Covina is undergoing a bit of a multimodal renaissance: first a new skatepark, then the Vincent Bikeway (in progress), and up next the Recreation Village on Citrus Avenue.
The ambitious project fits lots of great features into a challenging narrow site - a former fruit packing warehouse - just east of Downtown Covina’s Metrolink station.
The Recreation Village project serves many purposes including improving access to the Covina station via a new pedestrian bridge, as well as providing a number of attractions for locals and commuters alike: a dog park, gardens and trails, a playground, a basketball and volleyball gym, a rock climbing wall, as well as a new library building and parks and recreation office. Importantly, these facilities will provide shade and air conditioning in hot weather.
According to city staff from Parks and Public Works, the seed of the Recreation Village idea dates back to a "1980’s-era Covina General Plan goal of building an indoor gymnasium." The decision to build the project adjacent to the Metrolink station was due to it's central location and access to Citrus Avenue. The parcel its being built on is 2.5 acres large.
Additionally, "the location and shape of the property made it challenging for non-civic development concepts." Therefore, the project was developed through an agreement with Trumark Homes, a residential builder with several transit-oriented projects nearby.
Construction contracts for Phase 1 of the Village – the gymnasium, rock wall, native garden, ADA transit access, and bioswales – have been awarded, and construction is set to begin in mid-September. Completion is estimated for September 2025.
The budget is roughly $13 million - from Prop 68, the state’s Natural Resources Agency, a federal appropriation, Quimby Fees, city funding, Metrolink pedestrian bridge funds, and the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy.
Phase 2 of the Recreation Village hasn't yet been approved by city council, but it has been funded through Measure W, Prop A, and city funds. Its estimated cost is $2.2 million and the features to be built are the gateway, dog park, pedestrian plaza, playgrounds, and transit hub. Phase 3 will be the library.
Also unfinished as of yet is the concept for the “exterior colonnade,” a walkway along the gym and train tracks between the two outdoor areas. This would feature murals and other art pieces paying homage to the Kizh, the San Gabriel Valley’s indigenous tribe, as well as the city's history.
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