STUDIO CITY : Land Purchased for Park Next to Library

Studio City will get a new--albeit small--park based on a decision Wednesday by the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Commission to spend $375,000 for land next to the Studio City Library.

The land is part of a .45-acre vacant parcel on the corner of Moorpark Street and Whitsett Avenue that the city has been eyeing for an expansion of the library.

But the city’s Library Department does not need and can not afford the entire $1-million parcel for the expansion.

Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, whose district includes the library, suggested the city purchase a .17-acre portion of the land with $375,000 in fees that the city collects from developers to buy and develop parks. The rest of the property can then be used for the expansion, he suggested.

Although the park site was once occupied by a gas station, an environmental study by the city found no soil contamination. If all goes as planned, the park can be open within six months to a year, park officials said.