City streets now are recognized as important public spaces that must meet the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists, as well as achieve specific stormwater standards while mitigating the impacts of climate change. The City of South El Monte (City), a highly urbanized and severely disadvantaged community located in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, is constructing its first livable green street along the southern, residential corridor of Merced Avenue.

Merced Avenue currently has four through-lanes and lacks any vegetation, canopy cover, or permeable surfaces. The corridor’s existing single-purpose design coupled with minimal greening and lack of Best Management Practices to address stormwater from the runoff of nearby industrial land uses elevates the need for a multi-benefit solution. To kick off this construction phase, Council for Watershed Health (CWH) will develop a Monitoring Plan and Quality Assurance Project Plan that will be used to evaluate conditions post-construction.

The 0.65-mile Greenway will help maximize the City’s opportunities to clean and capture stormwater, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and urban heat island effect, and provide safe active transit connections to local parks and river connections. The construction and completion of the Merced Avenue Greenway will serve approximately 1215 households and 5594 residents in the immediate neighborhoods to the east, west, north and south of the street corridor.