Imagine taking a bicycle to the Honda Center to attend a sporting event, paddling a kayak alongside the Santa Ana River with Angel Stadium in the distance, or standing on a deck to take in the lush surroundings and the river.
Those are all potential outcomes as Anaheim officials work to rebuild the Santa Ana River Trail.
City officials hope to turn the Santa Ana River Trail, which was formerly a homeless camp, into a neighbourhood amenity as well as a regional and tourism hotspot.
Additionally, they want public input on the design.
During a community discussion regarding the project in December, a major project planner for the city of Anaheim said, “We want to hear from you because ultimately, you are the future users of this path, and you should be part of this process and part of the design team.”
Anaheim is looking for feedback from the public on the future of a 1.2-mile section of the Santa Ana River Trail as the city gets ready to help host the 2028 Summer Olympics.
From South Waterman Avenue in San Bernardino to Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, the Santa Ana River Trail, an approximately 58-mile multi-use recreational walk, runs beside the Santa Ana River.
The so-called OC River Walk project is being constructed by the city between Ball Road and Orangewood Avenue along the Santa Ana River Trail.
The 1.2-mile region is part of the expanding Platinum Triangle in the city and is close to Honda Center, Angel Stadium, and the Anaheim Regional Intermodal Transportation Hub.
According to Anaheim officials, the Santa Ana River corridor in Anaheim is currently “a rock-lined trapezoidal channel for stormwater conveyance and water resource management.”
The river is completely dry.
According to officials, the corridor prevents nearby lands from flooding during intense storm occurrences. However, there is a lack of community integration and engagement.
More than 1,000 people without homes set up temporary residences constructed of blue tarps and camping tents along the corridor in the middle of the 2010s, giving them front-row access to Angel Stadium. The region had a foul odour. In 2018, the county removed the camp.
In the middle of the 2000s, the city started considering changing the corridor. However, after being awarded a $5 million grant from the state’s Coastal Conservancy to develop and design the city’s river route, it didn’t finish a feasibility study until 2021.
A pedestrian and cycling bridge, public art installations, the addition of water to the river for water sports, areas for nature walks and running trails, among other possibilities, are all included in the research.
The goal is to enhance the neighborhood’s architecture, particularly that of Angel Stadium and the Honda Center, which are undergoing the multi-billion dollar OC V!be project. For the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics, indoor volleyball will be played at the Honda Center.
OC River Walk representatives stated during a community session that the objective is to link and unify the region while reviving and transforming the river corridor.
There is currently no firm deadline for the project’s completion, according to Anaheim spokesperson Erin Ryan.
The design stage is just one of several steps in a process.
Ryan told Spectrum News that it was still too early to set a concrete end date. The completion mainly depends on grant money, and we would want to get the features and components funded.
In the coming months, the city also intends to hold one pop-up event and four other workshops, according to Ryan.
For the time being, the city wants to hear from the neighbourhood on what it would want to see along the river’s trail.
