA]