EL CARISO PARK TEEN OUR SPOT AND WELL-BEING PROJECT – NOTICE OF EXEMPTION
The County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), in partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH), is the lead agency for the planning and implementation of new Well-Being and Our SPOT community spaces at El Cariso Community Regional Park, located at 13100 Hubbard Avenue in the Sylmar community of Los Angeles. The project is part of a two-year, $15 million countywide initiative to enhance public park spaces that promote social interaction, youth engagement, and mental health. El Cariso Park was selected based on identified park need, equity and violence prevention data, and the presence of year-round teen programming. DPR and DMH conducted a multi-phase community engagement process, including outreach to teens, seniors, and park visitors, to inform the scope and design of improvements. Project elements include renovation of existing outdoor areas into accessible Well-Being and Our SPOT spaces with landscaping, irrigation, shade structures, lighting, seating, signage, security features, and related site enhancements. Final designs reflect both program wide standards and site-specific community input to support safe, inclusive, and welcoming recreational environments.
PROJECT LOCATION
El Cariso Community Regional Park, 13100 Hubbard Street, Sylmar, CA 91342
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
El Cariso Community Regional Park is a 79.97-acre park located at 13100 Hubbard Avenue, in the Sylmar district of Los Angeles. According to the 2016 Los Angeles Countywide Comprehensive Park and Recreation Needs Assessment, the Park is located within an area of moderate park need and features tennis, basketball and pickleball courts, a baseball and football field, a multipurpose building with a gymnasium, a swimming pool, playground, and many other amenities.
In 2024, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) approached LA County Parks to collaborate on an ambitious two-year, $15 million Countywide program to create public spaces that promote social interactions and inspire community well-being in County parks. LA County Parks and DMH selected 14 parks based on several factors including existing year-round Our SPOT Teen Centers, park need based on the Countywide Park Needs Assessment, Office of Violence Prevention high violence scores, DMH equity data, and Los Angeles County Equity Explorer Index data.
LA County Parks and DMH partnered on a robust, multi-phase, year-long community engagement process at each selected park to inform the development of design elements to promote well-being. LA County Parks and their design team conducted onsite interviews with Our SPOT teens as well as popup engagements with seniors and park visitors to define each park’s project scope while creating a shared, program wide design vision. Subsequently, LA County Parks presented the resulting Our SPOT and wellbeing space designs for each park to DMH, Our SPOT teeris, and local community members, leading to further design enhancements. The final designs emphasize accessibility, landscaping, seating, safety, shade and effective use of color.
The park’s scope of work will include renovation of an existing outdoor open space as a new wellbeing space, including accessibility upgrades; trees and landscaping with irrigation; lighting and shade; seating elements including benches designated in an “Open to Chat” style to encourage conversation; informational signage; and related improvements. The project will also include the renovation of an existing unprogrammed area into an outdoor Our SPOT space that includes paving, landscaping, shade, lighting, security fencing, seating, and related improvements. While the thematic design elements and enhancements are similar program wide, each Well-being and Our SPOT space varies in design, shape, and size to reflect community input. The difference in project budgets at each park reflect these variances, including diverse site conditions and utility infrastructure needs.
PROJECT APPLICANT
County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation
CONTACT INFORMATION
Jui Ing Chien, Park Planner
Telephone: (626) 588-5317
Email: jchien@parks.lacounty.gov
EXEMPT STATUS
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Sections 15301(h), 15303 (d)(e) and 15304 (b)
REASONS FOR EXEMPTION
The proposed Project is categorically exempt from the CEQA. The proposed Project, which includes the Well-Being Spaces component, which will focus on improving paths of travel, installing planting, shade trees, and irrigation, installing site lighting, shade structures, seating elements including ‘Happy to Chat’ benches, informative signage, and related general improvements, and the Our SPOT Spaces component, which will involve renovating existing paving and landscaping, providing shade elements, installing security fencing and lighting, creating seating areas, and related improvements to existing park courtyards or unprogrammed spaces, is within certain classes of projects that have been determined not to have a significant effect on the environment in that it meets the criteria set forth in sections 15301(h), 15303(d)(e) and 15304(b) of the State CEQA Guidelines and Classes 1(c), 3(a)(b) and 4(c) of the County’s Environmental Document Reporting Procedures and Guidelines, Appendix G. The project involves restoration or rehabilitation of deteriorated or damaged structures, facilities, or mechanical equipment to meet current standards of public health and safety; installation of small new structures; and new landscaping which will not involve the removal of healthy, mature and scenic trees. In addition, based on the proposed Project’s records, the Project will comply with all applicable regulations. It is not located in a sensitive environment, and there are no cumulative impacts, unusual circumstances, damage to scenic highways, listing on hazardous waste sites compiled pursuant to Government Code Section 65962.5, or indications that it may cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource that would make the exemption inapplicable.