Earvin "Magic" Johnson Park

• Remediate a former oil tank brownfield while healing the soil and repairing the constructed water bodies.
• Deliver a world-class park with open space that centers on health and wellness.
• Develop a 21st-century model for sustainability in urban projects.
• Provide the Willowbrook community with a rejuvenated civic space that reflects neighborhood identity and ensures community members feel safe and secure.
• Implement a regenerative approach via stormwater capture, water conservation, and urban runoff water recycling in the bioengineered wetland.
• Create nature play experiences.
• Expand opportunities for community members with active lifestyles to engage in recreation for longer periods of the day.
• Restore native plant diversity through native wetland and coastal sage scrub habitats.
• Prioritize community-driven input during the design process through a partnership with Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation by holding workshops and gathering feedback from online forums. In addition, close communication with community and faith-based organizations were ongoing throughout the community engagement efforts.

• 56 acres of parkland including one existing lake (South Lake) were revitalized across two phases. Phase 1A was completed in 2021 and Phase 1B in 2022.
• 518 new trees were planted, with 70% being California natives including western sycamore (Platanus racemosa), white alder (Alnus rhombifolia), and coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia).
• 5.5 acres of native California sage scrub include California sagebrush (Artemisia californica), California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), purple sage (Salvia leucophylla), black sage (Salvia mellifera), and toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia).
• A 1,300-sf island sanctuary with nesting poles provides breeding habitats for species like green heron, black crowned night heron, swamp sparrow, and black necked stilts.
• 3 miles of walking trails include 11 workout stations, a lakeside trail with 3 picnic areas surrounding South Lake, and a quarter-mile fitness loop surrounding a 3-acre flexible community lawn space.
• A stormwater recycling system treats urban runoff water. It is used for lake replenishment and irrigation by removing solids and pollutants with multiple diversion structures and discharge boxes, a diversion pump station, and a treatment facility.
• 2 acres of bioengineered wetland in South Lake were created with a shoreline marsh to manage and improve water quality through biofiltration. The freshwater marsh wetland helps to facilitate bird access to the lake and protects bird nesting grounds from access by people. This plant community consists of species such as arroyo willow (Salix lasiolepis), bulrush (Schoenoplectus spp.), and cattail (Typha).
• 80 removed trees were salvaged and reused for seating and mulch. Trees were determined to be salvageable based on tree health, disease, safety, and if the location was impacted by new improvements.
• 3 play mounds incorporate 11,000 cu yds of recycled crushed base from the former housing complex on the Phase 1B site.
• A children’s play area includes a splash pad, swings, climbing structures, and interactive play equipment for age groups 2-5 and 5-12.
• A 20,000-sf community event center building provides regular programming space, restrooms, and special event facilities for 10,000-plus attendees per year.

The landscape architecture firm collaborated with three engineering and irrigation experts to design the sustainable water treatment system on-site. The system combines engineering and nature-based processes to improve water quality and provide water resources in a drought-prone area. The project’s success has created a local model for water resources within the 375-acre Compton Creek Watershed and along the creek’s direct route to the Pacific Ocean. In comparison to the traditional approach to stormwater management used at North Lake, the South Lake system incorporates a diversion pump station, treatment facility, and constructed wetlands to capture and treat urban runoff. The process provides water for the lake and for irrigation of the park vegetation. The system reduces the need to procure potable water from outside sources for irrigation and demonstrates the potential for other water conservation and recycling systems in Southern California.

Urban and stormwater runoff within the 375-acre Compton Creek Watershed is captured by a diversion structure at the southeast corner of the site connected to the existing storm drain system, yielding an estimated 10 million gallons per year. The intention is to prevent untreated water from the park and the surrounding area from being discharged to Compton Creek, a tributary to the Los Angeles River, which ultimately flows into the Pacific Ocean. Captured water is conveyed to the diversion pump station to separate solids with a unique vertical trash ladder. Following this, water flows to the treatment facility for pollutant removal using aluminum sulfate and ozone. From there, treated water is pumped and released into the wetland using the discharge boxes that are located around the perimeter of South Lake. The discharge boxes additionally remove any sediments found in the treated water. Lastly, the wetland plants and soils provide biofiltration to further filter any remaining pollutants found in the water. Water is pumped into North Lake from South Lake to provide additional water storage. The recycled water is used for irrigation throughout the park while under constant circulation through the treatment facility. Treated water is eventually released into Compton Creek.

This land belonged to the Tongva people; however, it became unceded territory in the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1920s, the General Petroleum Company of California used the site for oil operations that became known as Athens Tank Farm until the site was purchased by Socony Oil in 1926. Socony Oil operated twenty-two 80,000-barrel aboveground storage tanks, two concrete-lined crude oil reservoirs, a compressor station, a pipeline pumping station, and an absorption plant. Petroleum products that were stored at this site included crude oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, and fuel oil. By 1962, ExxonMobil Oil, the successor to Socony Oil, began decommissioning the Athens Tank Farm by phasing out operations. Within the following three years, all the equipment was removed by the company, leaving the site vacant.

Prior to the Watts Riots in August of 1965, the site was purchased by the DeLay Land Company in July of the same year. The initiative to develop a housing project named Ujima Village was in response to the destruction of the Watts Riots in 1965 to create housing opportunities for the African American community. The name Ujima was selected by a coalition of 55 African American community groups in 1968 and is a Swahili word meaning group effort and responsibility. Twenty-two acres of land were eventually privately developed to become Ujima Village Apartment Complex (UVA) and Ujima Housing Corporation (UHC) in the early 1970s.

