Residents Asked to Help Shape What Goes Above — and Below — Jefferson Park

Beneath the softball diamond and picnic tables at Jefferson Park, Pasadena wants to build a stormwater capture system. Above ground, the city wants residents to decide what comes next — new playgrounds, outdoor classrooms, bioswales, or something the neighborhood hasn’t imagined yet.

On Saturday, the Public Works Department will host its second community visioning pop-up at the 4.4-acre park, part of a feasibility study examining whether underground infrastructure can intercept polluted runoff from a 567-acre drainage area while the park itself gets an upgrade. The city must submit a community-supported concept by July 31 to apply for design funding for the project, estimated at $16.4 million, according to city documents.

The pop-up runs from 10 a.m. to noon at the picnic tables on the corner of Monte Vista Street and Hamilton Avenue. Attendees can participate in hands-on visioning activities, ask questions, and sign up for updates, according to a city press release issued April 20.

It is the second in a planned series of bilingual outreach events. The first, a guided walking tour on March 12, drew residents to several stops throughout the park to discuss existing conditions and neighborhood needs.

The proposed underground system would divert storm and dry-weather flows from the Sierra Bonita Avenue Rubio Wash Drain into a subsurface infiltration gallery capable of storing approximately 3.5 acre-feet of runoff per storm, according to the trade publication Stormwater Solutions. All dry-weather flows would be captured and infiltrated into the Raymond Basin.

The drainage area extends well beyond Pasadena’s city limits. Roughly 486 of the 567 acres lie in unincorporated Los Angeles County, including land the city has described as downstream of the Eaton Fire zone. The project is one of 10 Priority 1 projects identified in Pasadena’s 2022 Storm Drain Master Plan.

The city has secured $441,000 for pre-design work — $250,000 from Measure W Local Return funds and $191,180 from a Public Education and Community Engagement grant awarded by the Los Angeles County Safe, Clean Water Program, according to city officials. The Safe, Clean Water Program was created after LA County voters approved Measure W in November 2018. The program invests approximately $280 million annually in stormwater capture projects countywide, according to the program’s website.

Design and construction funding for the full project has not yet been identified, according to Pasadena Now.

Craftwater Engineering, which has offices in Pasadena, is leading the feasibility study. Dudek and Amigos de Los Rios are supporting community outreach.

“This funding is critical to ensuring the Jefferson Park project is not just environmentally effective, but also reflective of community priorities,” Greg de Vinck, the city’s director of public works, said in a city statement.

Above-ground improvements will be determined through community input. Options under consideration include enhanced playground structures, ball fields, native landscaping, additional trees, and outdoor classrooms, according to the city’s project website.

For more information, residents can visit bit.ly/JeffersonParkProject or email the Stormwater Program Administrator at SWAdministrator@cityofpasadena.net.

“Our goal is to engage residents throughout the planning process and shape a project that delivers real, lasting benefits to Jefferson Park,” de Vinck said.