San Diego leaders break ground on Rivera Del Sol Neighborhood park in Otay Mesa after approximately 20 years of stagnation.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria was joined by councilmember Vivian Moreno, Director of the City’s Parks and Recreation Department Andy Field, among others to break ground on a $9.5 million project spanning approximately 4.8 acres in Otay Mesa. The anticipated completion of the project is by Spring 2023.
The park will feature a basketball court, open lawn areas, two playgrounds, fitness equipment, picnic shelters, a prefabricated restroom facility, security lighting, benches, a park monument sign, new landscaping, on-street parking designated for persons with disabilities, and a crosswalk on Riviera Shores Street.
Otay Mesa resident Julie Arias, who lived in the area for 19 years, said she feels excited and relieved that the project has started.
“They have been working on this for the past few years, so it's a culmination of a lot of effort for a lot of people. It’s awesome, and I know that the children in the community will be glad to finally have a place to play close by,” Arias said.
According to Moreno, who represents District 8, the surrounding neighborhood homes were constructed in the early 2000's, and residents who moved in the area were promised a park in the empty lot.
“It's been 20 years, and finally, we're seeing this into fruition. Most of our kids have grown up. This is a park that will probably be enjoyed by our grandkids, but it is finally happening,” said Felipe Nuño, resident and member of the Otay Mesa Planning Group.
Neighborhoods in district eight lack open space and parks that are "essential to the quality of life for all residents", according to Moreno, who said she will continue to urge state and federal officials to fund these projects.
According to Feild, there will be empty lots in the Otay Mesa, San Ysidro, and Otay Nestor communities that will be converted into parks, including the Southwest neighborhood park, Beyer community park, Hidden Trails neighborhood park, among others.
The construction of these parks is in partnership with the San Diego Parks Master Plan that was passed by the city council last August. According to Gloria, the master plan had not been updated in 60 years and policy change is “the path to doing these projects faster on an ongoing basis, really unlocking the potential of dollars that are sitting in the city's coffers that need to get into communities like this one”.
Field credited the efforts of city staff and of Micheal Anderson, chair of the San Diego Parks Foundation, who worked to advocate for parks, achieve more philanthropy, and investments in the city’s park system.
Mayor Gloria announced that councilmember Moreno will join him in Washington D.C. in March to “get on our sharp elbows and try to get some of this infrastructure money” to fund infrastructure projects city-wide.
