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By Lookout Staff

May 12 -- Beachgoers can soon fly kites, toss Frisbees and picnic on the new green grass of a surface parking lot the City has converted into a groundbreaking park that will open Sunday.

The 30,000-square-foot space -- which reverses singer Joni Mitchell’s lament that “they paved paradise and put up a parking lot”-- is also a state-of-the-art experiment in cleansing urban runoff before it trickles into nearby Santa Monica Bay.

Located at 2400 Barnard Way, the $698,000 “Beach Green” project removed 83 parking spots on nearly an acre of asphalt, reducing the heat gain generated by paved parking lots.

The area can accommodate parking during busy holidays around the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Labor day, City officials said.

“Both the new turf area and the adjacent asphalt area will be closed to vehicles for most of the year, creating a protected area for children learning to ride trikes and bikes, scooters and more,” said Karen Ginsberg, Assistant Director of Community & Cultural Services.

Bankrolled with a grant from the California State Water resources Control Board, the small park includes a well near the asphalt at one end and another further down that captures water to test the effectiveness of the turf’s cleansing properties.

As runoff passes through the soil, pollutants are treated through natural chemical and biological processes, Ginsberg said.

The water-cleaning park is likely the first of its kind anywhere, after a similar one slated for Stinson Beach was scraped seven years ago, City officials said. Beach Green, they added, may provide a model for similar projects along the California Coast.

The seeds for the new lot were planted in 2002, when the Santa Monica Recreation & Parks Commission proposed the greening of the beach lots, identified this project as a commission priority and lobbied the City Council.

City officials studied several sites along Santa Monica State Beach and after analyzing four years worth of parking data chose the current lot just north of the playground at the terminus of Ocean Park Boulevard.

The Coastal Commission approved the project in July 2007, and construction began in October 2007.

The grand opening of Beach Green will take place Sunday, May 18th, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Free bike/stroller valet service will be available. Fee-based parking is available in Beach Lot 4S (2030 Ocean Ave).

Beach Green is served by Big Blue Bus lines 1, 2, and the MiniBlue Tide Ride. To request a disability-related accommodation, please call 310-458-8310 at least 3 business days in advance.

Beach Green is presented by the City of Santa Monica Departments of Community & Cultural Services, Environmental & Public Works Management, Community Maintenance, and Planning & Community Development, in partnership with the Santa Monica Recreation & Parks Commission and the California State and Los Angeles Regional Water Resources Control Board.