Drive north on San Fernando Road past Division Street this month and slow down where the chain-link runs along the river. For the first time since California bought this stretch of old railyard back in 2003, there is actual shape behind that fence. Basins are graded. Gravel channels wind through what used to be flat dirt. Plants sit staged in rows, waiting on irrigation lines that are already in the ground.
If you have lived in Glassell Park long enough to remember when this parcel was just weeds, broken concrete, and the occasional art installation from Clockshop, this is the first time the Bowtie has looked like anything other than a rendering.
It is also, still, closed.
That gap between "looks finished" and "is open" is the part worth understanding, because the Bowtie has a habit of moving its own goalposts, and the reason most residents already have a reason to walk that stretch of river has nothing to do with the wetland itself.
A Promise That Keeps Getting Recalculated
The Bowtie Parcel is 18 acres on the east bank of the LA River, the last major undeveloped piece of the old Taylor Yard railyard that once employed more than 10,000 people before Southern Pacific shut it down in the 1980s. State Parks bought it in 2003. Since then, the opening date has moved almost every time someone has given one.
| When It Was Said | What Was Promised |
|---|---|
| Spring 2022 | Construction on the stormwater and habitat project to begin the following year, finished by 2024 |
| November 2024, at the official groundbreaking | Partial public opening in 2026, fully open by 2027 |
| Late 2024 through early 2025 | Wetland completion expected in 2026, full stop |
| March 2026, at a State Parks community preview event | Public opening now targeted for 2027 |
Each version has pushed the real date back roughly a year from the one before it. That is not a criticism of the people building it. Remediating decades of railyard contamination and engineering a working stormwater wetland in the middle of a dense neighborhood is slower than paving a parking lot. But if you are the kind of resident who has mentally filed this project under "almost done" since the pandemic, the honest update is that it is not almost done. It is further along than it has ever been, and it is still probably a year or more from a ribbon cutting.
What Actually Changed This Year
The visible progress is real. Grading and pathway installation on the first phase, roughly 3.2 acres at the entrance near Casitas Avenue, are complete. The underground treatment system and irrigation lines that will let the wetland clean and reuse stormwater are already in place. A recent $2.9 million grant from LA County pushed total funding for the project to nearly $25 million, money that will also cover a future welcome center and restrooms once the next phases move forward.
The engineering itself is worth knowing about if you plan to walk past it, because it is not decorative landscaping. Water pulled from the storm drain during dry weather runs through separators that catch trash and sediment, then through shallow gravel riffles and planted pools where native soil and roots break down pollutants before the water either irrigates the site or returns to the river cleaner than it arrived. The system is engineered to produce enough treated water each year to fill 53 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The Nature Conservancy, which is leading construction alongside California State Parks, hosted a community walkthrough back in March, giving residents their first close look at the basin work in progress. Clockshop, the nonprofit that has run public art and school programming on the site for years while it sat undeveloped, is continuing that programming through the rest of construction, which is expected to wrap late this year or early next.
The Neighborhood Didn't Wait Around
Here is the part that generic coverage of the Bowtie tends to skip: Glassell Park did not need a finished wetland to become a place worth walking to. It built that on its own, on the blocks around the parcel, while the park was still a fenced lot.
Habitat Coffee has anchored the neighborhood for years. Destroy Coffee and Gaming brought a newer, different kind of energy nearby. Verdugo Bar has stayed one of the most consistent local spots on that stretch, and The Grant has quietly become a favorite low-key date spot. On the food side, Dunsmoor, Wife and Somm, and Bub & Grandma's have all pulled in real attention recently, while Lemon Poppy Kitchen has been the go-to brunch order for over a decade. None of that required the Bowtie to open. It happened alongside the empty lot, not because of it.
There is a parallel example a few blocks over on Eagle Rock Boulevard, where a permit has been issued to convert the former Rite Aid into a new Island Pacific Market with a dine-in restaurant. Construction has been visible there for months. It is another sign that investment in this neighborhood has not been waiting on the state to finish a park before showing up.
A Loop You Can Actually Walk Right Now
You do not need the Bowtie's gates to be open to make a good afternoon of this corridor. Rio de Los Angeles State Park, the 40-acre park built on the southern part of the old railyard, has been open since 2007 and already has sports fields, a playground, and a recreation building. It is the natural starting point.
A route that works today:
- Start at Rio de Los Angeles State Park on San Fernando Road and walk the perimeter path.
- Continue north along San Fernando Road past the Bowtie fence line, where you can now actually see the graded wetland basins through the chain-link instead of bare dirt.
- Cut over toward Eagle Rock Boulevard or Verdugo Road for coffee, food, or a stop at Verdugo Bar or The Grant.
- Loop back through the neighborhood streets toward home, or double back along the river side if you want a longer walk.
None of this requires the wetland to be finished. It is already a real loop, and it will only get better once the Bowtie's paths connect into it directly.
The Park Will Formalize What Already Works
When the Bowtie does open, whether that lands in 2027 as State Parks currently projects or slips again the way it has three times before, it will not be the thing that makes this stretch of Glassell Park worth visiting. It will be the thing that finally connects a loop residents have already been walking on their own terms, between a coffee counter, a bar patio, and a river that has looked, for the first time in over two decades, like it is actually becoming something.
That is worth knowing whether you are walking the dog past that fence tomorrow morning or just wondering, the next time you drive past, what all that gravel is for.
If you're curious what any of this means for property values or timing along that corridor, or you just want a neighbor's read on where Glassell Park is headed next, the Lexi Newman Team is happy to talk it through. Connect with your real estate best friend whenever you're ready.
