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Bell Creek Greenway Focus Group

Join us at ACME with Jim Donovan of the National Park Service along with Tori Kjer of the Trust for Public Land on Tuesday for an informal meeting to discuss the Bell Creek Greenway project and develop a planning process.  We hope you can join us in the discussion.  This meeting is intended to bring multiple interests together and see how we can work on common goals and objectives; ultimately, to develop a conceptual plan for the bike path and landscape improvements with consideration to the environment.

Meeting Agenda

Bell Creek Greenway Focus Group

1:00 P.M.         Welcome to ACME  (Christina Walsh and William Preston Bowling)

                           Self-introductions

1:10 P.M.         Bell Creek Greenway Project

                           Basic Goals and Objectives  (Jim Donovan, National Park Service; Barry Seybert, West Hills Neighborhood Council)

                           Project Overview  (Tori Kjer, Trust for Public Land)

1:25 P.M.         Developing a process for review and community participation

                           Roles of the Neighborhood Councils

                           West Hills and Canoga Park

                           Who else should participate in a planning process?

                           How do we determine what the community wants?

1:40 P.M.         Define a process that is inclusive, constructive and motivated toward the desired outcome

2:00 P.M.         Adjourn

ACME (Aerospace Cancer Museum of Education)

23350 Lake Manor Drive

Chatsworth, CA 91311

Below is from Barry Seybert, Co-Chair of the West Hills Neighborhood Council Streets and Transportation Committee.

The Bell Canyon Creek Greenway is a joint project with the National Park System and the West Hills Neighborhood Council. About 2 years ago Jim Donovan of the National Park Service approached the West Hills Neighborhood Council with the concept. I became the point person for the West Hills Neighborhood Council and Jim and I have hiked the area several times to figure out potential trail heads that already exist. This past year Tori Kjer of the Trust for Public Land joined our team. She is a Landscape Architect working with the LA River Project.

Over a year ago Jim Donovan and I submitted a proposal to NPS for funding of this project. We were selected as one of the projects for the 2010-11 budget. With the current financial situation we could get pushed back but we are still a selected project.

Jim Donovan got interested in this area as part of a federal trail project known as the Anza Trail. The official name is much longer and it is named after named after the Mexican explorer who entered the US in Nogales Mexico and traveled to San Francisco. Now NPS is attempting to recreate the route with trail markers and make a continuous trail like the Pacific Coast Trail and other multi-state trails around the country. With the development of the LA River Project this creates a good trail connection through modern Los Angeles. The LA River officially ends at Topanga Canyon Blvd so Jim approached the West Hills Neighborhood Council to support his efforts to continue the trail into Ventura County.

The area we are working on will be urban from Topanga Canyon Blvd to Valley Circle Blvd following the Bell Canyon Creek Wash. As it crosses under Valley Circle the creek bed eventually becomes natural into the Bell Canyon community. An equestrian / hiking trail currently exists following the creek. Once inside the community of Bell Canyon we turn right away from the creek and go up the mountain into the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve passing a trailhead to Castle Peak.

We currently have support for this project from Councilman Zine's Office and we've had verbal support from many in the community when I have mentioned the trail at multiple West Hills Neighborhood Council meetings.

We are looking for community input and those interested in becoming involved in this project. Most future meetings will be held in the evening for community participation.