Beeman Park's Playground Is Open Again, and the Gym Is Being Paced From Underground

As of October 7, 2026, the playground at Beeman Park is open again. Landale Street access is closed because the construction fence got bigger. The new 12,000-square-foot gym is heading toward an early 2027 grand opening. All three updates come from the Studio City Neighborhood Council.

The city's own paperwork shows what has been setting the pace. On October 1, the Department of Recreation and Parks put the project at 79% through construction. The same report traces most of its change orders to power, utilities and pipes nobody had mapped, and less to the building itself. That underground work also explains why the fence keeps moving and which gate you can walk through on a given week.

What you can use at Beeman right now

Here's the current state of the 8.46-acre park at 12621 West Rye Street, which the city formally calls the Studio City Recreation Center:

• Playground: Open during normal park hours. The Bureau of Engineering is setting up a second, temporary access ramp so the play area can stay open until construction ends.
• Landale Street entrance: Closed. The expanded construction fence now blocks it.
• Old community building: Closed since September 9, 2024, when the city shut it to make way for demolition.
• Outdoor amenities: The Recreation and Parks facility page lists a lighted baseball diamond, lighted basketball courts, unlighted tennis courts, picnic tables, barbecue pits and outdoor fitness equipment. It said these would stay open when the building closed in 2024. That notice came before this fall's fence expansion, so it doesn't confirm that every court and field is reachable today.

Youth baseball is a big part of the park. The October board report says Beeman's youth baseball program is considered the second largest offered in public parks. No 2026 park source we found lists the current field schedule, so check with your league before game day.

Why the playground went dark in September

The playground's short closure shows how this site works. On September 11, the neighborhood council reported that the playground was closed so the Bureau of Engineering could safely work near the access ramp by the recreation center building. The plan was to have a vendor install a temporary ramp somewhere else. Once that was in, the playground would reopen and stay open for the rest of construction.

By October 7, the work near the ramp was finished and the playground had reopened. That same update also reported the bigger fence and the Landale Street closure. So one piece of the park came back as another closed. Crews are working around a live park and moving barriers one section at a time instead of shutting everything. That's how the playground can reopen in the same week a gate closes.

Where the money actually went

The cost history shows where the pressure has come from.

As of the October 1 report, executed change orders totaled $2,793,882, with about $974,000 more forecast. That put expected contingency spending near $3.8 million. Staff asked the commissioners to raise the ceiling to $4.2 million, which leaves room for change orders nobody has identified yet. These are contract and contingency amounts. They aren't a final bill, and the full project budget includes more than the construction contract.

The report is direct about the causes. It says many change orders came from "DWP delays in updating the transformer yard and power duct bank design." Other causes were unforeseen conditions from existing undocumented infrastructure, new utility requirements, design-coordination errors on mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, and changes to the structural system during construction. Several of those change orders hit the critical path, so the city had to negotiate time-impact change orders on top of the cost increases.

A transformer yard and a power duct bank are the gear that brings electricity into a building. This building is designed to run on rooftop solar and make as much energy as it uses. It still has to tie into the grid, and that tie-in work is what the report blames for the delays.

The funding comes from several sources. The revised table lists Proposition K, the L.A. for Kids measure under which Beeman is Specified Project S12. It also lists Quimby park fees, MICLA city financing, a $3 million federal HUD Community Project Funding grant and a later $1 million Proposition K assessment. At the August 14, 2024 groundbreaking, Congressman Brad Sherman presented the federal grant. Councilmember Nithya Raman and Council President Paul Krekorian attended.

What the extra money is building

The old community building was 5,723 square feet. The new gym and community center will be 12,000 square feet, a little more than twice the size. The city says the extra room gives "much-needed space" for Recreation and Parks programs and classes.

The work goes beyond the building:

1. New hardscape areas for walking and gathering
2. Turf and irrigation repairs across the surrounding landscape
3. A bigger parking lot
4. New trees and shade
5. A 4,000-square-foot rooftop solar array, bid as an add-on item
6. Targets for both LEED and Living Future Institute Net Zero certification

The neighborhood council describes the finished center as fully solar-powered and net-zero energy, with upgraded picnic areas, walkways and water fountains. None of the sources we reviewed say how many courts the gym will have or name its rooms. Those details will probably come out closer to opening.

Reading the 2027 date

The two forecasts don't conflict. The neighborhood council's October 7 update says "early 2027 grand opening." Recreation and Parks forecasts substantial completion in March 2027. Substantial completion means construction is essentially finished. A ribbon cutting and the first classes usually come after that. Both are forecasts. The city's report already lists schedule pressure from utility work, so a March completion depends on the remaining 21% going better than the first 79%.

Here's the timeline on record so far:

1. December 2019: The city estimates the project at $11.5 million.
2. July 18, 2024: Ford E.C., Inc. is awarded the contract.
3. August 14, 2024: Groundbreaking.
4. September 9, 2024: The old recreation center building closes.
5. September 11, 2026: The playground closes temporarily for ramp work.
6. October 1, 2026: Staff ask commissioners to raise the contingency. Construction is 79% complete.
7. October 7, 2026: The playground reopens and Landale Street access closes.
8. March 2027: Forecast substantial completion.

The neighborhood council has posted the playground and fence changes as they happened, so its news page is the place to watch for the next one. Its October calendar also lists a community street cleanup on Sunday, October 18, from 8:30 to 11 a.m. That's the morning after the third annual LAFD Station 78 open house and pancake breakfast at 4041 Whitsett Ave. on Saturday, October 17, from 8 to 11 a.m. Tickets are $10.

Beeman is one of several Studio City projects that will change how the neighborhood uses its public spaces. Our look at how River Park will share time with the public covers another, and our Studio City neighborhood page follows the rest.

If you live near Rye Street or Landale Street and want to know how a bigger park, a larger parking lot and a 2027 opening could affect your block, book a free neighborhood strategy call with Robert Ramos. We'll go through what's on record and what's still a forecast.