What if Central Los Angeles could have a new park, 30+ acres and 3+ miles long? That’s the vision for San Vicente Park, a replacement for much of the significant public land currently devoted to San Vicente Boulevard. With the newly opened Metro D-Line and the approved K-Line Northern Extension, a re-imagining of mobility and recreation will become available to reconsider public space for more vibrant communities.

• Convert approximately 3.2 miles of San Vicente Boulevard to public parks, plazas, and recreation facilities
• Extend from Venice Boulevard (Mid City) to Beverly Boulevard (Beverly Center / Cedars Sinai)
• Maintain local access roads for homes and businesses
• Encourage ridership in Metro D-Line and future K-Line Extension
• Provide alternative mobility routes for bicycles and scooters
• Provide attractive first/last mile approaches and space devoted to Metro stations

With the construction of the Metro, Los Angeles and its citizens have an opportunity to reengage with our public space and encourage the replacement of San Vicente Boulevard with a grand park, linking communities by providing alternative mobility options including pedestrian connections, dedicated scooter/bicycle lanes, and encouragement of mass transit ridership.

As a diagonal street, San Vicente provides many instances of complicated intersections as it meanders against the general grid of Los Angeles, at a width too great for pedestrians and too unsafe for alternative mobility options. With right-turn-only access as the park straddles major boulevards, city grid traffic would improve (Beverly, 3rd Street, La Cienega, Wilshire, Olympic/Fairfax, La Brea, Pico, Venice)

One of the most beneficial features of the existing San Vicente Boulevard is the generous landscaped median.  For decades, this marooned park-like feature has nurtured old growth tree, idle of human use due to a lack of programmed space, crosswalks, and zooming cars.  Transforming the boulevard into a park would incorporate the old trees and expand the existing medians to become the primary use of this urban space. Reduced vehicular traffic from safety measures will encourage a tranquil conversion.

In 2022, DOT implemented part of their intent to convert a lane of traffic along San Vicente from Olympic to La Brea to become a protected bicycle lane.  Their traffic study showed little difference in travel times for the area, as the travel lanes in each direction decreased from 3 to 2.  Already, the slower traffic and more narrow road have improved the visual quality of the street, and impressed upon stakeholders the value of alternate public uses of urban space. San Vicente Park creates an opportunity to move these bicycle lanes into the center of the public space conversion, creating safer travel for both vehicles and alternatives.

In addition, the City of Beverly Hills has committed to improving San Vicente Boulevard within its jurisdiction to be “Complete Streets.”  Bicycle lanes between La Cienega and Wilshire.