SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — It's one of the most popular places in San Diego, with about fifteen million people visiting every year, but the park's sustainability is top of mind for groups like Rewild Mission Bay.
"Mission Bay Regional Park has been drastically altered in the last 75 years, and what we need for the city is a park that's ready for the next 100 years," Andrew Meyer, Rewild Mission Bay.
Andrew Meyer has been with the coalition for five years and has taken an active role in making sure the revitalization plans that have been in the works for decades now- last a lifetime.
"We need habitat restoration. We need water quality improvement," Meyer said. "We need to think about climate change and improve the access to everybody, including Native Americans."
The city of San Diego recently released a proposed amendment to revitalize the park.
The amendment expands natural use areas for wetlands while also offering a recreation area.
"The city has been hearing feedback from a variety of stakeholders for many years now, and some of those have been advocates for increased natural habitat," City of San Diego planner Heidi Vonblum said. "Others have been advocates for active recreation as well as continued camping and other accommodations."
The coalition said the new proposed amendment is a good start and offers about 75 percent of the land the coalition thinks is needed to preserve the environment.
"We also know that the city's proposal could do even better and could prioritize even more wetlands restoration than what they're proposing," Meyer said.
The city of San Diego is taking public comment on the proposed amendment, and it likely won't head to the city council until the fall.
To submit a public comment, email PlanningCEQA@sandiego.gov.
