Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks And Recreation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge changes to Parnell Park plan, question outreach and tree loss as council hears public comment
Summary
Multiple residents at the May 13 meeting asked the Whittier City Council to reopen public hearings on the Parnell Park redevelopment, raising concerns about loss of mature trees, proposed artificial turf and concentration of soccer fields in East Whittier.
Public commentators at the Whittier City Council meeting on May 13 pressed elected officials to reopen hearings and reconsider aspects of the Parnell Park redevelopment plan, saying the city’s public outreach and grant‑based project design omitted key preferences and understates the value of mature trees.
Several residents focused on tree loss at Parnell Park. Stephanie Vallejo told the council that after the Parks and Recreation Commission chose not to hold a hearing the prior meeting, she and others lacked a chance to present concerns; she asked the council to provide a hearing and to adjust plans to preserve more trees and open space. “Change the plans. I’m not opposed to redeveloping the park, but change the plans. Let’s leave more trees, more open space for us to use, not just the soccer people,” Vallejo said.
Other commenters raised three recurring issues about the draft plan: the projected removal of mature trees (several speakers called the loss of 75 trees “horrible”), the use of artificial turf (described by one speaker as unsafe and an environmental concern), and siting many new soccer fields in East Whittier rather than distributing fields across the city. A speaker noted survey materials tied to the Prop 68 grant process did not list soccer fields as a top public request and showed mixed public feeling about pickleball courts and band shells.
Council members did not take action on Parnell Park at the May 13 meeting; instead, the item surfaced as part of public comment. The transcript shows residents asking for additional hearings and better alignment between the city’s grant application materials and later planning memos. Residents also raised equity concerns about concentrating four new soccer fields in East Whittier rather than dispersing fields across neighborhoods.
The public commentary came amid other agenda items and will likely factor into future Parks and Recreation Commission or council discussions; several residents explicitly asked for a new or reopened public hearing on the project so they could present evidence and questions that they said were not addressed when staff advanced design plans.
