Nine years after its initial proposal, a pocket park in Los Angeles Koreatown has finally broken ground.
The new park, which has been in planning since 2015, has been praised as a much-needed respite from the lack of green space in the neighborhood. However, concerns have been raised about the snowballing construction costs and the potential for the park to require ongoing maintenance to avoid issues like those faced by other parks that have turned into homeless encampments.
A groundbreaking ceremony for Pio Pico Park was held at the Pio Pico Koreatown Library parking lot on August 5, hosted by the office of Los Angeles District 10 Councilmember Heather Hutt.
The project is the first park in Koreatown in more than 100 years and is estimated to cost $27 million, according to Hutt’s office. The entire park is 23,200 square feet, translating to about $1,163 per square foot.
Initially, the park project was expected to cost $15.5 million. However, in the two years since the project was approved in May 2022, costs have increased by $11.5 million.
“Unfortunately, inflation has increased all costs, including labor,” said Jimmy Kim, General Manager of the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks.
Despite these increased costs, the park’s expense still compares favorably to the estimated $3.6 million cost of the 20,000-square-foot Bill Greene Memorial Park project currently under consideration for Figueroa Street and Slauson Avenue in South Los Angeles. While there are differences in terms of parking and amenities, the new park would cost more than seven times as much to build as a similarly sized park.
Concerns about homelessness have already been raised. Even on the day of the groundbreaking ceremony, homeless tents were lined up on the sidewalk directly opposite the Pio Pico Library parking lot across 7th Street. Some worry that it’s only a matter of time before homeless people gather in the park. For example, MacArthur Park, located adjacent to Koreatown, has become a highly homeless-populated area in just a few years. To revitalize the park, the city underwent a $1.5 million renovation in 2021, followed by a $3 million renovation this year.
“We’re going to have park ambassadors to manage it,” Hutt said of Pio Pico Park’s homelessness concerns. “We have LAPD officers on patrol, so I don’t anticipate that happening,” adding, “The city’s current homeless strategies, such as Inside Safe, are successful, and District 10 is working with them.”
“It’s been 101 years since the Pio Pico Library opened in 1923,” Hutt continued. “Pio Pico Park is also significant because it is the first new park in Koreatown in over 100 years. It will be a new oasis in Koreatown with playgrounds for children, shaded areas, and exercise equipment.”
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by officials from the LA Public Library, Department of Recreation and Parks, Board of Public Works, Bureau of Engineering, and other city agencies, as well as James An, president of the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles (KAFLA).
“Parks are the cornerstone of a healthy environment,” said Recreation and Parks Department General Manager Kim. “Personally, I grew up in Koreatown and thought we needed a space like this, and I’m happy to see it become a reality.”
John Szabo, City Librarian of the Los Angeles Public Library, noted that the park will also increase access to the Pio Pico Library. “Residents who visit the park will be able to take advantage of the opportunities and resources offered by the library, including the Koreatown Media Lab, a state-of-the-art makerspace and business center, and the new American Center, which offers free immigration services and Korean Storytime,” he said.
BY SUAH JANG, JOONHO CHOI, HOONSIK WOO
[jang.suah@koreadaily.com, choi.joonho1@koreadaily.com]
