With an estimated $1 billion needed for backlogged infrastructure repair to San Diego’s 1,200-square foot “crown jewel” Balboa Park, the city is preparing to update the park’s Master Plan, due to be completed in 2028.
The worrisome background for some is that the 1989 Master Plan hasn’t been completely updated. Some stakeholders said the park doesn’t need a new plan, rather, the 1989 plan needs to be re-addressed and implemented – and that new ideas for governance and financing of the park need to be put in place.
The city of San Diego’s Balboa Park Committee held a public update meeting on September 3.
A city spokesperson said the new Master Plan will “consider Balboa Park’s long-term needs and opportunities, including its aging infrastructure, visitor access and connectivity, and underused areas.”
The city is on-boarding consultant support and completing pre-planning work, according to Public Information Officer for the City Planning Department Peter Kelly.
That’s unnecessary redundancy, said Friends of San Diego Architecture President Roger Showley.
“Instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new plan, the department should simply reformat the existing plans, delete projects (very few) that have been completed and add a few worthy projects that aren’t in those plans,” said Showley, a reporter/columnist for 44 years for The San Diego Union Tribune, where he covered growth and development, major public projects, urban design and more.
The most important element of new planning, Showley said, would be a thorough reform of finance and governance approaches.
“[With] a realistic set of actions that propose what funding mechanisms have the best chance of being implemented (raising taxes with voter approval is an example of a step that is very unlikely to succeed),” he said. “And a governance structure that gives real authority to actually manage the park and remove bureaucratic barriers to taking action.”
The author of the 1989 Master Plan told The Sun she doesn’t have a high level of confidence that the city has the money to improve Balboa Park.
President and Founder of Estrada Land Planning Vicki Estrada has designed more than 30 city parks. With Balboa Park, she points out that along with the 1989 Master Plan, she also created the park’s 1992 Precise Plan, which is much more detailed.
“It’s true that many of the issues have not been solved that were in the 1989 and 1992 plans,” Estrada said. “The Precise Plan doesn’t need to change. We don’t have to start from scratch and reinvent the wheel. I’d say more than half of the Master Plan and Precise Plan ideas are still valid.”
The city will officially launch its Balboa Park Master Plan Update next month, City Spokesperson Kelly said. It will include a dedicated webpage and an initial survey where community members can share how they use and enjoy Balboa Park and what improvements they would like to see.
“This survey will be the beginning of an active community engagement process, with additional opportunities for the public and park stakeholders to provide input throughout the Master Plan update,” Kelly said.
Showley is not impressed.
“From past practice, such a survey represents nothing more than window dressing and will play little or no role in what is in the ultimate plan,” Showley said. “Many park supporters have little or no faith that the planning department update has any hope of implementation over the next 30 years.”
Friends of San Diego Architecture will hold its own public meeting on the future of Balboa Park. It will take place at the San Diego History Center at Casa de Balboa (1649 El Prado) in Balboa Park on September 19, starting at 10 a.m. (A $5 donation is requested; refreshments will be served.)
Along with Estrada, speakers will include veteran urban designers Michael Stepner and Howard Blackson. A special guest of Blackson will be PlatformUS founder/executive director Andy Kopp, who’ll discuss an idea for a 2028 ballot measure that would be a dedicated funding source for Balboa Park.
Showley said to keep an eye out for an FSDA checklist of projects (most already embedded in existing park plans) that attendees can weigh in on at the September 19 event. SDSun
