Solis Breaks Ground on Puente Hills Regional Park, Transforming Former Landfill into Landmark Community Space

“This moment has been more than 30 years in the making. I grew up just a few miles from this site, where we lived in the shadow of the Puente Hills Landfill. I remember the smell, the trucks, and the lack of green space. This land was once a symbol of environmental injustice — and now, we are reclaiming it,” said Chair Pro Tem Solis. “This groundbreaking is a victory for the people who fought to stop the landfill’s expansion, for the families who deserve access to parks and clean air, and for the next generation who will learn and thrive here. “

The event marked the beginning of construction on Phase 1 of the 140-acre Puente Hills Regional Park, which will convert the site of what was once the largest active landfill west of the Mississippi River into a major destination for recreation, education, and community connection.

The project is the result of decades of advocacy, dating back to Chair Pro Tem Solis’ time in the State Assembly when she authored Assembly Bill 2632 to halt the landfill’s expansion and secure its conversion to parkland. That bill, passed in 1994, established legal protections for the site and laid the foundation for today’s groundbreaking.

The landfill closed in 2013 after more than 50 years of operation. In 2014, Solis was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and began working with County departments and local agencies to bring the Puente Hills Park Master Plan to life. Following years of planning and coordination, a final agreement was reached to move forward with construction.

Phase 1 is fully funded, with $157.35 million secured through local, state, and federal sources, including funds from the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, State Route 57/60 Confluence Project, California Wildlife Conservation Board, a Federal Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership grant, and additional support secured by Assemblywoman Lisa Calderon and discretionary funding made possible by Chair Pro Tem Solis.

The first phase of the park will serve unincorporated communities from the San Gabriel Valley, including Bassett, Avocado Heights, Valinda, Hacienda Heights, and Rowland Heights, as well as the City of Whittier. It will also include the County’s first Environmental Justice Center — a community-focused facility offering educational programming, a maker space, podcast studio, and exhibits on sustainability, redlining, and waste history.

Phase 1 will include:

• Environmental Justice Center

• Park entry plaza

• Workman Mill Road trailhead and staging area

• Amphitheater for community performances

• Nature Play Zone

• Arts plaza

• Dog park

• Playgrounds

• Restrooms, parking, trails, and native landscaping

“Earlier this year, Los Angeles County witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of climate change. The horrific fires devastated hundreds of families, and we will continue to grapple with the fallout for years to come. This makes environmental justice all the more urgent,” said Norma E. García-González, Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation. “Chair Pro Tem Solis championed this project long before the fires. This new park and Environmental Justice Center are a testament to her decades-long legacy of advocacy for the San Gabriel Valley. She envisioned a green space where a landfill once stood. A place where this community could gather for recreation and breathe clean air. The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is grateful for her leadership and tireless efforts to expand park access in the San Gabriel Valley.”

“Transforming the largest landfill in the nation into a regional park shows what’s possible when engineering innovation and environmental stewardship come together,” said Mark Pestrella, P.E., Director of the Los Angeles County Department Public Works. “We’re not only restoring land that was once defined by waste, but creating a park that will improve air quality, provide vital green space and inspire future generations to see how infrastructure can heal communities.”

As part of the County’s Youth at Work initiative, nearly 100 students from La Puente, Los Altos, and Bassett high schools participated in early planning efforts with project designers at Studio MLA. These students explored careers in landscape architecture, planning, sustainability, and environmental education, reinforcing the project’s commitment to workforce development and equity.

Chair Pro Tem Solis credited years of collaboration with key partners, including Supervisor Janice Hahn, Sanitation Districts General Manager Robert Ferrante, Sanitation Districts Board Chair and Whittier Councilmember Cathy Warner, and the County Departments of Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and Economic Opportunity. Design and construction teams include Studio MLA, HDR Inc., and PENTA Building Group.

“Today’s groundbreaking is deeply symbolic of the cooperation between the Sanitation Districts and Los Angeles County,” said Cathy Warner, Chair of the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts Board of Directors and Whittier City Councilmember. “This facility symbolizes the meaning of our mission, which is to ‘turn waste into resources,’ and I’m proud to congratulate Chair Pro Tem Solis on this milestone achievement.”

During the event, Chair Pro Tem Solis honored the late Jeff Yann, a longtime environmental advocate whose efforts helped stop the landfill’s expansion and ultimate closure. Yann’s wife, Lynn Yann, joined environmental leaders Belinda Faustinos and Joan Holtz in receiving plaques recognizing their contributions to the project and the broader environmental justice movement.

“The Puente Hills Regional Park embodies the resilience of our land and people.  If we care for it and nurture it, it will come back to the historic flora and fauna that thrived in these hills when the local native peoples were able to live on the land sustainably,” said Belinda Faustinos, First District Commissioner of the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Commission. “Chair Pro Tem Solis, through her advocacy and leadership, has provided an opportunity for our communities to heal alongside a land that has been historically subjected to a legacy of environmental injustices. With this park, we say no more.”

Future development of Puente Hills Regional Park will continue in additional phases:

Phase 2 (In Planning):

• Bike Skills Area

• Scenic Overlook Plaza at Nike Hill

• Skywalk Bridge and Trail with stair climb and slides

• Expanded loop roads and trails

• Shaded and climate-resilient gathering areas

“The Puente Hills Regional Park fully realizes my vision to provide an open green space for recreation, education, and environmental stewardship right in the heart of San Gabriel Valley,” added Chair Pro Tem Solis. “We are not just building a park, we are healing a community.”

Phase 1 of the Puente Hills Regional Park is expected to be completed by Fall 2026.