SOLANA BEACH — Community members living near the Larrick Reservoir along Glenmont Drive are urging the Santa Fe Irrigation District to consider their input, as the district plans multimillion-dollar updates to the reservoir and pump station and the potential creation of a pocket park.
The Santa Fe Irrigation District (SFID) provides water to around 20,000 people in Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe and Fairbanks Ranch, with 6 million gallons of water stored at Larrick Reservoir at its Solana Beach service property.
Originally built in 1965, the above-ground concrete tank requires seismic retrofitting to its roof, along with other improvements on the approximately 3-acre site like improved drainage, a new driveway and upgrades to the pump station.
During a Nov. 5 presentation to the City Council, SFID Director of Engineering Services Marissa Potter provided brief updates on the reservoir project. SFID plans to finalize design work by the spring of 2026 and award a contract in the fall, with construction to start in the winter. Work will likely take around two years and be finished in winter of 2028.
The project is expected to cost around $14 million, and is expected to be the first major renovation work involving the tank.
“Our estimated project cost for this was originally about $5 million,” Potter said, noting that the original estimate came in 2021. “Costs have really significantly increased, but the board is moving forward with the project components of the design.”
Potter said the district is also accounting for plans for the Glenmont Neighborhood Pocket Park, which proposes a small passive recreation area including a walking trail, landscaping and plants, a pollinator garden and possible seating. Solana Beach councilmembers and residents expressed disappointment that there wasn’t more detailed information about the design of the park or the reservoir improvements.
“I was hoping for a little more to comment on, like, what really is this project gonna look like? I have no clue, other than it’s gonna take two years and cost $14 million dollars,” said Tracey Richmond, who lives close to the reservoir.
Residents said they are eager to see aesthetic improvements to the reservoir, which some refer to as an eyesore, including a new roof and paint job on the tank. Others suggested putting in a green belt along the barbed wire fence so it looks less stark.
Potter said the irrigation district studied the possibility of a new roof to meet seismic retrofit requirements, but decided to retrofit the existing roof rather than replacing it. Steel beams will be installed inside the tank to support areas of the roof that are starting to sag.
There are no plans to paint the roof or the tank at this time, she said.
Mayor Lesa Heebner, who lives across from the reservoir site with her husband, emphasized the importance of making at least some visual improvements to the tank.
“It’s really in disrepair. It is an eyesore in our neighborhood right now, so it really needs to be taken care of. It’s a little patchy, so I think we’re all a little disappointed it’s not going to be replaced,” Heebner said.
Potter reiterated that designs are still being completed, so there is time for the irrigation district to consider various options. She also encouraged members of the public and City Council to come to an SFID board meeting to provide input more directly.
Some residents also asked if there was a way to move up the timeline for the pocket park, so it could be done sooner than 2028.
“We’ve been waiting more than 10 years, and we just keep getting put off, is how we feel. Anything you can do to move it along a little faster would be lovely,” Cindy Clemons said.
While the park will be on SFID property, it has mainly been planned and pushed forward by the city. Over the past few years, staff have gathered input from residents and even completed conceptual designs for the park.
Solana Beach City Manager Alyssa Muto said negotiations with SFID regarding the park were delayed while they waited for more information about the rest of the reservoir project. However, they will continue to work together to see if park construction could possibly start sooner.
“There is no agreement presently in place, because we are waiting to find out what their seismic retrofit project would entail, so [not] until we knew what that yielded and what area they would need to use for what construction components, could we be able to resume that negotiation” Muto said.
The planned park site will need to be used as a construction staging area at least during the first stage of the project, but there’s a possibility work on the park could take place soon after that phase is done, Potter said.
“We want to make sure all our improvements still maximize the use for the future pocket park,” Potter said.
SFID also recently completed a project to replace their water pipelines in the Glenmont area, which had some impacts on the street and water service. There will not be any impacts to water service during the reservoir project, Potter said.
