PRESS RELEASE - February 10, 2020
City Extends Deadline for Submitting Feedback on Silver Lake Reservoir Complex Master Plan Deadline to submit online questionnaires is now February 21, 2020
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 10, 2020 – The City’s Bureau of Engineering has extended the deadline for submitting feedback on the Silver Lake Reservoir Complex Master Plan Project. Respondents now have until Friday February 21, 2020 to submit completed online questionnaires.
The questionnaire gives the community another opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed design concept presented at Friendship Auditorium on January 23rd. The meeting was attended by more than 350 members of the Silver Lake community, and was the fourth in a series of public meetings and events. The questionnaire can be accessed here: www.surveymonkey.com/r/SilverlakeCW4
The full project presentation from the meeting is available here: Presentation
“The Master Plan will act as a guide for projects that could get implemented over the next 20 years,” said Deborah Weintraub, AIA, Chief Deputy City Engineer. “Which projects get implemented and the timing will depend on ongoing input and support from the community, available funding, environmental review, including traffic studies, and the establishment of maintenance and operation agreements. No project will move forward without considerable additional community input, support and vetting by all interested parties.”
The project team has received more than 4,000 questionnaire responses over the course of the project and is expecting many more before the February 21st deadline. They have also received hundreds of written comments from members of the community who participated in earlier public meetings and a reservoir tour held in August 2019. The first meeting in June 2019 was attended by more than 220 stakeholders; the reservoir tour in August 2019 was attended by more than 600; and 450 attended a November 2019 meeting.
This is the third opportunity the community has had to provide input to the Master Plan design, which has been presented to the community in systematic steps, each of which incorporates feedback and makes adjustments to the design.
“For example, earlier plans included swimming and non-motorized boating, which had some early support from the community,” added Weintraub. “Later comments we received showed less support and those items were removed.”
The project team has also received ongoing support and guidance from representatives of five community organizations that make up the project’s Stakeholder Working Group: Silver Lake Reservoir Conservancy, Silver Lake Forward, Silver Lake Neighborhood Council, Silver Lake Now and the Silver Lake Wildlife Sanctuary. Thus far, representatives from these organizations have met six times with the project team to provide feedback, guidance and share input from their constituents.
“The Working Group members have been integral to this process,” noted Weintraub. “They have helped guide the project from the very beginning and have shared with us what their friends and neighbors care about most. We are extremely grateful for their participation and enthusiasm for the Master Plan.”
The project is being led by Engineering, with the support of Council Districts 13 and 4, and in coordination with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The City selected Hargreaves Jones as the lead consultant, along with Silver Lake-based architecture firm, Chee Salette.
In 2019, Engineering was asked to develop a Master Plan by Council Districts 4 and 13 and by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) after the Silver Lake and Ivanhoe Reservoirs were removed from the City’s drinking water system and made available for public use. LADWP is funding the development of the Master Plan. The goal of the Master Plan is to examine opportunities for expanded recreational opportunities that integrate City and community values, desires, and visions for the use of the land, while balancing LADWP’s operational needs. LADWP will continue to maintain water levels and their other operational responsibilities, such as the integrity of the dams and LADWP onsite facilities.
Funding for possible, future projects included in the Master Plan has not been identified at this time.
For additional project information about the project, go to: https://eng.lacity.org/slrcmp-home
PRESS RELEASE - December 20,2018
Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering Selects Hargreaves Associates as Consultant to Silver Lake Reservoir Complex Master Plan Project
LOS ANGELES, December 20, 2018 – The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering (Engineering) has selected Hargreaves Associates for the Silver Lake Reservoir Complex Master Plan Project and is recommending that the Board of Public Works award the contract to their team.
The project is being led by Engineering, with the support of Council Districts 13 and 4, and in coordination with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
“We are very pleased to recommend Hargreaves Associates to the Board of Public Works for this important project,” said City Engineer Gary Lee Moore. “Hargreaves has brought together a highly-qualified and experienced team that excels in the various disciplines the City and community needs. Key to their success is their expertise in community engagement, which will be an important aspect of the planning process.”
The new Plan will guide future improvements and repurposing of the reservoir site, and will seek to balance its historic character, its use as a community gathering place, its strategic location within the Silver Lake community, its visual impact, its long-term environmental value, and its potential for a unique blend of passive and recreational opportunities.
“Preparing a Master Plan for the Silver Lake Reservoir requires a highly skilled and thoughtful team to help guide a vision for our beloved open space," said Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell (CD13). "I want to congratulate Hargreaves Associates, as well as the many other teams that applied to be part of this historic process. Also, many thanks to the hundreds of residents who took the time out of their schedules to participate thus far. The imagining is about to get underway, and I look forward to seeing our collective vision realized in the years ahead."
The selection process included a comprehensive review of proposals, an interview, and public presentations by the three finalists on December 4th.
"I'm thrilled to welcome Hargreaves Associates and their great team in helping guide a future for the Silver Lake Reservoirs that is sustainable, equitable, and reflective of this City icon," said Councilmember David Ryu (CD4). "I'm so thankful to the Bureau of Engineering for leading this search, and to the Silver Lake community members who are central to this process."
"Our staff conducted outreach nationally and internationally, to alert firms to this exciting opportunity,” added Moore. “The community and the City were extremely impressed by the caliber of the teams that applied to work on the project and we want to thank the other finalists for their great work and their interest.”
For additional project information about the project, go to: https://eng.lacity.org/silverlake_reservoirs
About Bureau of Engineering
The Bureau of Engineering is the City's lead agency for the planning, design and construction management of public buildings, infrastructure and open space projects. Projects include municipal buildings, such as police and fire stations, the convention center, and recreational and cultural facilities, as well as bridges, street and transit projects, and stormwater and wastewater systems. Open space projects include the development of parks and the restoration of wetlands. Engineering also manages permitting for construction in the public right-of-way, as well as the City's state-of-the-art online mapping system. Engineering's projects are nationally-recognized in the areas of environmental sustainability and design and fully support the City's goals of creating a prosperous, livable and safe city for all residents and businesses. For more information, please visit http://eng.lacity.org.