Orcas Park to Get Overhaul as Equestrian Facility

Closed since 1992 because of overcrowding, sporadic violence and gang-related activity, Orcas Park is set to receive a $820,000 overhaul that by late next year will transform the shady, eight-acre commons into the newest city-owned equestrian facility, parks officials said.

Once a favorite picnic spot and gathering place for northeast Valley residents, the park was shut down by the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks after residents and police cited severe crowding, traffic and parking problems on weekends when impromptu concerts brought crowds of a thousand or more people--including gang members--to the park.

Because only 300 parking spaces were available, people parked cars along Foothill Boulevard and clogged residential side streets. Alcohol consumption, gang activity and an incident in July, 1992, when a police officer was struck with a rock after he tried to stop a man from drinking alcohol in public, led to the park’s closure, officials said.

A gate at the entrance to the park was padlocked and a “Park Closed” sign hangs there still.

Since its closure, residents, parks officials and City Councilman Richard Alarcon have worked to reopen the park as a safe, accessible recreation outlet. Officials said that about $820,000 in voter-approved Proposition A park funds have been allocated for building a 150- by 300-foot equestrian arena, additional picnic facilities, extra parking for 38 horse trailers, and for moving a trail to accommodate a widened entrance road.

Approval is expected within the next few months, with completion scheduled for late next year, said Jim Andervich, assistant general manager of the park department’s San Fernando Valley division.

About $200,000 has already been spent on design, Andervich said.

When finished, it will be the fourth equestrian facility owned or leased by the city. The others are at Griffith Park, Stetson Ranch Equestrian Center in Sylmar, and next door to Orcas Park at Hansen Dam Equestrian Center.

City officials and residents believe that the park’s new equestrian orientation, combined with increased oversight, will discourage the kind of rowdy free-for-alls and gang activity that led to its closure.

“The facility will be permitted out for equestrian events,” Andervich said. “We’re considering requiring permits for picnics, too,” to control the size and frequency of gatherings. Public safety will be monitored by parks department personnel or park rangers, Andervich added.

“It will be an equestrian center, and we’re hoping that it will be used by horse owners and others who want a safe environment,” said Nancy Snider, president of the Lake View Terrace Home Owners Assn.

Snider also said a new name for the park is being considered. One possibility is to call the area “Gabrieleno Park” after a tribe of Native Americans who once lived nearby. Parks officials said any proposed name change wouldn’t be considered until after work begins.