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The supporters of Hollywood Central Park have friends in high places.Friends of the Hollywood Central Park have been pushing for their ambitious plan to create a 44-acre park over the 101 freeway from Santa Monica to Hollywood boulevards for years now, but this week the effort got a boost from officials in D.C.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood met with Rep. Adam Schiff and Friends of the Hollywood Central Park in D.C. this week. LaHood not only said that he was interested in the project but he offered up his staff to help turn the dream into a reality, according to The Daily News.
The newspaper calls it a "baby step" and Schiff said the meeting with LaHood was "a very positive development."
UPDATED: Schiff sent us a statement about the meeting. He touted the project, saying that its construction will create new jobs, connect a neighborhood divided by the freeway and create green space in a neighborhood that desperately needs it:
The Hollywood Central Park is a tremendously exciting community project. In Los Angeles, we are incredibly park poor, leaving children and families with little green space to come together as a community. This innovative project would cap the 101 Freeway, and create a park spanning over 44 acres. That type of green space is hard to come in Los Angeles, and through creative new approaches we can begin to create what has been dubbed a Hollywood Greenway. Secretary LaHood was deeply interested in Hollywood Central Park and offered to have his team work with our community on planning next steps. This is a very positive development and the result of strong input by the visiting delegation. Secretary LaHood, Assistant Secretary Victor Mendez, and former Transportation Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar all provided valuable insights about the strengths of the Hollywood Central Park, and the steps that we are going to need to take in order to successfully start building.
It’s my hope that the Hollywood Central Park will one day have the iconic status of Griffith Park, and become a place for local residents to enjoy as well as a destination for visitors from all over the country.
