Verdugo Wash Master Plan
Overview
Through a multi-year dialogue with the community and subject-matter experts, the City of Glendale will craft the Verdugo Wash Master Plan, which will explore possibilities for the future of the Verdugo Wash. A 9.4-mile stormwater channel, the Verdugo Wash runs from Crescenta Valley Regional Park to confluence with the Los Angeles River near the 134 freeway. The Wash has provided Glendale with vital flood control protections since it was constructed in the 1930s. The Master Plan will ensure continued protection against flooding while examining opportunities for more open spaces and parks, improved connectivity for walking and cycling, and a return to natural habitat for wildlife.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
The Verdugo Wash is a tributary of the Los Angeles River. It begins in the Crescenta Valley, passing between the Verdugo Mountains and the San Rafael Hills before curving towards its confluence with the LA River. Before the 1930s, the Wash was a natural canyon creek that emptied into the flood plain. Prior to modern residential and commercial development, the flowing water had time and space to meander - and likely, infiltrate into the aquifers below.
The Verdugo Wash Master Planning process is an in-depth analysis of existing conditions and a range of possibilities to guide future decisions. It will result in a comprehensive framework plan that identifies potential opportunities to transform the Verdugo Wash from a drainage channel that runs through multiple Glendale neighborhoods into a community resource. This process will be based on assessments and studies completed by experts in different fields, guided by community and stakeholder feedback, and informed by technical and regulatory agencies. The planning process will:
- Preserve the Wash as a critical flood protection channel for the City of Glendale
- Study opportunities for reimagining the Wash as a potential resource for improved and new public parks and open spaces, a connected active transportation network, restored ecology and native landscapes, and water infiltration and retention
- Assess improvements to environmental sustainability and interconnected ecologies
- Conduct a market assessment to inform cost-benefit analyses and identify potential funding sources that support both short- and long-term objectives
- Analyze anticipated costs for planning concepts as they are developed
- Prepare an operations and maintenance plan that reflects future needs if projects are implemented
- Develop a cohesive branding and identity for wayfinding Identify opportunities to collaborate with local artists and feature public art that engages and educates
- Discover potential partnership opportunities with local organizations and community groups
The Master Plan will explore a variety of alternatives to meet different conditions found along the Wash. Any projects recommended by the Master Plan would be phased over time and it is possible that the Master Plan will identify some areas of the Wash as unsuitable for additional uses, other than current function as flood control.
Channelized since the 1930s, the Verdugo Wash runs 9.4 miles from north Glendale, through several Glendale neighborhoods, parks and open spaces, and ends at the Los Angeles River confluence below the 134 freeway. The narrowest section is 10’ wide, while the widest section is 87’ wide.
No, the Master Plan will explore a variety of design strategies and alternatives to meet different conditions found along the Wash. Design strategies for each segment included will depend on a variety of factors, such as community priorities, community benefits, feasibility, surrounding conditions, etc. It is possible that the Master Plan will identify some areas of the Wash as unsuited for additional uses, other than current function as flood control, so the strategies may range from keeping existing conditions to creating a new public park, and other strategies in between.
No, the Master Plan will take into consideration existing active transportation networks and will identify opportunities to improve connectivity in areas where it is appropriate. The Verdugo Wash Master Plan process will consider a variety of design strategies for each segment of the Verdugo Wash. Design strategies for each segment included will depend on a variety of factors, such as community priorities, community benefits, feasibility, surrounding conditions, etc. Construction of any segment will be completed if directed by the City Council and would be done incrementally over time.
Every individual, organization, and business in Glendale is a key stakeholder for this process. The planning process will seek to involve everyone in decision-making activities via well-publicized community engagement opportunities. Additionally, this process includes a Project Development Committee (PDC) comprised of individuals from the Glendale community, including homeowner's associations, educational organizations and professional groups that have direct interest in the Wash and the ability to reach a wider local audience. The planning process also includes a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) consisting of subject matter experts related to various aspects of the Wash, including hydrology, ecology, public safety, landscape architecture, civil and structural engineering, and more.
Preparing the Master Plan is anticipated to take approximately three years. Any changes to the Verdugo Wash would take place after the City adopts the Master Plan and planning concepts are refined and turned into technical documents for construction. Implementation of any part of the Master Plan will depend on City Council direction and the availability of funding, and it will be done in segments, not as one large project.
