The City of Los Angeles (the City) is proposing to upgrade an existing equestrian trail/maintenance road into a new section of the Los Angeles River Bikeway. The Project would construct an asphalt concrete pavement Class I bicycle and pedestrian path along the south bank access road of the Los Angeles River, and a fully separated equestrian trail. The Project would extend the Los Angeles River Bikeway by approximately one mile from its current western terminus near Riverside Drive and would provide new equestrian trail facilities near the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. The proposed Project would connect to the active transportation network throughout the region and provide new pedestrian, bicycle, and equestrian access and connectivity to transit, residential homes, schools, jobs, parks, and other community-serving amenities for the surrounding communities. The proposed Project would add to the region’s livability by expanding active transportation options and providing new access to public transit, homes, schools, work, parks, and other community-serving amenities.
The project site is located in the Hollywood Community Plan area along the Los Angeles (LA) River, specifically an approximately one-mile alignment along an existing paved service road owned by the Los Angeles County Flood Control District. The eastern terminus of the alignment includes a locked gate which is also the western terminus of the existing Los Angeles River Bikeway segment to the east of the Project area, and the western terminus of the Project alignment is located approximately 200 feet east of the northern terminus of Forest Lawn Drive.
In compliance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), an Initial Study (IS) has been prepared to assess the potential environmental impacts of this project. Mitigation measures have been incorporated into the project to ensure that impacts are reduced to a less than significant level. The DRAFT Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration was circulated for a thirty (30) day public review period, beginning on February 28, 2025 and ending on March 31, 2025. A virtual Public Meeting regarding the Project and Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration was held on March 12, 2025. A recording of that meeting is available here.
A Final Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) was prepared and can be viewed in its entirety below. Comments received on the DRAFT document are responded to in the FINAL document.
There will be two council committee hearings before the Los Angeles City Council to consider the FINAL IS/MND. The project will be presented before the Energy and Environment Committee, which is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, May 20th, 2025, followed by a presentation to the Transportation Committee later in the month. Council Committees meet at City Hall, 200 North Spring Street, Room 350, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Agendas for upcoming meetings of the Council and Committees are available at this webpage: https://clerk.lacity.gov/calendar.
A copy of the DRAFT and FINAL document may be obtained through the links below or by contacting Chris Adams of the Bureau of Engineering at christopher.adams@lacity.org or (213) 485-5910.