RANCHO PALOS VERDES — The City of Rancho Palos Verdes will celebrate the grand opening of the revitalized Ladera Linda Community Park, which recently underwent a major makeover.
City officials and community leaders will gather at 3:30 p.m., Feb. 23 at the 11-acre site overlooking the ocean at 32201 Forrestal Drive to celebrate, followed by a 5 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony at sunset.
This free event is open to the public and will mark the culmination of more than a decade of planning and community engagement as part of one of the most significant recreation projects in the City’s history.
“The grand opening of the Ladera Linda Community Center is finally here after years of planning and hard work by our residents, City staff, and contractors,” said Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor John Cruikshank. “This new center has much needed facilities for our entire community. I look forward to cutting the ribbon and presenting this beautiful facility to our residents.”
Along with a chance to see the brand-new park, the grand opening will include guest speakers, interactive stations for kids, and activities led by city staff and Los Serenos de Point Vicente docents. Refreshments and appetizers will be provided.
The new Ladera Linda Community Park features a 6,790-square-foot community center designed by Culver City-based architecture firm Johnson Favaro. The building includes a dividable multi-purpose room, classrooms, a staff office, a warming kitchen, and a meeting room that also serves as a “discovery room” displaying exhibits of local flora, fauna, and historic information.
The site also includes patio areas, one and a half basketball courts, two paddle tennis courts, a children’s playground, tiered outdoor seating, a lawn area, walking paths that traverse through restored native landscaping, and 57 parking spaces. Electric vehicle charging stations for seven parking spaces are expected to be installed this summer thanks to a $76,730 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant Program.
City manager Ara Mihranian called the grand opening of Ladera Linda Community Park a long-time dream come true.
“Beginning this weekend, residents, especially those residing on the east side of the City, will have a new place to recreate and congregate with two playgrounds, sports courts, walking paths, picnic tables, a discovery room showcasing the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and classrooms for community meetings and recreation programs for all ages,” he said.
Originally home to an elementary school that opened in 1967, following a decline in student enrollment, the site was repurposed as a park and community center in 1982. Ladera Linda Community Park is located next to the Forrestal Reserve, which is part of the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve, and features a variety of recreational facilities, including soccer fields owned by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District that are used by American Youth Soccer Organization leagues. With the park’s five aging buildings in serious disrepair, the city began a planning process in 2014 to revitalize the park and community center, involving input from a variety of stakeholders such as community members, neighboring residents, and local youth and sports groups. A master plan for the park was approved by the city council in 2019 and the project was granted entitlements in 2021. Financing and construction agreements were approved in March 2022, followed shortly thereafter by demolition and the start of construction.
“It’s not too often that we get to rebuild a public facility,” said Director of Recreation and Parks Cory Linder. “While this project involved many years of public meetings, planning, and design, it is well worth the wait to ensure the community will have this beautiful new park and community center for future generations.”
After the Feb. 23 grand opening ceremony, Ladera Linda Community Park will be open daily from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset.