An empty lot near the intersection of the Golden State and Hollywood freeways that was slated for condominiums will soon house a skateboard park. And at 25,000 square feet of skateable surface, the Sun Valley facility will be the largest skateboard park in the city of Los Angeles. Set to open in January, it is at 12477-12511 Sheldon St. Project Manager Gary Lam of the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks said that the park will receive a formal name in the coming months. A total of six community meetings were held during the park’s planning stages and local youth were invited to attend the meetings and offer opinions for the park’s design and amenities. Skateboarder favorites such as stair steps, rails and a quarter pipe were incorporated into the design as a result of the community suggestions. The park is being funded through a combination of city and state money. The lot was purchased for approximately $2.43 million. In September 2011, the Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioners accepted a bid from Upland-based California Skateparks to build the park for a cost of $1.98 million. California Skateparks has constructed other parks in the Valley including the Burbank BMX/ Skate Park and the North Hollywood Skate Plaza. The park will be maintained by the Parks Department upon opening and will have restrooms, drinking fountains, shade covers and a parking lot. Although the new skate park will be the biggest in Los Angeles, some others in the region are larger. The Santa Clarita Skate Park has 40,000 square feet of skateable surface. Heidi Lemmon, founder of Skate Park Association International in Venice, said she is happy to hear about new parks being carved out in the city but points to the contrast of the size of parks being built in such places as Shanghai, China, and the Cayman Islands. They are often double the size of the Sun Valley location. “Los Angeles is still very much lagging in building a world class skate park,” she said. – By Rosie Downey
Sun Valley Grinds Out Skate Park
