Wish­ing Tree Park offi­cial­ly opened last month, trans­form­ing an 8.5‑acre brown­field site into much-need­ed pub­lic green space in the com­mu­ni­ty of West Car­son. The park’s ded­i­ca­tion on May 16th, 2024 marks the cul­mi­na­tion of a 30-year effort led by com­mu­ni­ty mem­bers and oth­er key stake­hold­ers. Los Ange­les Coun­ty Super­vi­sor Hol­ly J. Mitchell high­light­ed the sig­nif­i­cant impact the park will have on the com­mu­ni­ty, pro­vid­ing a beau­ti­ful green space and recre­ation­al area for gen­er­a­tions to enjoy.

The park site, once home to a syn­thet­ic rub­ber pro­duc­tion facil­i­ty, under­went sig­nif­i­cant envi­ron­men­tal reme­di­a­tion. Shell Oil and Dow Chem­i­cal, the for­mer own­ers, sold the site to the Los Ange­les Neigh­bor­hood Land Trust for the devel­op­ment of a new park in 2015. The new­ly estab­lished park now fea­tures a vari­ety of ameni­ties, includ­ing a chil­dren’s play area, fut­sal (soc­cer) courts, a base­ball field, a bas­ket­ball court, walk­ing trails, and exer­cise equip­ment. A memo­r­i­al plaza also hon­ors com­mu­ni­ty mem­bers who were instru­men­tal in the park’s cre­ation.

The name “Wish­ing Tree Park” pays homage to the com­mu­ni­ty’s long-stand­ing hope for green space. Over a decade ago, ficus trees were plant­ed in antic­i­pa­tion of a future park, with one tree becom­ing a sym­bol of hope as chil­dren wrote wish­es and placed them in its branch­es. This “Wish­ing Tree” rep­re­sent­ed the com­mu­ni­ty’s desire for a beau­ti­ful park, a wish that has now been ful­filled with the open­ing of Wish­ing Tree Park, pro­vid­ing a safe and vibrant pub­lic space for West Car­son res­i­dents to enjoy.