REVIVING RIVER COULD RE-CREATE CANOGA PARK 'BE DONE IN OUR LIFETIME? I DON'T KNOW,' ZINE SAYS.

Byline: KERRY CAVANAUGH

Staff Writer

Transforming a stretch of the Los Angeles River from a dirty concrete channel into a lush park could trigger redevelopment of Canoga Park, creating a community of open space, bike paths and transit-centered neighborhoods.

The plan is conceptual, would cost more than $200 million and is probably decades away. But consultants who wrote the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan said that spending money to return the river to its natural state would reap benefits to the surrounding area.

"We're not saying, in 20 years from now, this is what it's going to look like. This is what it could look like," said Ira Mark Artz of Tetra Tech, the lead consulting firm for the master plan.

"It's a first step moving forward."

The master plan is a $3 million, 25-year blueprint for a 32-mile "emerald necklace" of parks, walkways and bike paths snaking through Los Angeles.

Residents will be able to review the plans and drawings during a public hearing to be held tonight. Final comments on the proposals will be taken through March 19.

Consultants selected Canoga Park as one of five "opportunity sites" where additional improvements could encourage investment by entrepreneurs, public agencies and developers.

Designers envision a park stretching from south of the river to the Vanowen Street area around Owensmouth and Canoga avenues. With grass and soil able to absorb overflow, concrete could be removed from the south side of the river to create a more natural riparian environment, designers said.

Across Vanowen Street, consultants envision developments and pedestrian promenades if Pratt & Whitney decide to sell the site of the former Rocketdyne plant.

Nearby, there could be a greenbelt and bike path along the Orange Line extension up Canoga Avenue.

These river improvements in Canoga Park could cost $210 million to $270 million.

City Councilman Dennis Zine, who represents the area, said the master plan has great potential -- if the money can be found and flood protection ensured.

"It is realistic. It could be done. Will it be done in our lifetime? I don't know."

Restoring what is now a 32-mile drainage channel to a more natural river could cost more than $7 billion over the coming decades, officials estimate.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called the blueprint "a bold, audacious plan" that can stimulate economic growth and improve the quality of life in surrounding communities.

"Over time, it will take billions of dollars, but it will reap billions in benefits."

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com

[phone]

If you go

A workshop on the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 tonight at Canoga Park High School, 6850 Topanga Canyon Blvd., followed by a public hearing at 7:45 p.m. Another workshop and hearing will be held at the same time Wednesday night at the Metropolitan Water District headquarters, 700 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles.

CAPTION(S):

box, map

Box:

If you go (see text)

Map:

Pratt & Whitney site