SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — One half-mile stretch of grass could soon be turned into a park for kids and pets to enjoy — and it’s right next to the 5 South in Barrio Logan.
“It’s kind of sketchy how it’s going to be next to a freeway," said one man who called himself 'Zee'. "There’s a lot of kids here, a lot of pets, and at any moment anything can happen you know?”
People living nearby are nervous about the location, but say it’s better than nothing -
“I’ve been living here my whole life so it’s like a new facelift for the neighborhood,” Zee said.
Especially when it comes to finding an open space for their pets to roam around.
“That’s exciting because I have a dog that’s a German Shepherd and he always needs a place to walk,” said Roland Patzi, who works in the area.
The city is calling it Boston Avenue Linear Park and says it will serve as a buffer between the freeway and the neighborhood. On Tuesday the council will decide whether to allocate nearly four million in grant funds to develop and construct the recreational space. The first phase would include a picnic area, children’s playground, fenced off-leash dog area, and ADA improvements.
“Simple things like an open space can change the community a lot," said Terrell Strauss, who works in the area. "Gives the community a place to go, host the families, have the picnics.”
“How would you describe the current situation of parks in Barrio Logan?”
“There’s not many," Patzi said. "Something like that open for everybody, something new would be pretty exciting.”
The city has acknowledged that for decades it has provided more funding for parks in wealthier neighborhoods. Neighbors believe Tuesday’s vote could be a step toward countering this inequity.
“It’s definitely more industrialized down here," Strauss said. "No green space like you see in Pacific Beach and La Jolla, nothing compared to that.”
The park is one part of a much larger Barrio Logan community plan to improve public transit, walkability, and recreational facilities in the area. The plan also calls for two more parks right next to this one, all the way south to Chollas Creek.
Project organizers expect the first phase of the park to be done in five years. We reached out to the city for comment and did not hear back.
