SOLANA BEACH — The city of Solana Beach is beginning the process of updating its master plan for La Colonia Park to expand the park onto an adjacent piece of land along Stevens Avenue.
An original master plan for the park was created in 2008, leading to the creation of the Veterans Courtyard at the community center in 2014 and the skate park in 2019. A third major element, the new playground at the park’s south end, is currently under construction and expected to be completed in May.
Now, after purchasing an adjacent vacant lot just north of the skatepark and basketball courts in 2022, Solana Beach leaders are preparing to adopt an updated master plan with the help of Van Dyke Landscape Architects.
After collecting community feedback over the past year, VDLA returned to the council on Wednesday to present ideas for additional park elements on the new property. One major proposed component is constructing a new building to accommodate the Boys and Girls Club of San Dieguito, which operates out of a trailer on the park property.
“We realized that we need to start looking at this lot in terms of what it might provide for a potential second facility, and in order to do that, we really need to have more of a sense of what programming the city and community want to see,” said VDLA Principal Denise Armijo.
Other desired elements identified by residents include a community garden, more pickleball courts, new bathrooms, an art installation, and the ability to have more events and highlight local history.
Marineke Vandervort, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of San Dieguito, said operating the La Colonia branch out of an actual building would help greatly with programming by providing a safe and more secure area for children.
Currently, the branch does not meet national Boys and Girls Club standards because anyone can use the bathroom at La Colonia Park and it is not limited to just children, she said.
“The opportunity to have an actual building for us is really incredible and important for the kids. We rent a portable classroom unit, at a cost to us, that is sinking into the ground because there’s no structure,” Vandervort said.
VDLA presented three potential designs for accommodating desired elements on the current parkland and the new lot at 700 Stevens Ave. One possibility would be to place a second community building on the new lot, along with additional parking, a new pickleball court and an additional lawn space or garden.
Another suggestion involved moving the Heritage Museum from its current location east of the lawn and placing it either along Stevens Avenue or Valley Avenue, offering picnic areas in its place, or moving it to the site of the current pickleball court.
Councilmember Dave Zito asked whether it is even possible to move the museum structure—a historical 1890s-era home—without damaging it. City Engineer Mo Sammak said they have not completed in-depth studies on how to move the museum, but he believes there are ways to do it safely if the council wants to.
“There are very, very sophisticated expert companies that actually move much more difficult buildings. Our museum is fragile, I admit, but they could do it,” Sammak said.
Council members expressed concerns about funding for all the desired improvements, particularly a new building, and said it would be great if the Boys and Girls Club could partner with the city to help fund it.
“I know that we’re in a pretty good financial situation now, and we’ve got Measure S and all of that, but we also have other existing needs and CIPs [capital improvement projects] on the books that I think are very, very important as well,” Mayor Lesa Heebner said.
Heebner also noted that the existing community center needs some updates, such as new doors and windows and better connectivity to the rest of the park.
Armijo said that the 700 Stevens Avenue lot is not entirely flat and poses some grading issues. However, the addition of a building with one or two stories in the most uneven areas could help solve this problem.
Another option for the site would be to have a parking garage onsite. Councilmember Jewel Edson asked whether it would be possible to have two stories, including one potentially for deed-restricted housing units for employees. Heebner said while housing on-site would be great, it would likely be too expensive.
Going forward, VDLA will coordinate with an architect to create more refined design options for the park and another potential building. After a final design is chosen, the city will adopt an updated La Colonia Park Master Plan.
This story was updated to clarify Jewel Edson’s comments about a potential parking garage and housing onsite.
