Creating a New Park Where It is Most Needed

On December 9, 2023, Los Angeles County celebrated the grand opening of the 0.5-acre Nogales Park in the unincorporated community of Walnut Park.  According to the 2016 Los Angeles Countywide Parks Needs Assessment, Walnut Park is a study area with a very high level of park need. To improve park access and address the needs of residents, the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) worked with the community to plan for, design, and develop a new pocket park along Pacific Boulevard in the center of Walnut Park.

While Nogales Park may be relatively small in size, it offers a variety of amenities long desired and requested by community members, including new playgrounds with shade, outdoor exercise equipment, a splash pad, a walking path, a performance stage, public art, and a picnic and BBQ area. In addition, stormwater capture elements have been incorporated into the park, including a diversion system and infiltration dry wells to divert and capture both urban and stormwater runoff. These elements help to reduce bacteria and metal pollutants from entering the Los Angeles River through the capture of stormwater and urban runoff.

The new pocket park is one of several priority park projects featured in the article From Plans to Park, which discusses how DPR has been proactively developing and implementing park plans to meet the needs of residents in the most underserved and vulnerable communities of L.A. County.