Project Scope

The Central Park block site is a 6.42-acre multi-use civic and recreational area which encompasses the Adult Recreation Center, the Central, and contains Central Park, the city’s primary downtown public park. The Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center of California (AAMCCC) development, which began in 2002, consists of a 59,800 square-foot museum and education center that will be located in the southwest quadrant. The Central Park portion will expand to 2.71 acres on the remaining undeveloped portion of the site, creating a focal heart of the block. The project includes installation of two new playgrounds for children 2-5 and 5-12 years old, a splash pad with a recycled water system and underground tank, fitness equipment, elevated wood decking, seat walls, a restroom building with mechanical room and shower, a covered amphitheater structure and stage, several plazas and improved entries, and a great lawn space for passive and active recreation. Landscaping will include a net increase of approximately 70 trees and over 3,000 new shrubs and groundcover plants.  More importantly, this new open space will provide for a variety of diverse community events and programming, complementary to the proposed AAMCCC and other public uses.

Public Works received City Council approval on November 29, 2022, to award a contract to David Volz Design Landscape Architects, Inc. (DVD) to commence design development of the project through construction administration. 

Funding

The project has been allocated $4,477,847 in CIP and DIF funds since inception, plus a Prop A grant for $63,685.69 for the fitness equipment. In June 2024, City Council approved an allocation of $10,000,000 in General Fund dollars to the project.  The latest cost estimates for the project range between $15-16M. 

Status Update

Design development for the Central Park Block project kicked off on March 16, 2023, and DVD has completed 100% construction drawings and nearly received all permit approvals. Staff anticipates receiving Council approval for advertising bids for the project in February 2025. Construction duration is anticipated for 24-30 months once mobilized.

On September 25, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced the single largest grant investment ever from the Land and Water Conservation Fund’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program (ORLP). The City of Glendale was selected as 1 of 15 neighborhood park projects in California awarded an ORLP grant to increase public access to outdoor recreation and was awarded a $5.95 million grant for the highly anticipated Central Park Block Project.