Public Input Sought on Final Phase of Reed Park Improvements

The City of Santa Monica is kicking off the final phase of improvements at Reed Park, which will focus on the 1-acre lawn in the northeast section of the park. The redesign will seek to better connect the lawn with the rest of this active park. Public input is needed to ensure that the design will meet community needs.

Located along Wilshire Blvd between 7th Street and Lincoln Blvd, Reed Park is home to the historic Miles Memorial Playhouse, tennis courts, basketball courts, playgrounds, a senior lunch program, and offices for the City’s CREST afterschool program. The most recent set of improvements completed in 2012 included the addition of a new playground, a new garden adjacent to Miles Playhouse, new landscaping along Wilshire Blvd and 7th Street, and general facility updates. The lawn located in the northeast corner at Lincoln Blvd and California Ave makes up one fifth of the 5.3-acre park. It is located north of Miles Playhouse, east of the basketball courts, and across the street from St. Monica’s Church. Reed Park first opened in 1892, making it one of Santa Monica’s oldest parks.

“We’re thrilled to kick off this final phase of improvement s at Reed Park,” said Karen Ginsberg, Director of the City of Santa Monica Community & Cultural Services Department. “Reed Park is centrally-located, with a lot of activity packed into a relatively small footprint. We need to make sure the entire space is meeting current needs. Public input will be key to the successful transformation of the lawn area.”

The public input period has opened, starting with a park user survey now online at http://www.santamonicaparks.org. The survey will be open until noon on December 31st. The survey will be followed up by the first of two community open house workshops on Saturday, January 24, from 10 am to noon at Reed Park. For more information on this and other park improvement projects, visit http://www.santamonicaparks.org, email ccs@smgov.net, or call 3310-458-8310