Four City of San Diego Projects Deemed "Onions" By Local Design Group

**Gallagher Square Park.** (Courtesy of SDAF)

The City of San Diego took it on the chin at the 2023 Orchids & Onions recognition program presented by the San Diego Architectural Foundation.

More than 100 projects were nominated, resulting in 16 finalists. Twelve received recognition as Orchids (denoting positive aesthetic achievement) and four as Onions (negative achievement). All four Onions were (at least partially) directed at the city.

The SDAF’s Onions were: “Gallagher Square”; “Balboa Theater Paint Job”; “SDG&E’s Sidewalk Transformer Boxes”; and “City of San Diego Bicycle Lanes opportunity to address Climate Change and the planting / protection / maintenance of the Urban Forest.”

The announcements came at the SDAF’s gala event held at Venue 808 on October 5, 2023. Venue 808 is right across the street from Gallagher Square Park, an Onion recipient that’s a city-owned park leased to the Padres L.P. and located outside Petco Park.

The controversy over the upcoming renovation of Gallagher Square Park has been well-chronicled by The San Diego Sun. Sound mitigation issues for public concerts held at the park are now in litigation.

Here’s what the SDAF declared about Gallagher Square, whose “Public Policy” Onion is aimed at its proposed renovation:

“As promised to the taxpayers, G.S. (originally Park at the Park) was designed as an urban green refuge, for watching baseball games, and hosting events to enliven the neighborhood.

“The redesign re-purposes the layout of the park to accommodate a PRIVATE concert venue for 10,000, degrading a much loved CITY owned community park.

“The City Administration supports expediting this proposed plan with no formal community input, environmental analysis, or sound study.

“The changes have irreversible negative impacts: frequently reducing public access to the full park, eliminating shade trees and grass, and potentially significant negative health and environmental ramifications.

“Large concerts will bring in substantial revenue for the Padres, but at the cost of a much needed urban park. Moments to relax under shade trees are savored by residents and visitors alike. Current concert prep already significantly locks out public access. A promised increase in “limited access” does not adhere to [Joint Use and Maintenance Agreements] or benefit public well-being.

“Considering these impacts, the City’s Administration was irresponsible in not requiring community input and professional analysis of the substantive changes to a City Park.”

Wrote one SDAF juror about the Gallagher Square Onion:

“There was a very in-depth public process around the original design and all those intentions are being wiped away by all the successive actions and design interventions. It’s been a slow, painful death. We want our Orchids back. For the Padres who were so community oriented, they’ve really turned their back on them. Now the people don’t have a choice or were eliminated [through expedited permit review by city staff]. This is out of the park.”

Orchids & Onions is the only interactive, community-based program geared towards raising awareness and encouraging practical discourse of San Diego’s “built environment.” The program relies heavily on public nominations from the citizens of San Diego.