Is Space 134 a done deal? Will my taxes go up? Get your Space 134 questions answered and get the basic facts about design, operation, construction and funding.

1. Is the Space 134 project happening for sure?
Not at this time; we are merely gauging
community support for the project. We want
to find out if a cap park over the 134 freeway is
something you are interested in exploring or not.
We also want to get an idea of what types of
programming you would like to see at the park if
it were to become a reality. If in the future, we do
discover that the community is largely in support
of the project, we will delve into the project in
more detail.
Why doesn’t the City buy land in Glendale to
make more parks everywhere?
Acquiring land for public purposes in Central
Glendale is increasingly expensive and in many
cases cost prohibitive. Nevertheless, we recognize
the need for open space in the Downtown area.
Space 134 presents an innovative solution to this
need. Building a freeway cap park may give us
access to Metro, State and Federal transportation
funding that would otherwise not be available for
the creation of open space in other parts of the
City.
What about building affordable housing or
senior housing instead?
Identifying opportunities to build affordable
housing in Glendale continues to be a priority for
the City. By the end of September 2015, we will
be adding 44 new affordable housing units in the
City. 129-159 additional new affordable units are in
various stages of development and are expected
to be completed within the next year to 5 years.
Funding for affordable housing would not be
diverted to fund Space 134.
Will this project close the freeway permanently?
No. A freeway cap park consists of the placement
of a “lid” or “cap” over the freeway. Traffic would
continue to travel under the cap and the park
would be constructed on top of the cap.
Will this project shut down or block City streets?
No. The project is not expected to result in street
closures.
Will parking be provided at Space 134?
Following the example of Klyde Warren Park in
Dallas, Texas (built with no dedicated parking),
the Downtown Glendale portion of Space 134 is
directly adjacent to publicly-accessible structures
with ample parking, reducing the need to
construct dedicated parking in that section of
Space 134. However, it is acknowledged that as
the design concept for Space 134 moves forward,
we will consider parking in the design to prevent
spillover into adjacent residential neighborhoods.
Are cap park users exposed to car exhaust from
the freeway?
Air quality has been a concern for citizens
wherever freeway cap parks have been proposed
and built. Technology has been developed and
implemented in existing cap parks which address
these concerns. If and when the time comes
to develop more specific plans for the Space
134 project, we will explore those technologies
and any new possible ventilation solutions to
determine which would best fit our proposed
project.
Can cap parks withstand earthquakes?
Yes. A cap park in Southern California would have
to be engineered with the most cutting edge
earthquake technology. This will be examined
thoroughly in the future if the project gains
community support.
How large are most freeway cap parks?
There is no standard size for a cap park. Existing
cap parks range in length and size. Some are less
than one city block in length (under approximately
4 acres), while others are up to a half mile long
and several acres in size.
Will the freeway be shut down during
construction?
There is a possibility that the freeway would
be shut down during construction. If that were
to happen, it would be our goal to minimize
the impact on traffic by limiting the number of
closures and scheduling closures during non-peak
traffic hours. As an example, in the construction
of Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, Texas, the Texas
Department of Transportation only allowed 20
highway closings for the entire project duration,
mostly on nights and weekends.
When will construction begin on Space 134?
Currently, Space 134 is only a proposed concept.
If the community supports it, we would have to
identify funding availability before establishing a
timeline.
How long would it take to build Space 134?
Would it be built all at once?
We are currently proposing a phased approach
for the construction of Space 134. Construction of
Phase 1 may take approximately two years and
the final long-term phase may take 20 years or
longer.
Who is paying for Space 134?
The current planning and outreach stage of
the project is being funded by a grant from the
Southern California Association of Governments
(SCAG). Should the project gain community
support, the City will seek Metro, State and
Federal transportation funding for future studies
and ultimately construction.
Will my taxes go up to pay for the park?
Not necessarily. Glendale citizens may choose
to self-impose an assessment which would allow
them to contribute in a one-time or ongoing basis
to pay for the park, but such assessment will
require voter approval.
GENERAL
PARK DESIGN &
OPERATIONS
PARK
CONSTRUCTION
PARK FUNDING
W W W. S PA C E 1 3 4 . O R G
FREQUENTLY ASKED
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