Taylor Yard's G2 parcel is 42 acres of former railyard. The City of Los Angeles bought the land in 2017 to turn it into trails, wetlands, wildlife habitat and river access. The land is a known brownfield under the oversight of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, and that oversight sets the pace of everything that happens on the site.
You don't have to wait for G2 to use this part of the river. Almost every feature on its plan, from paths and habitat to restrooms, parking and a way onto the water, already exists along this stretch. It just belongs to other agencies, at other addresses, on both banks.
Where the G2 plan stands this fall
The latest quarterly status report from the City's Bureau of Engineering, published through the City Administrative Officer, covers January through March 2026. It lists the first phase, the Paseo del Río Project and Water Quality Improvements Project, as "in Design." A draft of that project's Response Plan was under review by DTSC, the formal California Environmental Quality Act process was still underway, and the design and environmental consultant contracts had been extended. On the site itself, the report lists weekly maintenance and nothing else. Its funding section says "No funding updates this quarter."
Older forecasts for this phase no longer hold. The City's project timeline listed the first improvements for 2024. The Eastsider's 2023 report on the chosen greenway design said construction was set to run from 2025 to 2026. The 2026 report still puts the project in design.
| Piece of the Taylor Yard plan | Status in the City's January–March 2026 report |
|---|---|
| Paseo del Río, about 6 acres | In design |
| Water quality improvements, about 8 acres | In design, paired with the Paseo |
| Full G2 River Park, remaining acreage | Later build-out |
The report describes the Paseo phase as paths, habitat, an entry plaza, restrooms, parking and a kayak landing. For the full park, the City's Taylor Yard FAQ gives a target year:
"The City plans to open the River Park Project by 2028."
The same FAQ says smaller projects will come first. Those include a Habitat Viewing Platform, Vista del Rio, and water quality and park improvements, and each one needs its own remediation plan and will open on its own schedule. The 2028 date is the City's goal. The status reports show how far along the work actually is.
The park that opened in 2007
Rio de Los Angeles State Park, at 1900 North San Fernando Road, already offers most of what the Paseo plan describes. California State Parks says it opened in 2007 and is co-managed by the City and the state. California State Parks describes it as restored river wetlands with hiking trails, native plants and wildlife coming back. It's open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset, and dogs are allowed.
It's bigger than its street frontage suggests. A Recreation and Parks board report puts it at 39.39 acres, with a children's play area, a community room, tennis and basketball courts, a lighted baseball diamond, picnic tables and walking paths. The same report counts about 4,258 City residents within a half-mile walk.
The biggest change this year is in the fields. The Rio de Los Angeles State Park Fields Maintenance Improvements project replaced two existing turf fields with synthetic turf and renovated a natural-turf field, along with work on a restroom, paths, parking, picnic areas, lighting and landscaping. The City issued its Statement of Completion on March 25, 2026. On August 20, 2026, the Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners got the recommendation to formally accept the work by Ohno Construction Company. So while the G2 report was still logging design reviews, the park on San Fernando Road was finishing construction.
The City's engineers treat these sites as a single landscape. The Taylor Yard 100 Acre Partnership, made up of the City, California State Parks and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, coordinates habitat and open-space projects across the G1 and G2 parcels and Rio de Los Angeles State Park together.
One part of that landscape is still closed. The Bowtie, an 18-acre parcel inside the state park, is not formally open to the public. California State Parks says it's still undeveloped and has no facilities. The arts nonprofit Clockshop does hold occasional programs there. Its 2026 calendar included an October 18 event, "Watercolors and the Bowtie Wetland Demonstration Project."
The bridge already reaches the river path
G2's main draw will be its frontage on the Los Angeles River. A link to that same river path has been open for more than four years. The 400-foot Taylor Yard pedestrian and bicycle bridge opened to the public in March 2022. It connects Elysian Valley with the G2 side of the river. The Eastsider covered the opening as the end of a 30-year effort. The bridge is for people walking and biking, with no cars, and it ties into the LA River Bike Path. The Frogtown Artwalk's access guide lists it as the way in from the Cypress Park side.
Across the bridge, Frogtown's riverfront parks cover what G2 doesn't have yet:
- Lewis MacAdams Riverfront Park, formerly Marsh Park. Per the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, it's 3.9 acres with picnic areas, play equipment, and access to both the bike path and the river's recreation zone.
- Elysian Valley Gateway Park, at 2914 Knox Avenue. It's a picnic spot with bike path access, and it reopened after renovation in December 2024, according to Streetsblog LA.
- Steelhead Park, on Oros Street along the bike path. It has a small outdoor amphitheater.
Kayaking is the one feature that runs on a season. The G2 plan calls for a kayak landing. The Elysian Valley recreation zone already offers access to the water, but only part of the year. LA River Recreation says the 2026 season opened May 25 and closed September 14. Until next spring, this stretch of river is for walking and riding.
Lunch on the far bank
The Paseo plan doesn't include any of this, but it's the reason many people cross the bridge. The Eastsider's October 2026 review of Wax Paper places the sandwich shop next to the LA Gateway Trail at 2902 Knox Avenue. Its sidewalk sign reads "11–4 or until sold out!" The same review names the rest of Frogtown's food stops: Loreto and Mariscos Za Za Za for Mexican food, La Colombe Coffee Workshop for coffee, and Just What I Kneaded for baked goods.
Spoke Bicycle Cafe, at 3050 North Coolidge Avenue, runs a cafe seven days a week alongside its bike shop. The Artwalk guide lists bike racks at Spoke, Forager Crafts and Bauer Pottery.
What's on the calendar between now and mid-November
None of these events is on the G2 site, and all of them are within reach of it.
- Sunday, November 1, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Forager Crafts, 2915 Knox Avenue, hosts a community Día de los Muertos altar celebration. The listing says the celebration runs November 1 and 2.
- Thursday, November 5. A Volunteer Drop-In Workday at Rio de Los Angeles State Park.
- Sunday, November 8. "Building Native Habitat," also at the state park. Both park events are listed on the park's State Parks page.
The two park dates connect back to the G2 plan. Before G2's habitat areas exist, volunteers can plant native habitat on the same Taylor Yard footprint at the park next door, which has been open since 2007.
If you're following how the Taylor Yard projects will change this edge of Northeast LA, from the next G2 status report to what the finished fields at Rio de Los Angeles mean for daily routines nearby, Tracey Kardash is happy to talk it through with you. Let's Connect.
