About the Bowtie
The Bowtie parcel is an 18-acre strip of land located on the east bank of the Los Angeles River in northeast Los Angeles and is a part of Rio de Los Angeles State Park. The parcel was initially named G1, and is now referred to as "the Bowtie" because the shape of the parcel resembles a bowtie. Historically, this property was part of Taylor Yard, the former headquarters of Southern Pacific Railroad. Once a bustling railyard and major local employer, Southern Pacific closed the facilities in the late 1980’s and began parceling the land for future sale. After rail operations shut down, advocates, including nonprofit organizations, community groups, and government agencies, all worked to ensure the land found its way into public hands. In 2003, California (CA) State Parks bought the Bowtie parcel, with the future intent of transforming the currently undeveloped industrial land into a State Park.
The area surrounding the Bowtie is urbanized and the Bowtie will create an oasis along the LA River for many native and migratory wildlife species, including the federal and state endangered least Bell’s vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus).
The Bowtie parcel is a part of a larger vision to revitalize 100 acres along the Los Angeles River into publicly owned park space. Together with the adjacent G2 Parcel, owned by the City of Los Angeles with an easement purchased by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), and Rio de Los Angeles State Park, the properties make up 100 acres of publicly owned park space. This collective vision is managed by the 100 Acre Partnership (see below, “The Bowtie and the 100 Acre Partnership,” for more information).
Partnerships with public agencies, nonprofits, and the community have been critical to the development of the Bowtie. CA State Parks relies on partnerships to create, promote, sustain, and expand visitor services to California’s diverse population and to provide recreation benefits while protecting and preserving natural and cultural resources.
One partner, Clockshop has partnered with CA State Parks' Bowtie team for the past 11 years and is an official Cooperating Association of CA State Parks. Clockshop has brought free arts and cultural programming to Northeast LA for over two decades. In 2020-2021 they led the Community Engagement and Outreach process reaching over 2,300 neighbors to gather feedback about the new State Park at the Bowtie. They’ve served as a valuable link between the design team and the surrounding community, organizing listening sessions to gather community input and help shape the vision for the park, making connections between public schools and community groups who will access the park. Clockshop is also contributing to the development of interpretive elements at the site, and will be providing ongoing educational and cultural programming at the Bowtie in collaboration with CA State Parks. Given the collaborative nature of this relationship, one desk in the Bowtie Park office has been designated for a Clockshop staff member.
Notice of Determination for the Bowtie Park Development Project
The California Department of Parks and Recreation (CDPR) has completed a Final Initial Study (IS) and Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for the Bowtie Park Development Project in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
The Final IS/MND indicates small changes made to the project that do not affect the environmental impact findings as well as responses to comments provided during the public review period.
The Final IS/MND and Notice of Determination (NOD) may be viewed via the following two links:
The project team appreciates those who commented on the IS/MND as well as your continued engagement with the project as it proceeds towards construction.
Projects at the Bowtie
There are three efforts getting underway at the Bowtie. The respective project teams are working collaboratively to ensure a cohesive design across the site and coordinated community engagement efforts. The projects are:
Phase 1: Bowtie Wetland Demonstration project: TNC is leading the first phase of development at the Bowtie, an approximately 3.2-acre stormwater management, habitat restoration, and climate resilience project called the Bowtie Wetland Demonstration. The project is located at the entry to the Bowtie, near Casitas Ave., and aims to create vital habitat, provide public access to nature, and demonstrate how storm water quality can be improved by hybrid gray infrastructure and natural systems. Learn more by watching this video about the Project.
Phases 2 & 3:
- The Bowtie Park Development Project: This project will provide for a comprehensive overall design and construction of the remaining 14.8 acres of the parcel. The project will be likely broken into two phases (Phase 2 approximately 7.5 acres and Phase 3 approximately 7.3 acres) and will include natural habitat and passive recreational opportunities. Phase 2 will include site amenities such as restrooms and a Welcome Center and Phase 3 will include a maintenance building and refurbishment of a turntable for gathering space.
- Paseo del Rio: As part of Phase 2, this project will create a walking trail and greenway along the river’s edge spanning both the Bowtie and G2 (the parcel adjacent to the Bowtie) parcels.
Activities To-date and Looking Ahead
CA State Parks and TNC have worked closely over the past several years with community-based partners to engage community members in developing the Bowtie vision.
CA State Parks and the Bowtie design team held a community listening process throughout 2021 to hear from future park users about their wants, needs, and questions for the future state park. Input was received from nearly 2,000 community members, which informed and guided the concept design as a first draft of the park plan was developed.
CA State Parks and TNC organized community events in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 to share updates about the Bowtie and Paseo del Rio, with English and Spanish-speaking community members, in partnership with local community-based organizations and partners. Activities included regular, ongoing attendance at the four local Neighborhood Councils (Glassell Park, Atwater Village, Greater Cypress Park, and Elysian Valley Riverside), open houses, soccer tournaments, bilingual coffee chats, and bilingual, and multi-generational native plant workshops, and attendance at 100 Acre Partnership events.
2024 was a pivotal year for the Bowtie, as the Phase 1 Bowtie Wetland Demonstration project broke ground in September and completed soil remediation for the first 3.2 acres of the Bowtie parcel. The team also began construction of the wetland and continues to work towards construction completion of Phase 1 expected in 2026. For Phases 2 and 3, State Parks completed CEQA efforts, along with soil risk assessments in 2024. The design of the Bowtie Park Development (Phase 2 and 3), including Paseo Del Rio River Front Trail is ongoing, with the design projected to be completed in 2027.
The Final CEQA documents may be viewed via the following links:
Phase 1 Bowtie Wetland Demonstration:
Phase 2&3 Bowtie Park Development Project:
The project team appreciates those who commented on the CEQA documents as well as your continued engagement with the project as it proceeds towards construction.
Get Involved
Please check back on this page for upcoming opportunities to provide feedback and input on the future of the Bowtie. Outreach and engagement will include community surveys, online meetings, and activations at the future park site.
Thanks to everyone who completed our Bowtie community survey! We’ve compiled your feedback, please review the Bowtie community summary results at this link.
The Bowtie and the 100 Acre Partnership
The Bowtie is part of the 100 Acre Partnership, an agreement between City and State agencies to collaborate on revitalizing 100 acres of the former Taylor Yard railyard into a contiguous public green space along the LA River. The 100 acres is comprised of:
- Rio de Los Angeles State Park: A 40-acre State Park that opened in 2007 and co-managed by the City of Los Angeles and CA State Parks
- The Bowtie (G1): 18-acre parcel owned by CA State Parks
- G2: A 42-acre property, with 12 acres owned by MRCA and 30 acres owned by the City of Los Angeles.
- Paseo Del Rio: 100 Acre Partnership collaborative project which will provide for approximately one-mile of walking trail and greenway that will run along the river and across both the Bowtie and G2 parcels.
Map of the Bowtie area and its part of a larger vision to create 100 acres of contiguous green space along the LA River.
Access to the Bowtie
Currently the Bowtie is not formally open to the public as it is still an undeveloped industrial site with no developed facilities or amenities.