Glendale City Council hopes to build 24-acre park over 134 Freeway

GLENDALE, Calif. (KABC) -- A 3/4-mile section of the 134 Freeway could soon have a very different aerial look.

City leaders want to build a 24-acre park over the 134 Freeway from Central Avenue east to Balboa Avenue near the Glendale Avenue exit.

"The beauty of having a place this big is that you can have something for everybody. It's great for fitness folks who want to bike or ride. You'll have nice, quiet reflective spaces. You'll have some retail, bistros, cafes, places for people to come together, concert space, event space all in the downtown of one of the safest communities in the entire nation," Glendale City Manager Scott Ochoa said.

Ochoa says "Space 134," as the plan is called, was a dream project for city council members back in 2006. The recession and funding challenges put it on hold until now, when Ochoa says it could become reality, with a groundbreaking as soon as 2020.

"Overwhelming support to the tune of 76 percent of our participants saying that they would love to see this happen. They need open space, they want open space. They want to be one community," Ochoa said.

Aside from traffic and pollution concerns, most people Eyewitness News spoke to said they liked the idea.

"I think it's awesome. I have three kids myself and I babysit so it'll be amazing to bring the kids out because we don't have that, and it's a busy street," Glendale resident Blanca Bonilla said.

"As long as it's going to be efficient and it's built ecologically, I see nothing but positives," said Leimonas Petrosius, who works in Glendale.

The project still needs to undergo technical studies and environmental impact reports. City leaders say the funding will likely come from private public partnerships and philanthropy. The first phase of the project, a total of 4 acres from Central Avenue to Brand Boulevard, is estimated to cost $150 million.

For more information, visit www.space134.net.