SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego's largest downtown park is nearly ready to open.
East Village Green, a $84 million project in the East Village neighborhood, is set to open this fall after more than a decade of planning and construction.
The park will include a dog park, playground, and amphitheater. A two-story recreation center on the site will feature meeting rooms, a community kitchen, a gym, and underground parking.
"It's going to be San Diego, the city of San Diego's largest park downtown," Brian Schoenfisch with the city of San Diego said.
I got a look inside the recreation center with Schoenfisch, who showed off the open-air design of the building.
"It's gonna be a community gathering space where the community can hold events. " Schoenfisch said. "It also includes the 14th Street Promenade Greenway, which will be able to close off the street in between the two sides of the park where there can be festivals."
Two years ago, we showed you the project when it was still full of dirt. Schoenfisch said the investment is about more than just green space.
"The city is investing in East Village Green because it's going to be, it's going to give people a reason to come back downtown in the post-pandemic city," Schoenfisch said.
The project has faced multiple delays. Schoenfisch acknowledged the timeline has slipped but said the complexity of the build contributed to the setbacks.
"It is a complex project, and it's such a large project involving we have underground parking, we have the, the construction of the recreation center two-level building," Schoenfisch said.
Concerns about homeless encampments at the park have been raised by some residents. Schoenfisch said the city has a plan to address that.
"We're going to have the first park ranger that is dedicated solely to downtown San Diego. We're also going to have maintenance staff. We're going to have recreation staff, and there will be on-site security as well," Schoenfisch said.
Crews are working on the final finishing touches, with an opening planned for this fall.
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