Wave Staff Report
ECHO PARK — Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell led a ground-breaking ceremony July 7 for a major project to beautify a median at the corner of Allesandro Street and Glendale Boulevard, adjacent to a freeway on-ramp.
Prior to breaking ground on the effort, O’Farrell led a successful operation to provide transitional housing placements to seven people who had previously been experiencing homelessness at the location.
“This much-needed beautification project and series of repairs utilizes hundreds of native plants that are healthy to our local environment,” O’Farrell said. “Most importantly, this work was preceded by a successful effort to provide transitional housing for people experiencing homelessness at this location. This is proof that housing people and moving important public works projects forward are not mutually exclusive.”
The $720,000 beautification project is paid for by Council District 13 discretionary funds, and includes: repair of the natural slope to prevent further erosion; repairing the existing retaining low wall at the toe of the slope; providing proper surface drainage; trimming and protecting the existing mature trees; a new irrigation system; and revegetating the site with nearly 500 drought-tolerant California native plants.
The new landscape will create resources and much needed habitat for birds, butterflies and bees — a priority for O’Farrell, a lifelong advocate for animal welfare and the chair of the City Council’s committee on Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice and the Los Angeles River.
The project, which was designed and will be coordinated by the city’s Bureau of Street Services, is expected to be completed by the fall.
“We thank [Councilman O’Farrell’s office] for providing the funding on this hillside median improvement project that will rehabilitate and beautify this area, while providing additional green infrastructure,” said Board of Public Works President Aura Garcia.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Council District 13 to help create new greenspace for the community,” said Keith Mozee, executive director and general manager for the Bureau of Street Services. “The native plants will support urban biodiversity by providing habitat for birds, bees and butterflies, in a place that has been a barren hillside.”
