Rosemont Preserve Entryway Beautification, Safety, and Security Upgrade Project
Improving community experience and safety at Rosemont Preserve.
The Rosemont Preserve entryway project will replace the existing single-purpose chain-link vehicle gate with a new multi-purpose (vehicle & pedestrian) gate. The new gate will improve overall functionality, safety, and aesthetics of the entryway, and provide more flexible and secure access to the Preserve, water reservoir, and debris basin.
The Rosemont entryway project is located at the northern terminus of Rosemont Avenue in La Crescenta, at the intersection of Rosemont, Rockdell and Pine Cone Drive. The entryway provides access to the Rosemont Preserve, as well as a Crescenta Valley Water District (CVWD) reservoir and LA County Flood Control District debris basin.
Project benefits
• Improves access to open space & educational programming
• Creates safer entry for utility workers and visitors, including field trip students
• Ensures ready access by utility & first responder vehicles
• Improves security and monitoring of the property
• Beautifies neighborhood with new community landmark
• Improves functionality of this multi-use community space
• Provides community with opportunity to build local infrastructure
• Deepens relationship between public, private, and community organizations
• Aligns with LA County’s WSGVAP and California’s 30 x 30 Initiative
• Funded by outside grants & donors, minimizing cost to CVWD rate payers
Show your support for this project!
1. Fill out the form at the bottom of this page to add your name to the growing list of individuals and organizations voicing their support of this project.
2. Click here to show your financial support for this project by donating to Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy. Please indicate that the gift is for “Rosemont Entryway Project” and your donation will solely be used for the project.
PROject description
The beautifully redesigned entryway, designed by local artist Rich Toyon, will include separate pedestrian and vehicular access gates and create a new “community landmark” reflecting the Crescenta Valley’s historic stone-work aesthetic.
The new design will improve safety by being set further back from the street, allowing utility & emergency vehicles as well as pedestrians to move out of the intersection while accessing the gate.
The new programmable pedestrian gate will improve pedestrian access and security by increasing access during daylight hours while restricting access at night and during storm events. The new entryway will also improve accessibility, by better accommodating wheelchairs and by allowing for temporary school bus parking and/or student and community visitor drop-off.
The redesigned and built entryway and gate will continue to be owned & maintained by the Crescent Valley Water District, and will comply with all applicable design and permitting requirements. The entryway project is being funded by CVWD, outside grants, and by donations from the community.
Project purpose & history
The Rosemont Preserve provides the only access to natural open space in the unincorporated community of La Crescenta. However, because of the current gate configuration, community access to the Preserve is limited to approximately four days (8 hours) per month, when pre-scheduled events can be staffed by the Friends of Rosemont Preserve.
This project is the result of years of community input, requesting more regular access to the Preserve, and from the supportive results of the LA County Parks Needs Assessment conducted for La Crescenta a number of years ago. Modifications made to the entryway as a result of this project will allow for increased access to the Preserve, while maintaining the safety and security of the property and neighborhood.
Project partnership
The Rosemont entryway project, is being developed and managed by a long-standing community partnership of:
- Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy (AFC), the owner of the Rosemont Preserve, www.ArroyosFoothills.org,
- Crescenta Valley Water District (CVWD), the owner of the entryway, gate, and reservoir, www.CVWD.com,
- Los Angeles County Flood Control District (LACO), the owner/operator of the Goss Canyon debris basin,
- Friends of Rosemont Preserve (FoRP), a volunteer organization that stewards and provides access and programming at the Rosemont Preserve.
Roles/Responsibilities:
- AFC and CVWD will work together to complete the detailed design and specifications of the new entryway and gate, and to engage LACO Flood Control District for permitting
- CVWD will be responsible for the execution of the new entryway and gate project, including project management, cost estimation, permitting, and construction
- AFC and FoRP will pursue funding for the new entryway and gate, including public & private grants and community donations, minimizing the project’s cost to CVWD rate payers
Project timeline
Prior to 2024
- Received community input & support through LA County Parks Needs Assessment
- Received highest priority ranking of all proposed improvements!
- Received support/approval from LA County Supv. Barger, Public Works & Fire Dept.
