Vacant Lot to Become Park, Library Parking

Gone are the days of Christmas tree and pumpkin sales on the vacant lot next to one of the San Fernando Valley’s busiest public library branches.

Beginning with a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday, the area next to the Studio City branch of the Los Angeles Public Library will become a park and 19 new parking spaces.

“Vacant lots aren’t awfully desirable these days,” said library system spokesman Bob Reagan. “We’ve had the land there for a while, so we thought we’d put it to use in a better way.”

The park and parking may not last forever, Reagan noted, as the entire library property at 4400 Babcock Ave. is scheduled for expansion in coming years. Plans call for a 10,500-square-foot facility to replace the existing 5,230-square-foot building, but the $3.5 million needed for the project has not been raised and a timetable has not been set, Reagan said.

At Thursday’s ceremony, City Councilman Mike Feuer will join other city and library officials in marking the start of the park and parking lot construction, which is expected to take a few months.

“An empty lot, which has been an eyesore for a number of years, will soon be a tremendous asset to the neighborhood,” Feuer said.

Studio City is the ninth-busiest of the library system’s 71 branches and bookmobiles, including 18 in the Valley.