CARLSBAD — The Carlsbad City Council awarded nearly $39 million to a landscape development company to build much of what will become the city’s largest park.
The council finalized a bid for work on Veterans Memorial Park to BrightView Landscape Development — a nationwide firm with offices in Carlsbad and Vista that also serves as Major League Baseball’s official field consultant — as part of its consent calendar on Feb. 24.
The planned 93.7-acre park, located near the intersection of Cannon Road and Faraday Avenue, will feature a multi-tiered design with a series of amenities, according to city documents. Connecting the hubs and the three playgrounds will be a network of accessible pathways and multi-use trails.
The northern hub of the project will feature the Memorial Plaza and a work of art called “The Ring,” which will frame a view of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon.
The southern hub will surround a pump track for cyclists and include community gathering spaces, restrooms and pathways.
Of the total 93.7-acre property, 38.8 acres will be developed with amenities, while the remaining 54.9 acres will be designated as habitat preserve areas. Around the time staff advertised for bids for the project in October 2025, Mayor Pro Tem Priya Bhat-Patel said she appreciated that aspect of the design.
“I think our community values having the ability — even within suburbia — to feel like you’re out in nature,” Bhat-Patel said.
Construction is planned to coincide with the addition of two left-turn lanes at each entrance on Faraday Avenue, along with new road striping and bike lane enhancements. Construction costs are estimated at about $630,000, including $430,000 to BrightView and about $200,000 for construction contingencies, staff management and inspection.
Funding for the work will come from the General Capital Construction Fund, according to city documents.
The City Council approved a master plan for the park in 2022.
City staff advertised a request for contractors to prequalify for the project in June 2025 and received eight prequalification requests by the July 22 deadline. Of those, five contractors were determined to be prequalified and eligible to submit bids, with BrightView identified as the “lowest responsive and responsible bidder,” according to city documents.
So far, the city has appropriated nearly $57.2 million for the project, including $5 million from the California Natural Resources Agency and a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to the documents.
City staff anticipates work on the project will begin in spring 2026, with construction expected to take between 22 and 24 months to complete.
