Chula Vista started 2024 moving in the right direction.
On Tuesday city staff indicated Harborside Park could be up and running again sometime around the fall of this year.
That should make a segment of District 4 residents happy.
It will also undoubtedly be a talking point in Council member Andrea Cardenas’ bid to be re-elected to represent the neighborhood, as well as those running to unseat her.
It was in 2022 when the park was shut down because of complaints that too many people were living in the park and the proliferation of illicit activity.
Parents didn’t feel safe having their kids there unsupervised and adults didn’t care for the blight and eyesore of having people living in a public park.
The closure was always supposed to be temporary, allowing for officials to clear away the people and the trash. A fence surrounded the green space, keeping the public out and the area inside unused.
There was a moment when the community was momentarily taken aback when the idea of affordable housing on parkland was floated. It was a notion Cardenas deemed worth exploring. But finding overwhelming opposition both from the community and the council that scenario was nixed.
Months later city staff returned with a plan that finds council spending $1.25 million in renovations and changes during Phase 1 of the reopening.
The plan includes permanent fencing, security camera installation, bathroom repairs, removal of the amphitheater and the installation of a park ranger station.
Hours of use will limited at the outset: 3-7 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m.- 7 p.m. weekends.
Phase 2 and Phase 3 are currently unfunded but could include a tot lot, outdoor gym, walking trail and community center.
The future looks hopeful for the Harborside Park community.
What remains to be seen is how much hope the former residents of the park have. They are long gone and dispersed. If they—and we—are lucky they have made their way into permanent housing and found means to preserve that way of life. But for the other people who call the city’s streets and parks home, their future remains uncertain.
