Sepulveda Basin Arts Center Plans Scaled Back

Prompted by last winter’s dramatic floods and a torrent of public protest, a private San Fernando Valley group has decided to scale down its proposal for a sprawling arts center in the Sepulveda Basin.

The nonprofit Cultural Foundation had proposed construction of an elegant 60-acre complex of theaters, museums and workshops--dubbed Arts Park L.A.--bordering the basin’s man-made lake.

But in February, near-record rains threatened the proposed site, just north of the area where motorists stranded in floodwaters were rescued by helicopters. In addition, the foundation has caught flak from environmentalists and residents who want the basin preserved as one of Los Angeles’ largest remaining green spaces.

So new plans--which will be included in environmental impact reports to be released Friday--show Arts Park with at least two fewer buildings. And the entire project would be tucked tightly along the basin’s northern edge where it would be less visible and less prone to flooding, according to the new plans.

“If someone on the other end of the lake looks up, they’ll see mostly trees,” said Ross Hopkins, the foundation’s executive director. “We know there will still be opposition. But we think we’ve dealt with most of the reasonable concerns.”

The revisions eliminate a proposed lakeside pavilion and food stands. An outdoor amphitheater would be set back an undetermined distance from the lake instead of being built on the shore and, like much of the complex, would be hidden by trees. Nearly all the structures would stand north of the 100-year flood line, which marks the land most likely to be submerged in a catastrophic flood.

Arts Park would still have six of its eight planned major structures, including a natural history museum, a children’s workshop and its hotly debated centerpiece--a subterranean performing arts center with 1,800- and 500-seat theaters. Such a complex could bring world-class performances to the Valley, Arts Park backers contend.

The project faces several hurdles. First it must be awarded a long-term lease from city officials, who operate parks in the basin, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which owns the flood control plain.

Even if Arts Park secures the necessary approvals, it is not certain that the Cultural Foundation can raise the $70 million needed to build the entire project. The group says it will pursue fund raising in earnest after securing the needed lease.

Public sentiment also plays a role by way of government hearings on the project. Before the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, protests from Valley residents kept the basin’s lake from being made larger and completed in time to be used for rowing competitions.

A 1989 Times Poll suggested that 61% of Valley residents wanted more arts facilities, but even many of those who wanted more facilities did not want them on parkland.

Whenever construction is proposed for government land, especially open space, the builder is required to study potential effects on everything from wildlife to street traffic. In the early part of the planning process, during a 1990 public hearing, shouting matches erupted between Arts Park backers and opponents--which include the Sierra Club and Audubon Society.

The documents scheduled to be made public Friday are the first drafts of the environmental impact reports required by the state and federal governments and mark a midpoint in the planning process.

The Scaling Back of Arts Park L.A. Old Proposal New Proposal 1. Natural History Museum 2. Children’s Center 3. Performing Arts Pavilion 4. Arts Park Center 5. Media Center 6. Outdoor Amphitheater 7. Lakeside Pavilion (excluded from “New Proposal”) Approximate position of 100-year flood line. In event of catastrophic flood, everything south of this line would be under water.