The planning process will offer varied opportunities to engage community members and gather their input so that all communities and community members have a say in helping design a future blueprint for the Wash for generations to come. Outreach opportunities will include large public meetings, small community events such as guided walking tours, community group meetings and art-focused activities, online surveys, and social media interactions.
Yes. Discussions about public art will begin during the Alternatives phase in early 2026.
The City of Glendale hired Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) and their team of subconsultants to prepare the Verdugo Wash Master Plan. This effort is being covered with $5,762,730 in State grant funds that can only be used for this purpose.
The project does not currently have an estimated cost because there are not proposed design changes for the Wash yet. The Verdugo Wash Master Plan will identify potential opportunities within different Wash segments to create community resources and amenities that can be phased in over time. Each proposed design alternative will include construction cost estimates as well as future operations and maintenance needs.
Yes. Any proposed changes to the Verdugo Wash that will be included in the Verdugo Wash Master Plan will ensure that the Verdugo Wash continues to serve its primary function as flood control infrastructure.
Any such impacts would be fully analyzed as part of the Master Plan. Planning staff is fully aware of safety and noise concerns and the staff will be working with the Glendale Fire Department and Glendale Police Department - both members of the Master Plan's Technical Advisory Committee - to address them. The various designs along the various segments of the Verdugo Wash will be tailored to minimize potential safety and noise impacts.
The Verdugo Wash Visioning was a one-year effort completed in November 2022 that resulted in a high-level vision document for the 9.4 miles that re-imagined Verdugo Wash as a continuous linear park and alternative transportation corridor. This visioning report, prepared by !melk + Buro Happold and developed with community input, illustrated an initial idea of integrating the Wash within the City of Glendale.
The Master Plan represents the next step in the design process and in evaluating the feasibility for changes to the Verdugo Wash. While it will build on the groundwork laid by the Verdugo Wash Visioning Report, the Master Plan will complete an in-depth analysis of existing conditions and will explore a variety of design strategies and alternatives suitable to the different conditions found along the Wash. It will also take into consideration other factors like community priorities and benefits, feasibility, cost, etc. It is possible that the Master Plan will identify some areas of the Wash as unsuitable for additional uses, other than its current function as a flood control channel. The team anticipates the design interventions ranging from keeping existing conditions to creating new public parks, and a range of other strategies in between. This effort will be completed in three years by a holistic team of subconsultants that are experts in different disciplines such as hydrology, ecology, civil engineering, cost estimating, etc.
Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates* is the team leader landscape architect and has assembled a team of 14 subconsultant that includes: LimnoTech* for hydrology & modeling; Kimley Horn* for civil, structural and mobility engineering, as well as environmental California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process; Geotechnologies* for geotechnical engineering; Inter-Fluve for geomorphology and bio-engineering; ETM for operations and maintenance; Gardiner & Theobald* for cost estimating; HR&A Advisors* for market analysis, park governance, and project funding; Rincon* for biological resource assessment; Chief Strategies* for public outreach; Dyson and Womack* for public art master plan; In-Fo.Co* for graphic design and wayfinding; SBP* for bridge design; Stratify X for ecology; and Rock Design Associates for wildlife corridor.
*Identifies consultants based in Los Angeles/California.
Increased residential and commercial development in the late 19th and early 20th centuries throughout Glendale and the Crescenta Valley created conflicts with the Verdugo Wash’s natural tendency to flood. A major Los Angeles River flood in 1914 led to the partial channelization of the Wash.
The Crescenta Valley Flood that occurred on New Year’s Day 1934 (following a massive wildfire in the fall of 1933) carried heavy debris flows that swept away structures and cars. The loss of life and property resulting from the flood spurred local and federal government to fund a permanent concrete-lined channel and debris basin within the Verdugo Wash. Although it is typically a low volume waterway, the Verdugo Wash provides an essential flood control function, managing high volumes during flash floods and debris flows.
To learn more about this project, click the “+ Follow” button in the page banner. You’ll receive updates about the preparation of the Verdugo Wash Master Plan, including notices about website updates and community engagement opportunities.
