San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
PLANS PRESENTED THAT WOULD REDESIGN PEPPER PARK
National City residents want to maximize space
Pepper Park is a waterfront gem for National City. As its only public green space for recreation on the city’s southwest corner, residents say there’s potential for much more.
The yearslong vision to expand and revamp the 5.5acre park, located on Tidelands Avenue and adjacent to the Sweetwater Channel, became clearer Wednesday during a virtual design workshop hosted by the Port of San Diego, which owns the park.
More than 120 people tuned in to offer feedback that will help determine improvements to transform the park.
Pepper Park currently offers a playground, fishing pier, a boat launch ramp, restrooms and some picnic tables. It makes up less than 2 percent of the 60-acre National City Marina District, which the Port considers one of its key assets. The area is home to Pier 32 Marina and “the most advanced vehicle import and export facility on the West Coast,” according to the Port’s website.
It’s an industrialized area near Interstate 5 that has among the highest levels of diesel pollution, according to the California Air Resources Board.
Residents, particularly those in Old Town National City, have long spearheaded environmental justice issues that include transforming Pepper Park into a more clean and larger green space with access to the waterfront. The community has also voiced its desire to create a space that publicly acknowledges that Pepper Park sits on Kumeyaay land in an effort to preserve the Kumeyaay Nation culture.
“We deserve the best,” said Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-solis during the workshop. Last year, she and other members of the community, including Port Commissioner Sandy Naranjo, who represents National City, advocated for the Port to invest federal stimulus funds in the Pepper Park expansion project.
The Port agreed last year to set aside $10 million of its American Rescue Plan Act for National City projects, including $3.85 million toward Pepper Park, subject to environmental review and permitting.
“(W)e’re now able to move forward on redesigning Pepper Park and building some of the improvements sooner than anticipated,” Naranjo said Wednesday.
The goal, as part of a city and Port effort to rebalance land use at the Marina District, is to expand the park by 2.5 acres and bring in additional amenities.
Port officials shared three conceptual plans for what the park could look like, and residents selected some of their favorite aspects. The feedback collected will help the Port develop a hybrid plan that will be shared at a final workshop scheduled in May.
Concept A
The first plan focused on maximizing areas to congregate such as plazas, picnic shelters, an aquatics plaza for children and the focal point: a 10,000-square-foot wellness and activity center.
The building would be located on the westernmost side of the park with added parking spaces. It would focus largely on hosting health and recreation-related activities, as well as serve as a community meeting space.
Concept B
The second concept, and perhaps the community favorite, prioritized green spaces by creating a more traditional park feel with multiple open lawns and less parking.
This model included the wellness and activity center, but reduced it to 7,000 square feet and placed it adjacent to the parking lot on the park’s east side.
Concept C
The last plan is all about family and education. It includes numerous playgrounds and plentiful green lawns, as well as group picnic areas. This design does not incorporate a wellness center. Unlike the previous two, Concept C has a shoreline with a protected, coastal edge composed of plants, sand and rock and can grow over time.
All three designs include restrooms, splash pads for children and a beach.
A majority at the workshop said they would like to see a plan that combines concepts B and C, which prioritize green spaces and include less parking. Each also was designed with pathways that improve access for pedestrians and bicycles.
For resident Jose Gomez, having too many parking spaces better serves “people from outside of the city.” Many agreed, saying residents should have easier access to the park via public transit and enjoy a larger green space.
Resident Marcus Twilegar said he would like a redesign of Pepper Park to include an area for a farmers market.
“I live about a mile and a half away from the park with my daughter,” he said. “It’d be really nice to walk down and be a part of a local market.”
The Port estimates it would have some construction done by 2024. Residents who would like to provide additional feedback before a design is finalized have the following opportunities:
• April 2 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Las Palmas Little League
• April 7 from 4-6 p.m. at Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center
• April 9 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Aquatic Center in Pepper Park