The Robert Group (TRG), as a subconsultant to Geosyntec, is currently leading public outreach/public engagement efforts for City of Los Angeles’s Sepulveda Basin Vision Plan. This project ambitiously aims to reinvent the 2,000-acre flood-management basin which is the largest open space in the San Fernando Valley. With the 2028 Olympics slated to be held in Los Angeles, this project represents a rare opportunity to develop an urban public space centered around river revitalization, community stability, and habitat creation - all in time for an international event expected to bring millions of visitors to Southern California. 

One of the primary objectives of the Vision Plan is increasing the basin’s accessibility to users of all ages and a multitude of interests from active sports to more passive observances of the basin’s natural habitation.  The Plan also seeks to better integrate the basin’s many assets with its surrounding neighborhoods, including capturing and utilizing the natural functions of the LA River and tributaries, improving the interface between recreation and ecological areas, facilitating access to and within the basin, and enhancing recreational, educational, and cultural programming. 

TRG developed a comprehensive, creative, and innovative outreach approach for engaging stakeholders and interested parties throughout the visioning process. Focusing on multi-generational and multi-cultural stakeholder involvement and consensus-building, TRG is working to solicit input about specific cultural and recreational interests, especially where there have historically been a range of differing objectives. 

Outreach efforts have been comprehensive, involving coordinating public meetings and stakeholder design workshops, school engagement, walkshops, and surveys. These surveys were specifically focused on communities that are underserved and lacking in useable open space. In total, we received responses from over 4,200 survey participants.   Various notification techniques were employed to inform the community about project design and encourage participation. Additionally, multi-lingual collateral materials were developed to ensure inclusivity, and identifying opportunities for alternative engagement.

TRG is also responsible for developing an easily navigable project database and website that both incorporates major stakeholders in the project area and categorizes those stakeholders. As part of our outreach efforts, a draft plan was made available to the public for review and feedback. The comment period for the Draft Sepulveda Basin Vision Plan has closed after two and a half months. We received feedback from hundreds of individuals and organizations who dedicated their time to review the plan and offer valuable comments and suggestions. Currently, our project team is diligently reviewing all the feedback received, and we expect to release the final draft of the Vision Plan in 2024.