A Koreatown green space could become the city’s newest park

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

A privately owned green space along busy Wilshire Boulevard in Koreatown could become a city park.

The property is Liberty Park, which sits next to Beneficial Plaza and around the corner from The Wiltern. Councilmember Heather Hutt, who represents a large swath of Koreatown, wants the city to acquire the space in a private sale with the property owner.

The proposal will come before the Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners on Thursday, when commissioners will consider whether to authorize the department to begin the acquisition process for several properties in Council District 10.

Hutt is also pursuing other efforts to add green space and recreation opportunities in Koreatown, according to a spokesperson for her office.

Liberty Park and the adjacent Beneficial Plaza were designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2018 after Koreatown residents organized to preserve the property from a proposed 36-story residential tower.

The park has long served as a gathering place for the community and recently hosted World Cup watch parties.

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Brian Feinzimer

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The LA Local

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Jamison Properties, which owns the site, is now seeking to convert the 11-story office building at 3700 Wilshire Blvd. into 370 apartments through adaptive reuse.

If the city acquires Liberty Park, it would become public park land. Council District 10 does not yet have specifics on what it would do with the park, spokesperson Devyn Bakewell said.

The park’s historic designation also limits what can be changed. Any changes would need to preserve the park’s defining historic features, according to Adrian Fine, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Conservancy.

“Liberty Park could theoretically be altered, but any changes would need to preserve its character-defining features — its deep setback, open lawn, grove of Canary Island pines, plaza design, and Liberty Bell replica,” Fine said.

The push to add more park space comes as Koreatown faces a significant shortage of green space. The city’s 2025 Park Needs Assessment identified a one-mile area in Koreatown as a priority for new park space. About 18,000 people, or 37% of the area’s 48,561 residents, live more than a 10-minute walk from a park.

That number is projected to grow to 21,783 by 2050.

Earlier this year, the city moved forward with a pocket park at 355 S. Kingsley Drive, a roughly 7,400-square-foot vacant lot at the corner of Kingsley Drive and 4th Street. The project grew out of a partnership with the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, which previously owned the property.

Council District 10 is now looking to acquire the parcel directly across Kingsley Drive. The second property would allow the city to create a roughly one-acre park between the two sites, according to Bakewell.

The empty lot on Kingsley Drive and 4th Street in Koreatown will likely become a park in the coming years after it’s transferred to the city of Los Angeles.

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Marina Peña

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The LA Local

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The district plans to hold community workshops with residents, the Wilshire Center-Koreatown Neighborhood Council and local community advocates after the city acquires the properties to “design each park to fit the community’s needs,” Bakewell told The LA Local.

Council District 10 is also looking for a large property for a new arts and recreation center in Koreatown and is considering potential sites, including parcels at 621-643 S. Vermont Ave. and 3201-3213 W. Wilshire Blvd., both within walking distance of the Wilshire/Vermont Metro station. Nothing has been finalized, and the district has not selected a site.

“We are looking for a location that is state-of-the-art, and big enough to fit the community’s needs,” Bakewell said. “In order to properly build an Arts & Recreation Center, the city needs to acquire a large piece of property accessible to the public — a difficult task within the densest community in the city.”

The city is looking into the feasibility of building a Koreatown Arts and Recreation center on an open lot on Wilshire Boulevard and Vermont Avenue.

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Steve Saldivar

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The LA Local

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The proposal also includes several properties in the Mid-City and South L.A. areas, which Hutt also represents.

The city is moving forward with the acquisition process, but funding is still a big question mark.

“It is unknown at this time if there is sufficient funding available to complete these proposed acquisitions,” a Recreation and Parks report says. “Funding for the acquisitions and all related costs will be determined after approval of this Report.”

The council district plans to use Quimby funds, along with other funding sources, to pay for the properties. Quimby funds come from fees paid by developers of new residential projects and can be used to acquire or improve parks and recreational facilities.

The acquisitions would also mean more work for Recreation and Parks to maintain the properties, which would require additional money through the department’s regular budget process, according to the report.

If commissioners approve the proposal Thursday, the Department of Recreation and Parks can continue the work needed before any purchases can be completed. The department would later return to the Board with proposed purchase agreements for final approval.