Public Garden Blooming on Site of Former Parking Lot

After two years of planning and construction, an abandoned parking lot on Fairfax and Rosewood avenues will reopen Wednesday as a public garden.

The Rosewood Avenue lot, which had been largely hidden from Fairfax until a wall was torn down as part of redevelopment, was “a magnet for homeless people and for dumping,” said Daniel Hinerfeld, deputy to City Councilman Mike Feuer.

At Feuer’s request, the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks earmarked $100,000 for the lot’s rehabilitation.

Feuer later held meetings soliciting community comments on how to redevelop the 80-foot by 15-foot lot a block south of Melrose Avenue.

The Rosewood Garden includes lighting, trees, and tables with built-in chessboards. The project is “a key part in reversing the decline of Fairfax Avenue,” said Feuer’s chief of staff, Jane Blumenseld.