[City of Pasadena]
The Brookside Park Stormwater Capture Project proposes to transform that lot into a working piece of regional water infrastructure: an underground system that would intercept stormwater running off more than 1,100 acres of the city, filter it through a subsurface infiltration gallery, and push it back into the Raymond Basin — the aquifer that, after years of heavy pumping, has been running low. On Wednesday, the city’s Department of Public Works holds its fourth community meeting on the project, presenting a refined design and asking residents to weigh in before it advances.
The meeting runs from 3:00 to 6:30 p.m. in the Mediterranean Room at Brookside Golf Club, 1133 Rosemont Ave. The city has incorporated Earth Day-themed activities and refreshments into the event, timed to coincide with the city’s Earth Month programming.
According to a press release issued by the City of Pasadena, the meeting will let attendees explore the refined design and learn how nature-based solutions would enhance the existing parking lot. That includes a proposed bioswale habitat — a planted drainage channel designed to slow, filter, and absorb runoff — along with shade trees and additional vegetated features. Above ground, the parking lot would retain its function while gaining the character of a green corridor. Below ground, flows diverted from the historic Seco Street Drain would pass through pretreatment components before reaching a subsurface infiltration gallery for underground storage and treatment.
The project, according to the City of Pasadena, is funded through the Los Angeles County Safe, Clean Water Program — also known as Measure W — a parcel tax approved by county voters in November 2018. Design funding comes from the program’s regional allocation; the feasibility study was funded by the city’s own Measure W local return funds. The Safe, Clean Water Program generates approximately $300 million annually countywide to fund water infrastructure improvements across Los Angeles County.
Brookside Park itself is owned and operated by the City of Pasadena and sits just south of the Rose Bowl on North Arroyo Boulevard, immediately adjacent to the Arroyo Seco channel. The park anchors the Upper Los Angeles River watershed management area and includes Jackie Robinson Baseball Stadium, Kidspace Children’s Museum, and the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center. The stormwater project sits in Lot I, on the park’s southern edge — a patch of pavement that the city now sees as an environmental opportunity.
The April 22 meeting is the fourth in a series of public engagement events that began with a site walk during Walktober, continued with a pop-up at Lower Arroyo Park in May 2025, and included a formal public information meeting at La Casita Del Arroyo in November 2025. A companion site experience was held April 17 at Parking Lot I itself, featuring guided walking tours and displays; District 1 Councilmember Tyron Hampton attended that event.
The Wednesday meeting is free and open to the public. Residents are encouraged to RSVP — particularly those who require ADA access assistance — by emailing SWAdministrator@cityofpasadena.net. Parking is available in Lots CH and D and along Rosemont Avenue. More information is available at cityofpasadena.net/public-works/engineering-and-construction/construction/brookside-park-stormwater-capture-project.
Somewhere below the painted parking stalls, the Raymond Basin is waiting.
