Construction is underway in Porter Ranch to create a vast park that will span across 50 acres and host a tennis court, hiking trails and a splash pad at 11900 North Mason Avenue.
The park will be ready to open in a few months, according to Rose Watson, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.
But it’s still unclear what the park will be named, a much-debated issue in Porter Ranch. Adding to the mystery, a large new welcome sign sits at the park’s southern entrance, carefully and tightly wrapped in a plastic cover.
“There hasn’t been any action as to how we plan to handle the name,” Watson explained in an email.
Over the years, the city has considered numerous names for the sprawling park.
In 2018, upscale home developer Toll Brothers asked the Los Angeles Board of Recreation and Parks to name it Bloom Park — after then-City Councilmember Mitch Englander’s mother and sister, Linda and Natalie Bloom. The developer also wanted to put Englander’s name on an amphitheater that would host arts events.
Those ideas died when Englander stepped down from his City Council seat and went to federal prison in 2021, convicted of lying to federal authorities about his interactions with a businessman who provided him gifts and cash. Englander was released from prison in early 2022.
Residents have made clear that they don’t want the long-anticipated park named for government officials.
Residents and community groups, including the members of the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council, have proposed more than a dozen names for the park. Focused on the land, its natural beauty and history, residents have put forth names including Porter Ranch Community Park, Shangri La Park, Porter Ranch Park and the Coyote Park at Porter Ranch.
“The name of the park that the neighborhood council recommended was the Porter Ranch Community Park,” said David Balen, a board member and former president of the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council,…
Read the full article here