Balloon animals, face painting, caricature drawings and a brand-new park: Valencia by FivePoint celebrated the opening of Riparian Park on Saturday, its first official public park acquired by the County of Los Angeles.
“L.A. County Parks is proud to announce the opening of Riparian Park, a wonderful addition to the Valencia by FivePoint community,” according to a statement by Norma E. García-González, director of L.A. County Parks. “With its unique backdrop and picturesque setting, Riparian Park showcases the beauty of the Santa Clarita Valley, while providing greenspace for recreation.”
Mika Yamamoto, deputy director for L.A. County Parks, was not only pleasantly surprised about the warm weather on the first of November, but also the turnout the day after Halloween.
“I’m super happy that the weather is so pretty today … Valencia by FivePoint dedicated the park to and transferred it to the county of Los Angeles. Today is our ‘Grand Opening Play Day’ event. We’ve invited all the neighbors to come out and enjoy the park. We have a number of family and kid activities,” Yamamoto said. “I’m really pleased with the turnout — it’s a pleasant surprise. Yesterday was Halloween, so I thought there would be other activities going on this week. Yet, we’ve got at least 300 people here today.”
With the park sitting at a higher elevation, attendees could enjoy the view while partaking in various activities.
“I think the location is really a plus. You can see the beautiful view of the Santa Clara River. The intention of parks is for people to come out and be with nature. Exercise, meditate, bring their kids out to play. It’s a social spot. So I think that where the park is located among all these homes, families and neighborhoods can come out, it’s a wellness tool,” Yamamoto said.
Eric Morgan, vice president of community affairs for FivePoint, discussed the incentive of wanting to implement a “walkable” park within the community.
“This is a 5-acre park. That equates to geography, in simple terms, about four football fields, give or take. There’s a lot of green field, a lot of open play area, and it’s very walkable. The community itself is really walkable, so it complements the community in terms of sidewalks and connecting trails around Valencia,” Morgan said. “This is the third park and latest milestone in the development of Valencia by FivePoint.”
The park is a key to the development, and in bringing the community together, according to Morgan.
“Parks are the heartbeat of the community. It’s the sort of place where neighbors come and meet each other. We’re feeling it. There are families that already know each other, but you can meet someone for the first time. You find that the children are playing together. The parents get to know each other and talk to each other,” Morgan said. “I think we’re on our way to building a beautiful community.”
Among residents who brought their children to the park, Christina Dove said her daughter, Naomi, 2, enjoyed the new playground.
“We loved coming to this event today. We’ve been looking forward to it. My daughter has been loving the new playground. It’s such a beautiful view, too. We love the open outdoor space. Neighborhood connection is so important to us, so we’re just happy to be here. It’s such a great turnout,” Dove said. “I love that there’s a dedicated area for smaller toddlers, then she can grow into the bigger toddler area. It’s been really nice to see that. We love it so far, and we’ll definitely be back.”
