Community Corner

JPL Parking Relocation Temporarily Closes Trail

A new parking structure on the east side of the campus will be built so the current Arroyo lot can be open space, the Pasadena Star-News reports.

A trail along the eastern fence of Jet Propulsion Laboratory is temporarily closed as a new JPL parking structure is being built for a year and a half, the Pasadena Star-News reports.

The new structure will replace the current parking lot JPL uses in the middle of the Arroyo Seco, which will be removed so the area can be revitalized into natural habitat, according to the Star-News.

See the full Star-News piece here.

Find out what's happening in Altadenawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

While a JPL spokeswoman told the Star-News that they haven't received any calls since trail closure signs went up last week, some people are less than delighted, including La Cañada resident John L. Thompson, who expressed the following in a letter to the La Cañada Valley Sun:

"In the 20 years I've used this trail for hiking and biking, JPL has done far more to undermine the trail (literally, by its unchecked storm runoff) than to maintain it or to facilitate its use. The suggestion to use “other existing trails” therefore seems cynical, since the only other established trail is the one that would reach the JPL bridge by way of Devil's Gate Dam — a three-mile detour."

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See Thompson’s full letter on the Sun here.

This Hahamongna Watershed Park project comes on the heels of the City of Pasadena’s proposal that a controversial soccer field planned for Hahamongna be created at John Muir High School instead.

Some locals are still torn on the field issue and the City of Pasadena is asking for letters of support for the John Muir field alternative by April 2.

See more on the proposed Hahamongna field relocation and who to send a letter of support if you are interested here.

What do you think of the trail near JPL being temporarily closed for a year and a half while JPL relocates their parking? Do the pros outweigh the cons or not and why? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.


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