Toyon Canyon Recreation and Tourism Center

TOYON CANYON RECREATION & TOURISM CENTER

Problem: Hundreds of thousands of tourists and visitors overwhelming substandard residential communities unequipped to absorb them, while simultaneously leaving extraordinary amounts of tourist dollars on the table.

Proposal: To promote Griffith Park as a hub of Los Angeles, spotlighting its phenomenal flora and fauna, as well as its proximity to the Hollywood Sign, thereby redirecting the current unsustainable level of visitors from substandard residential neighborhoods.

Plan: Toyon Canyon is a 90 acre parcel of undeveloped land in the middle of Griffith Park atop an abandoned dump. It is approached from the northern, non-residential side of the park, bordered by cemeteries and the Los Angeles River. The 134 Freeway has underused on / off ramps for both north and southbound traffic near the location, and there are on / off ramps to and from the 5 freeway nearby, as well. The roads to access the parcel itself are among some of the best in the park.

The first step in developing this project will be to get the Board of Sanitation to sign off on the safety of the location. There is a five year old film online declaring the area ready for picnicking and light recreation, and there’s plenty of other information about ‘rehabilitating’ the parcel dating from 1993. Considering that background, we feel the BoS should have enough information to make a satisfactory sign-off.

If Toyon Canyon is developed in harmony with players like Universal, Major Developers, etc., this could become a major cash cow for both Griffith Park and the City of Los Angeles.

We imagine a complex that could include:

  1. A VISITOR CENTER: to greet and inform visitors, and act as a tram and hiking hub.
  • This space would enlarge the tiny display from Crystal Springs Ranger Station to include our local flora and fauna, and host to Ranger talks and interpretative tours featuring indigenous flora in landscaping around the center. (We’d include poison oak, so people know what to look for).
  • Zoo reps  could answer questions about indigenous fauna, maybe bring a mascot along — thereby promoting the Zoo.
  • This center could show a short film about the attractions in the park — thinking bigger, it might feature an IMAX Theater.
  • Friends of Griffith Park and Griffith Park Advisory Board could also use this space to present their mission statements to the public.
  • A Tree People presence could include educational information about urban forestry. Perhaps it could include a study of how to get plants to grow on a former dump, which has been attempted since 1993 without much success. This may be a study that would interest a local University? Pierce College or some other Ag School?
  • Displays from all the Griffith Park attractions: The Zoo, The Autry Museum, Travel Town, The Observatory, The Greek, Golf Courses, The Merry Go Round, Pony Ride, Kids Train, Disney Steamers and of course the local stables.
  1. CONCESSIONS:hats, water, hiking poles, bumper stickers, t-shirts, maps, etc.
  2. FOOD / BATHROOMS / PICNIC AREAS.
  3. GUIDED HIKES:Involve the Sierra Club or some other trail building organization in setting up a comprehensive trail system with the hub at Toyon. Make it the center of the Park’s trail system.
  4. TRAM TO THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN, ETC.This center would serve as the  pickup and drop off point for guests who want to take a tram to access the Mt Chapel trail to Mt Lee (Hollywood Sign) and the trail to the top of Mt Hollywood (in the other direction above the Observatory),  the Hollywood Sign picture spot (above the Bronson Caves), or the Observatory. This could also serve as a stop for people coming up/ down the hill to/from Bronson Caves.
  5. PARKING:There’s room for parking of up to 20,000 cars on the empty property.  A gravel surface would suffice for both parking and out-gassing. Trams or walking only past this point.
  6. ANCILLARY SERVICES:The Mt Chapel tram stop would have bathrooms and concessions.
  7. OTHER DEVELOPMENT:Create and promote new trail space for equestrians in the area. Have tie ups and a water source for horses.

This plan is backed by the Hollywoodland Homeowners Association Inc.