San Diego's greener future just got a $15.9 million boost as the City Council approved funding for numerous park projects, as reported by the city's official site. This significant cash injection, part of Mayor Todd Gloria's Parks for All of Us initiative, will facilitate improvements and the creation of new park spaces aimed at enhancing the quality of life for San Diego residents, especially in communities that have been park-starved.
In a push for equitable access to these vital green spaces, 19 projects, including land acquisition and upgrades to existing parks, are set to get underway. The city council’s recent move, redistributing the funds across various neighborhoods, marks a shift from the previous rule where Development Impact Fee (DIF) funds were restricted only to the communities from which they were gathered. "All San Diegans deserve easy access to high-quality parks," Mayor Gloria asserted, signaling a new era for the city's open spaces.
Among the lucky nineteen are Beyer Community Park in San Ysidro and Carmel Mountain Ranch Pool Facility ADA in Carmel Mountain Ranch, as reported by San Diego's official website. Others to enjoy the windfall are Chollas Triangle Neighborhood Park in City Heights, and hard court improvements in various communities that span Council Districts 4 and 8. These projects are peppered across communities previously identified as being 'of concern' due to their lack of park facilities.
Andy Field, Director of the Parks and Recreation Department, emphasized the city's commitment to recreation equality, stating, "It’s important that all San Diegans have equitable access to park and recreation resources." Today’s action will see the start of work on more parks spread more evenly across the city. Adding to the green bounty, the Fiscal Year 2024 budget discussions among council members included priority memos for an ambitious 46 park projects, both existing and new.
With the current Parks and Recreation Department's project inventory standing at 187 with a combined funding requirement north of $500 million, the recent approval of the $15.9 million might seem like a drop in the bucket – but it's certainly a start. Moreover, the raft of pending park projects awaiting a slice of the Citywide Park DIF fund pie shows no signs of slowing down.