Between 1977 and 1985, California State Parks and County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation collaborated on a joint project to develop the remaining land into a regional park. In 1985, Willowbrook State Recreation Area (WSRA) opened on the former Athens Tank Farm, adjacent to the residents of UVA and UHC. By 1987, the state of California transferred the ownership of the WSRA to the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation. The UVA property was foreclosed upon due to a mortgage default, leading the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to take control in the early 1990s. In 1991, LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the renaming of Willowbrook State Recreation Area in honor of retired Los Angeles Lakers basketball player, Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

Before the 1995 sale of the UVA property to the County of Los Angeles Housing Authority, a HUD environmental investigation of the site discovered that the soil was contaminated with petroleum-related chemicals. Chemicals included toxic substances such as petroleum hydrocarbons, methane, volatile organic compounds, lead, and arsenic. Although HUD determined that the soil contaminants did not pose serious health risks to residents at the time, these petroleum-related chemicals were found again in both the soil and groundwater in 2006. The levels found on the former Athens Tank Farm site were well above concentration levels that posed future risks and required cleanup. A year later, the Regional Water Quality Control Board ordered the County of Los Angeles Housing Authority and ExxonMobil to assess, monitor, and clean the site to comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California EPA standards. Within two years, HUD authorized the demolition of UVA with the stipulation that the site could only be used for open space and recreation. In August of 2010, the site was vacated. All UVA residents were relocated prior to its demolition in 2012. Even with HUD’s claims that the contaminants posed no serious health risks, news outlets reported more than 1,000 residents and neighbors of UVA have claimed illnesses, including cancer.

• The marsh buffer feature within the bioengineered wetland habitat along South Lake was intended to minimize conflicts between bird species and humans. However, the implementation of wetland habitat increased the number of bird species, which resulted in unanticipated maintenance of the walking paths (i.e., removal of animal excrement). The designers found it difficult to keep Canada geese from eating the wetland plant material and any seeded planting area. As a result, bird nets were installed over planted areas until they were established. However, significant loss of plant material due to Canada geese was observed in planting areas.
• Although native planting strategies attracted bird species to nest and reside in this landscape, the designers believe that they could have made more conscious efforts to create supportive habitats.
• The designers found that it was difficult for the maintenance crew to manage the intentionally planted cattails, which were placed to form a robust barrier between intended areas for park users, access to the lake, and increased bird habitat value in the wetland. As the cattails grew rapidly, this became a security concern for park management because their density and height created hiding spots and resulted in a lack of visibility. The maintenance staff cut the vegetation to a height that maintains visibility. Additional training for the Parks and Recreation maintenance staff is ongoing to help maintain cattails.
• The designers monitored and documented the successes and failures of native plant growth during Phase 1A. As a result, they incorporated successful plants from Phase 1A into Phase 1B’s design.
• The mounds from Phase 1B were hydroseeded with native perennial grasses; however, weeds have taken over and made it difficult for Parks and Recreation staff to maintain.

Park Bench: QCP
Picnic Table: QCP
Concrete Bench: Wausau Tectura Designs
Drinking Fountain: Haws
Play Equipment: Landscape Structures
Log Seating: On-Site Reclaimed Logs
Pedestrian Bridge: Contech
Viewing Binoculars: Seecoast
Litter Receptacles: QCP
Boulders: Deer Creek Quarry
Bicycle Rack: Landscape Forms
BBQ Grill: Dumor
Hot Coal Receptacle: QCP
Flag Pole: LA Steelcraft
Joined Triangle Sails: Landscape Structures
Shade Canopy: Landscape Structures
Bicycle Locker: Dero
Steel Artificial Nesting Platforms: Custom
Outdoor Fitness Equipment: Greenfields
Lighting: Phillips, BK Lighting
Boulders (Small): Southwest Boulder & Stone
Natural Gray Concrete: N/A
Stabilized Decomposed Granite: Gail Materials
Unstabilized Decomposed Granite: Gail Materials
Resilient Paving: Spectraturf, GTIMPAX
Precast Concrete: Wausau
Truncated Domes: Wausau
Truncated Domes: Armortile
Gabion Wall: Hilfiker

Project Team

Landscape Architecture: MIG
Architecture: Paul Murdoch Architects
Hydrology: CWE
Structural Engineer: KPFF
Mechanical System Efficiency: Integral Group
Irrigation: Sweeney & Associates
Specifications: Chew Specifications
Community Outreach: The Robert Group
Water Infiltration, Water: PACE
Traffic Engineers: KOA Corporation
Signage and Graphics: Selbert Perkins Design
Geotechnical Engineers: Geotechnical Professionals
Lighting Design: HLB
Arborist: Carlberg Associates
Soil Science; Agronomy: Wallace Laboratories
Restoration Ecologist: Land IQ
Kitchen Consultant: Laschober & Sovich, Inc.
LEED Consulting: Zinner Consultants

Role of the Landscape Architect

The landscape architect led a multidisciplinary design team of architects and engineers who worked with Willowbrook residents through a robust community engagement process to craft a vision for the revitalized park. Once funding was secured for the development of Phase 1A of the Park’s master plan, the landscape architect led park design and construction document development, project management, permitting, construction administration, and coordination with the multidisciplinary team. The landscape architect has an ongoing partnership with LA County Department of Parks and Recreation to continue improvements across the whole park. Ultimately, the park represents the best of what landscape architects are capable of: the transformation of declining, contaminated, post-industrial landscapes – into healthy, beautiful, thriving, community-driven models of sustainability and resiliency.