2024
- Formalized partnership with CVWD, AFC, and Friends of Rosemont Preserve
- Finalized gate design, functionality & aesthetic
2025
- Conducted property boundary survey, and underground utilities survey
- Engaged structural engineer to finalize design & develop cost estimate
- Began community outreach and fundraising effort
2026 Mid-year
- Mid-year: Estimated start of construction
- End-of-Year: Estimated completion & grand opening
Project support
The parties to this partnership have worked together since the purchase of the Rosemont Preserve in 2012. From the start, the LA County Supervisor’s office provided pivotal funding for the purchase of the Preserve, and CVWD graciously provided AFC access to the property through their gate and service road.
The Rosemont entryway project was first introduced to the Crescenta Valley community in 2016, when AFC participated in the LA County Parks Needs Assessment Workshop held at Rosemont Middle School. AFC garnered overwhelming support for the project, receiving the highest number of votes from community members participating in the County’s needs assessment process and workshops.
The entryway project received an additional showing of support from Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office in 2010, when she and Public Works Director Mark Pestrella visited the Preserve to hear a presentation and visit the site of the proposed entryway improvements.
Since these initial meetings with the County, AFC and FoRP volunteers have engaged LA County Public Works engineers in reviewing the initial entryway design and permitting requirements. More recently, AFC and FoRP have regularly engaged CVWD staff and management in progressing the design and conducting property line and utility surveys as well as with final structural design work. FoRP has also reviewed plans for the new entryway with local LA County Fire officials to ensure emergency vehicle access requirements would be met with the new design.
In addition to the above, community support for improving access to the Rosemont Preserve has been demonstrated by the many informal requests received from visitors by AFC and FoRP since the Preserve was created. And in 2024, CVWD conducted a survey of their Crescenta Valley customers in which the large majority of those surveyed said they supported CVWD partnering with AFC to improve community access at the Rosemont Preserve.
Project applicability
This project meets the key objectives of California’s 30 x 30 initiative to protect and restore biodiversity, expand access to nature and build resilience to climate change. The project will improve public health by increasing access to open space and associated recreational opportunities, enhance public education by providing improved access to the Rosemont Preserve’s community and student field trip programs, invest in infrastructure with multiple benefits, ensure on-going operations and maintenance of existing public service facilities, and engage the community in the improvement and maintenance of this precious natural resource.
The project also aligns closely with multiple elements of the Los Angeles County West San Gabriel Valley Area Plan (WSGVAP), including the Land Use Element (fostering complete communities, fostering public-private harmony in mixed-use development, and activate public spaces), the Mobility Element (roadway and active transportation safety), the Open Space Element, and Historic Preservation Element.
ABOUT ROSEMONT PRESERVE
The Rosemont Preserve is 7.75 acres of lush open space at the base of the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains above La Crescenta. It is defined by steep, chaparral covered hillsides terminating in a lush, oak and sycamore lined seasonal stream bed at the base of the hills. The Preserve is home to beautiful, fragrant sages, berry-laden elderberry, and lavender-flowered ceanothus bushes, as well as a thriving community of wildlife including black bear, mountain lion, grey fox, California quail and others. Rosemont is situated at the mouth of Goss Canyon, just upstream of a small LA County debris basin and CVWD reservoir and maintenance road.
The Preserve’s property was acquired in 2012 by Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy (AFC), a local non-profit land conservancy, to protect and steward for the benefit of the native flora and fauna, and for recreational and educational use by the community. Access to the Preserve is currently limited to CVWD’s chain-link gate and service road. The County and AFC have easement rights to CVWD’s gate & service road.
Since the Preserve’s acquisition in 2012, significant improvements have been made. Improvements include the removal of invasive plants, planting of native trees and plants, construction of hiking trails, an outdoor classroom, and a new and innovative stormwater capture and sequestration bioswale. All constructed and maintained by community volunteers and local scouts.
The Preserve is stewarded by AFC Staff and the Friends of Rosemont Preserve (FoRP), AFC’s volunteer stewardship group. In 2024, the FoRP hosted approximately 1,000 community members to the Preserve for educational hikes, conservation workdays, and unstructured “open-gate” days. The Preserve is also utilized throughout the school year by AFC as a field trip destination for public & private school children, where AFC staff and volunteer docents provide students from schools across Los Angeles County with a robust science curriculum. AFC’s curriculum covers native wildlife, native plants, and geology. During the 2024-2025 school year, AFC provided these educational field trips to approximately 2,500 students, 60% coming from underserved communities.