Introduction

Through voter approved initiatives (Proposition C in 2008 and Measure J in 2016), the City of San Diego created the Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund to develop, repair, and invest in assets within Mission Bay Park. This effort is generally referred to as the ‘Ten-Year Plan’ for Mission Bay Park (see Background summary).  The ‘Ten-Year Plan’ identified a list of priority projects, including navigational and safety dredging, wetlands and water quality improvements, shoreline protection, expansion of preserves and habitat, and park facility improvements (playgrounds, comfort stations, parking lots, etc.).  The City’s Parks and Recreation Department manages this fund, which is overseen by the Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund Oversight Committee and is being implemented by the City’s Public Works Department. 

To effectively and holistically analyze these projects and their associated environmental impacts, a Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) is being developed by the Public Works Department and Dudek (consultant team) in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act with the primary goal of streamlining future environmental and permitting review and engaging the public to solicit valued input throughout the process. 

The purpose of this webpage is to inform the public about the background, purpose, content and timing of the PEIR and other PEIR-related information, and to provide updates on upcoming PEIR presentations and workshops for public participation.  If you would like to subscribe to the distribution list to receive e-mail notifications on upcoming PEIR events, please submit your contact information to paula@aquacrg.com.  For specific questions about the Mission Bay Park Improvements PEIR you may call 619-794-6406 (Project Community Liaison) or e-mail paula@aquacrg.com or engineering@sandiego.gov.

Brief Summary of Priority Projects

• Restoration of navigable waters and elimination of navigable hazards (construction completed in 2018, currently in post-construction mitigation for eel grass restoration)
• Wetland expansion, water quality improvements, and protection and expansion of eelgrass beds, including:
  
  • Rose Creek Wetlands (Campland on the Bay)
  • North Fiesta Island
  • Tecolote Creek
  • Cudahy Creek
  • Fiesta Island Culvert
• Restoration of shoreline treatments
• Expansion of endangered or threatened species preserves and upland habitats on North Fiesta Island and SD River floodway levee
• Deferred Capital Improvements, including:
  
  • Missing Bicycle and Pedestrian Paths
  • SD River Trail Improvements (Estuary Trail Enhancement Plan)
  • North Ocean Beach Gateway Path
  • Sustainable Lighting
  • Monument Signage and Landscaping
  • Parking Lot Repair/Resurfacing
  • Playgrounds
  • Comfort Stations
  • Oceanfront Walk Seawall and Bulkhead

Programmatic Environmental Impact Report

The Mission Bay Park projects identified on the 10-Year Plan priority list are all located in close geographic proximity to one another.  The City will analyze the overall environmental impacts of each priority project together as a program (Program) and prepare a PEIR.

One of the primary goals of the PEIR is to streamline future environmental review and clearance for less environmentally complex projects and simplify the task of preparing subsequent environmental documents for more environmentally complex projects covered within the Program (e.g. wetland expansion).  The PEIR provides a basis for determining, analyzing, and addressing portions of the Program that may have significant or cumulative impacts on the environment.  The intent of the PEIR is to examine all projects within the Program as specifically and comprehensively as possible. The holistic approach of a PEIR will improve the implementation of the overall project list and will offer numerous advantages, which include:

• Provides for a more exhaustive consideration of effects and alternatives than would be practical in an EIR on an individual action
• Ensures consideration of the cumulative impacts of the entire Program
• Shares the responsibility of environmental mitigation across multiple projects
• Allows the consideration of broad policy alternatives and Program-wide mitigation measures early in the process

It is important to note that the Mission Bay Navigational and Safety Dredging project will be included by reference in the PEIR since construction is now complete and long-term mitigation and monitoring for eelgrass is currently underway.  Other less-environmentally sensitive deferred capital improvement projects, such as improvements to comfort stations, parking lots/resurfacing and playgrounds, may also be designed and constructed in advance of the completion of the PEIR to provide continued park enhancements for the public and park users.

Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund Oversight Committee

The Mission Bay Park Committee advises the Parks and Recreation Board on the development, utilization, and policies regarding Mission Bay Park. The Committee meets the first Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at various locations.

Charter Section 55.2 also establishes the Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund Oversight Committee (Oversight Committee) to oversee, among other things, the prioritized list of projects funded by the Improvement Fund within the Mission Bay Park Improvement Zone (Improvement Zone). The Oversight Committee is comprised of the same members as the Mission Bay Park Committee.

The Oversight Committee meets, at a minimum, once every three months. Meetings may occur more often. These meetings are held at the same location as the Mission Bay Park Committee and initiate once the Mission Bay Park Committee meeting adjourns.  

Please refer to the side bar and the Mission Bay Park Committee website for more details.

Tentative Schedule

• Phase 1 – 2018/2019
  
  • Initiate research, technical studies & preliminary engineering (scoping)
  • Public Outreach and Meetings
• Phase 2 – 2019/2020
  
  • Public Outreach and Meetings
  • Conclude technical studies & preliminary engineering (scoping)
  • Submit Site Development Permit application
  • Notice of Preparation and draft PEIR
• Phase 3 – 2020/2021
  
  • Final PEIR
  • Technical analysis & findings
  • Mitigation requirements
  • Obtain Site Development Permit (timing of agency permits TBD)