SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A long-awaited plan to build Alpine’s first public park is moving forward after the San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the next phase of the project in April.
Supporters say the community has waited decades for a public park, but some residents are now raising concerns about the proposed location and whether it is safe during emergencies.
The proposed project would sit near South Grade and Tavern roads on roughly 98 acres of land next to Wright’s Field. County plans call for 25 acres to be developed into a community park, while the remaining 73 acres would remain preserved as open space.
For Alpine resident and geologist Patrick Williams, the issue is not the idea of a park itself, but where it would be built.
“What we’re standing on here is a unique, natural setting,” Williams said.
Williams is among a group of residents opposing the current proposal. He says the area already faces traffic congestion and evacuation concerns during wildfire emergencies.
“It would be a lot of new traffic,” Williams said. “This is one of the most congested areas of Alpine for fire evacuation. It takes two hours at minimum to evacuate Alpine by the county’s own studies.”
He says adding a busy community park to the area could create additional challenges if a wildfire broke out during peak park hours.
“It would be a major impact for fire egress if a fire happened while this was a busy park,” Williams said.
The county’s effort to build a community park in Alpine has stretched more than 30 years. The project was delayed after a lawsuit challenged a previous environmental review, leading county supervisors to restart the environmental impact report process earlier this year.
Some residents who initially supported the idea of a park now say they are reconsidering because of the location.
“At first I was really excited about it, but now I do feel a little different,” said Alpine resident Kathy Swaring. “I feel like the parks that we have could be improved.”
Swaring and her husband frequently walk the nearby trails and believe existing recreational spaces in Alpine could receive more attention before a new park is developed.
Still, county leaders backing the project say the community deserves a long-promised public space.
San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson, who represents much of East County, voiced support for the proposal during the April vote.
In a statement to ABC 10News, Anderson said:
“I’m happy to support the first public park in Alpine. The County has promised a park here for thirty years and I would like to see it happen while I’m in office.”
Even opponents of the current site say they are not against having a sports park in Alpine altogether.
“Having a sports park in Alpine is not something we oppose in general,” Williams said. “There is a 93-acre school union-owned property on Alpine Boulevard that is ideal for such a park, and it’s not been clear to us why that’s not been considered.”
Once the environmental impact report is completed and approved, the project can move forward.
