Parks Along Freeway at 4 Sites Urged

Soccer fields, playgrounds and an amphitheater are included in a proposed master plan for a series of parks on 392 acres along the Glendale Freeway in the San Rafael Hills above Glendale.

The proposal released this week by the Glendale Parks and Recreation Department staff recommends developing a 313-acre site in rugged mountain terrain as four “freeway parks.” Glendale acquired the land from the California Department of Transportation several years ago.

The parks project could cost the city $4.1 million and require five years to develop, said Nello Iacono, director of the Parks and Recreation Department.

The parks are proposed at four relatively flat sites that were carved out or filled in as Caltrans constructed the freeway in the late 1970s. The sites are accessible by freeway underpasses at Fern Lane and Sherer Lane.

Commission OKs Plans

Last year, the Glendale Parks and Recreation Commission approved plans for three of the sites, Iacono said. Early this year the Glendale City Council approved spending $250,000 to develop the smallest of the parks--a 3.2-acre parcel east of Sherer Lane set aside as natural terrain. Construction of that park could begin by the end of the year, Iacono said.

Construction on the other sites is not expected to begin for two to three years, Iacono said.

Initial plans for the parkland included construction of northbound on- and off-ramps at Fern Lane. But those plans were dropped because of opposition from residents and Caltrans.

The master plan was expected to be approved by the Parks and Recreation Commission late Wednesday.