San Gabriel River Discovery Center

San Gabriel River Discovery Center

The County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation proposes to lease and sublease the approximately 11.21-acre project site to the San Gabriel River Discovery Center Authority as part of the project. Construction would occur on only 5 acres (construction impact area) within the 11.21-acre lease boundary. The primary project features include a 14,000 sf interpretive center, parking lot, maintenance building, open air classroom, constructed riparian/wetland area, covered outdoor classroom, and connecting pathways from these locations. The balance of the site would be set aside for habitat preservation and restoration. The existing Whittier Narrows Nature Center and all existing outbuildings (maintenance garage, restrooms/storage building, County Police substation, picnic shelter) would be demolished in order to construct a new interpretive center in approximately the same location at the existing nature center building. The new one-story 14,000-sf interpretive center would include a lobby, live animal exhibit areas, a classroom, multi-purpose room, support facilities, and administrative offices. It would be constructed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED green building rating system to the highest (Platinum) level standards. The project would be open to the public from 9:00am to 5:00pm, 7 days per week. The meeting room would be available for reservations and/or rentals from 8:00am to 10:00pm, 7 days per week subject to availability. The project would host a range of educational and recreational activities and would be utilized by several public agencies to deliver the message of cultural and natural resources and watershed conservation, as well as continue the existing programs offered by the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation offered at the Whittier Narrows Nature Center. On weekdays, the project would accommodate school field trips ( approximately 14,000 to 19,500 students per year) and formal school programs focusing on watershed education and/or natural area topics. Expected annual attendance would range from 75,000 to 90,000 visitors.

El Monte

Los Angeles

Recreational (18,230 sf interpretive center)

Site Plan

Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Cumulative Effects, Drainage/Absorption, Economics/Jobs, Fiscal Impacts, Flood Plain/Flooding, Geology/Soils, Growth Inducement, Hazards & Hazardous Materials, Hydrology/Water Quality, Land Use/Planning, Mineral Resources, Noise, Recreation, Transportation, Vegetation, Wetland/Riparian, Wildlife