Just months after being infamously destroyed by Occupy LA protestors, the lawn at Los Angeles City Hall will finally be getting a makeover.
The Los Angeles City Council voted 14-0 last week to approve a restoration to its 1.7-acre park that will feature less grass and more drought-tolerant plants. A plan to restore the north side of the lawn had already been in place before the Occupy movement began last fall, according to Councilwoman Jan Perry.
"I think it's an idea whose time has come," Perry said. "It was a good opportunity to move ahead on planning for south lawn."
The new landscape design, which is estimated to cost $390,000, will have 51 percent less grass and a a gravel-like surface made of decomposed granite.
With the new plan, the city is expected to save over $2,000 yearly on water, while maintenance costs will nearly double to $135,000 a year.
Calling the lawn design "educational," Perry said it is designed to teach people what California used to look like, while keeping enough grass on which people can congregate.
"We wanted to create more of a hybrid," Perry said. "It's our recognition of an arid climate that we're adapting to."
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The new landscape is a compromise of proposed ideas, such as removing all grass completely to simply re-seeding the old lawn.
Though not the ideal reason for rebuilding a city park, there are some positives, Perry added.
"You have to deal with whatever reality comes your way," Perry said. "This is a positive outcome from a situation that could've been otherwise."
Another councilmember said the destruction was a blessing in disguise.
"I was actually pretty excited that Occupy LA destroyed our lawn so completely," said Councilmember Paul Koretz to City News Service, "because I thought this would make it an opportunity that we couldn't miss to turn (the) City Hall lawn into really an example for the rest of the country."
Construction on the lawn is planned to begin Tuesday, Feb. 13, with the park expected reopen to the public by early May.
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