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Council orders evaluation of multiple Children's Museum sites after community objections to Hansen Dam proposal
Summary
After neighbors raised access, size and environmental concerns about a proposed Hansen Dam site for a planned Children's Museum, the council directed staff to evaluate multiple candidate locations, require site control and environmental review before any lease, and to treat all proposals equally in the site-selection process.
Community members from Lakeview Terrace and Shadow Hills told the council they oppose locating an 80,000-square-foot Children—s Museum on a roughly 1.5-acre parcel at Hansen Dam, citing transportation limits, proximity to environmentally sensitive areas and insufficient parking.
Speakers including Bill Eich, Lisa Crowell, Phyllis Hines and Kathy Delson told the council the site would be difficult to reach by public transit, could displace a proposed environmental center funded with Prop K dollars and would not fit the character of the largely equestrian, open-space neighborhood.
Councilmember Padilla said Hansen Dam remains under consideration as one of several potential citywide locations and stressed that any selected site must obtain site control and complete environmental clearance before a final lease or selection. Councilmember Wax said he favored evaluating all candidate sites on equal footing so the Children—s Museum and public steering committees can weigh options.
Action: The council approved a motion to place Hansen Dam and other candidate locations (including North Hollywood and the Art Park near Little Tokyo) on equal footing for evaluation, require environmental review and site control prior to final lease decisions, and direct departments to assist the museum and the Prop K steering committee in that process. The motion passed on a roll call of 10 ayes.
