Council approves MacArthur Park skatepark with indemnity condition after church objects

The Los Angeles City Council on Dec. 15 approved a conditional use permit for a supervised skateboard park proposed for the MacArthur Park area, but added an amendment requiring indemnification of the city and other operating safeguards.

Proponents, represented at the hearing by Bonnie Cop of Afriat Consulting Group, told the council the project would be a “carefully controlled program with strict eligibility and residence requirements” backed by grant funding and partnerships with local agencies and the LAPD. Cop said the project would include on-site security, membership thresholds tied to school performance and counseling, and a review period to ensure conditions were met.

Opponents from St. Nicholas Cathedral and adjacent community organizations said the park could degrade quiet for worship and nearby facilities. Father John Ryman, of St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Christian Cathedral, said the church’s liturgies are performed a cappella and expressed concern that outdoor activity across the street could disrupt sacred services and raise safety issues for an adjacent preschool and senior home. Dr. Jamil Harani, president of the cathedral parish council, also raised liability and neighborhood-congestion worries.

Council members and staff pressed for enforceable safeguards. Planning committee members and Councilwoman Makowski described negotiated conditions: restricted hours, a membership and eligibility regime, onsite security, limits on the park’s use during church high holidays, and periodic review of operations. Councilman Wax moved an amendment specifying indemnification and defense satisfactory to the city attorney; the amendment passed and the council then approved the item as amended.

The action records a council insistence that the skatepark be locally controlled and insured against city exposure while permitting the community organization’s supervised program to proceed under conditions and a monitoring plan.

What’s next: The council’s approval was conditioned on the indemnity provision, specified operating hours and ongoing monitoring; staff will incorporate the indemnification language to the satisfaction of the city attorney and return any required clearance documents, and the project will be reviewed under the stated reporting schedule.