MacArthur Park Reopens After 4-Month Closure

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A portion of the Westlake neighborhood's MacArthur Park -- which has been closed for more than four months -- will reopen to the public Tuesday after undergoing over $1.5 million in renovations.

MacArthur Park's Lakeside portion was closed back in October so that L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks could conduct cleaning and make infrastructure improvements.

Prior to the closure, the park had been home to a large homeless encampment.

According to L.A. City Councilman Gil Cedillo, the park got nearly 200 new trees, 125 new plants and shrubs, a new irrigation system featuring 556 sprinklers, 75,000 square-feet of new walkways and a new repaved parking lot.

The fence that surrounds the Lakeside portion will be fully removed by Friday.

According to Cedillo's office, between January and October of 2021, nearly 200 people and families living in MacArthur Park were moved "indoors to a safer environment" with the help of the L.A. Homeless Services Authority and nonprofit group People Assisting The Homeless.

The city is looking to avoid another incident like the one in Echo Park which occurred in March of 2020 when more than 180 people were arrested after demonstrators clashed with police over the course of several days while protesting the closure of Echo Park to remove a large-scale homeless encampment there as well.