CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — The Chula Vista city council agreed to reopen Harborside Park during Tuesday's meeting, but the park will not open immediately.
The council first needs to vote on the item at a future meeting formally. The city will also have to make specific improvements to the park as part of a phased reopening.
Before deciding, the council heard from over a dozen people during public comment, and all favored reopening the park.
The park shut down in August 2022 after reports of problems with encampments, drug use, and prostitution. The city hosted several community workshops throughout the year about what to do with the park in the future.
Tuesday night, the council had two options.
The first was to reopen the park in phases. Phase 1 would include improvements like permanent fencing, lighting and security camera repairs, and a park ranger will be manning the park during operation hours.
The second option was that the council could have voted to declare the park surplus land and pave the way for housing and a recreation center. The housing options would have included a minimum of 168 housing units.
After listening to hours of public comment, there was consensus among the council members and the mayor to reopen the park, but they will not formally take a vote until their meeting on January 9th.
Once the council officially votes on the item, it will take about 8 months to complete the Phase 1 improvements, which means the park will open sometime in the fall of 2024.
