Inglewood’s Lake Park, Accessible to All, Is a Crown Jewel in the City’s Outdoor Spaces
Inglewood’s new Hollywood Park is living up to its name and then some. For while its 70,000-seat SoFi Stadium has been garnering the bulk of headlines, the 300-acre mixed-use mega-development – the largest such project under construction in the Western U.S. – also includes multiple public parks and a gorgeous lake, all linked by walkable paseos and plazas.
Conceived by Los Angeles Rams owner/chairperson Stan Kroenke, Hollywood Park was always envisioned as much more than a football stadium for the Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. This city-within-a-city is for the enjoyment of Inglewood residents and visitors alike. It is a place where they can spread open picnic blankets amidst 25 acres of lush parks, stroll miles of winding tree-lined trails, shop along leafy promenades, and gather with friends and neighbors in art-filled plazas or intimate hidden gardens. It is a place to be, to see, and to safely connect, day and night.
“Hollywood Park’s vibrant outdoor plazas connect the varied uses of this regional destination,” said Chris Meany of real estate developers Wilson Meany, development manager of Hollywood Park. “It responds to Stan Kroenke’s mandate that Hollywood Park succeed on two levels: as a global entertainment destination and as an urban village that delivers what so many of us seek today – high quality residences, environmentally superior offices, in a walkable neighborhood that enriches our quality of life.”
A Renewable Lake
The shimmering jewel of the new development’s Lake Park is its spectacular six-acre titular lake. Located just south of SoFi Stadium, this 11-million-gallon body of water is stunning, serene, and reassuringly sustainable.
While stadiums elsewhere have been criticized for their high volume of waste and under-consideration of environmental issues, Hollywood Park prioritized both livability and long-term sustainability from the get-go, with its lake being designed to hold 100% recycled water.
In partnership with West Basin Municipal Water District, Lake Park uses 27 on-site reclaimed water connections to both feed the lake and irrigate Hollywood Park’s landscapes. The 26 million gallons of recycled water used each year will save an equal amount of drinking water for the region. This is especially significant at a time when Southern California is growing steadily hotter and drier.
Lake Park also collects and reuses stormwater. Whenever it rains, the lake is able to capture 70 to 80% of the site’s runoff, filter it through natural wetlands and mechanical systems, and utilize it both in the lake itself and for irrigation of the surrounding parkland. (While famous for sunshine, Inglewood’s climate still produces around 14 inches of rain each year.)
And Lake Park is simply beautiful, too. It features a 12-foot waterfall that cascades into twin 4-foot cataracts. Stroll out to the end of its pier and watch the lake’s resident ducks and gulls and varied species of visiting birds making the most of such a placid environment. The lake is flanked by not only tranquil parkland, palm trees, and walkways, but also a 2.5-acre plaza and a stage for outdoor performances.
Parks and Recreation
Hollywood Park’s 25 acres of green open spaces on the site of the old Hollywood Park Racetrack offer both passive and active recreational opportunities. Pedestrian connections and bicycle pathways, connected to Inglewood’s larger city bike circulation network, encourage healthy walking, jogging, and cycling. The campus’s outdoor areas also feature street art and murals by local artists, all integrated and seamlessly connected with sustainable landscaping well suited to SoCal’s climate.
By early 2022, there will also be a 56,000-square-foot location of Long Beach’s Iconix Fitness at Hollywood Park. This will include an approximately 20,000-square-foot roof area, replete with a pool and 14,000 square feet tailored to outdoor fitness, including a turf area for alfresco classes.
And Hollywood Park can truly be an all-day destination – or even overnight, considering its imminent 300-room world-class hotel. Grab lunch or dinner between strolls at its 20,000-square-foot culinary market featuring local women-powered eateries, plus grocery, services, and lifestyle retail. There will also be an exceptional retail district reaching up to 890,000 square feet of local designers and high-profile brands; the 6,000-seat YouTube Theater performance venue; and, soon, a luxury Cinépolis cineplex.
To help maintain that unique and authentic Inglewood feel, Hollywood Park includes local vendors such as the family-run Antojitos Martin juice bar.With an emphasis on diversity and inclusion, the campus also embraces local concepts like a new, 3,800-square-foot location for Sky’s Gourmet Tacos, one of L.A.’s longest-standing Blackowned businesses, founded by Barbara “Sky” Burrell.
There will also be LUVFUL, led by South L.A.’s Peace Love Reedburg, and a second Inglewood location for Residency Art Gallery, a platform for artists of color. Also look out for an outdoor beer garden from Lynne Weaver, founder of Inglewood’s Three Weavers Brewing Company.
Accessible Escape
All this beauty and escapism is easily accessible from surrounding Inglewood and nearby major freeways. It’s a simple, 4-mile straight shot down Century Boulevard from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and only six miles from Dockweiler State Beach and the boundless Pacific. There is ample parking, plus a shuttle lot, with access from Century Boulevard, Pincay Drive, and South Prairie Avenue. The Inglewood Transit Connector, scheduled for completion in 2026, will include Metro stations at Prairie Avenue/Pincay Drive, adjacent to SoFi Stadium, and at Prairie Avenue/Hardy Street, serving the southern portion of the Hollywood Park campus.
“It is exciting to witness this new destination take shape into what has become one of Los Angeles’ most profound and architecturally significant landmarks,” said Jason Gannon, managing director of SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park. “The entire 300-acre development encapsulates world-class design and architectural elements that present an incredible experience unlike any other development in the country. We look forward to continue bringing the destination to life and further realizing Stan Kroenke’s vision for Los Angeles’ newest destination.”
This new jewel is but one in the crown of Inglewood’s open spaces. Sprawling Edward Vincent Jr. Park, the site of the Centinela springs that early Inglewood residents relied on for water, features rambling trails, sports courts, wildlife, a community playhouse and other amenities that bring residents together year-round. The park is named for the first Black mayor of Inglewood.