Balboa Park Master Plan Initial Survey
Take the Balboa Park Master Plan Initial Survey. We want to understand how you use and enjoy Balboa Park, and what kinds of improvements would make the park even better. This survey is just the beginning of the community engagement process. There will be many more opportunities to share your ideas and help shape the future of Balboa Park throughout the process.
Connecting Parks, People and Places
Balboa Park is a 1,200-acre cultural and recreational destination that is home to museums, play areas, gardens, sports fields, schools, theaters and the renowned San Diego Zoo. This treasured park is located in the heart of the city’s urban core and is enjoyed by surrounding residents and regional, national and international visitors. While this iconic park is near bus and trolley stations and the San Diego International Airport, it can still feel far away. While beloved and enjoyed by so many, it still faces significant challenges with its aging infrastructure, visitor access and underused areas. Updating the Balboa Park Master Plan is an opportunity to come together with those who love the Park and those who have yet to experience it, to plan for the Park’s welcoming, inclusive and sustainable future.
The Master Plan update builds upon a strong foundation. Decades of planning and community engagement resulted in the current Balboa Park Master Plan (Adopted 1989), the Central Mesa Precise Plan (Adopted 1992) and East Mesa Precise Plan (Adopted 1993), and five Master Plan amendments adopted between 1997 and 2021. Together, these documents reflect the community’s vision and aspirations for Balboa Park, some of which have been implemented over the past 38 years and some of which have not yet become a reality. This update will take a fresh look at the ideas that are yet to be realized, engaging with community members to determine if these ideas still reflect the needs and desires of the people, organizations and institutions that use and enjoy the park. This will ensure that the Master Plan not only addresses today’s challenges and plans for a more sustainable future but also carries forward the ideas that community members continue to support and best positions those projects for implementation.
Strategic Plan Priority Areas of Focus
This initiative focuses on the following priority areas of the Strategic Plan:
Protect & Enrich Every Neighborhood
Plans for a future for Balboa Park - San Diego’s crown jewel - that improves recreational opportunities, protects and restores the park’s natural, historical and cultural resources, and serves the needs of local and regional community members as well as visitors.
Advance Mobility and Infrastructure
Enhances access to one of the City’s most iconic regional parks by identifying opportunities to improve connectivity and planning for fun and inclusive recreational spaces - ensuring future improvements support health, equity and well-being for both local community members and visitors.
Champion Sustainability
Identifies strategies for sustainable landscape management, habitat restoration, climate-adapted infrastructure, adaptive reuse of historic buildings and mobility enhancements that reduce carbon emissions - helping to create healthier spaces for people to live, play and connect with nature.
Foster Regional Prosperity
Strengthens Balboa Park’s role as a regional cultural and economic destination by identifying strategies to support tourism and expand access to jobs, events and educational opportunities.
Balboa Park Master Plan Objective
Balboa Park Master Plan will plan for a regional park that improves local and regional recreational opportunities, protects historic resources, enhances access, expands trails, restores habitats and strengthens cultural and historical education for all San Diegans and visitors from across the region and world.
Balboa Park Master Plan Guiding Considerations
Balboa Park is a beloved regional park enjoyed by a wide variety of community members, organizations and visitors. This includes the many organizations that call Balboa Park home - museums, cultural institutions, the San Diego Zoo and other park lessees - recreation groups, historic preservation groups, environmental conservation groups, and more than 14 million community members and visitors that enjoy the Park each year. The Balboa Park Master Plan will be community-centered, focused on those who have long enjoyed the Park and those who have yet to experience it. The following considerations will help inform the Master Plan Update and are presented in no particular order.
Recreation and Access for All
The Master Plan will examine the Park’s topographic, infrastructure and east-west connectivity challenges, and provide strategies to address these obstacles. The Master Plan will identify improved ways to reach the Park, including ways to enjoy the Park by walking, rolling, biking, or taking transit. Recreation improvements will directly serve the residents next door, for whom Balboa Park is not a destination but their neighborhood park down the street. These strategies will strengthen Balboa Park as a destination with rich experiences that are welcoming for all San Diegans and visitors worldwide.
Historic and Cultural Importance
Balboa Park, originally developed for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, features a National Historic Landmark District. National Historic Landmark designations are granted by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and reserved for nationally significant resources in American history and culture. Many of the district’s significant buildings and landscapes are over 110 years old and require significant maintenance and restoration.
Connected Park Communities
By reimagining pedestrian and bike networks, productively using underused land, expanding recreational amenities, and implementing climate-adapted infrastructure, the Master Plan presents an opportunity to accommodate more visitors while supporting the Park’s role as a catalyst for sustainable development in surrounding communities.
Economic Viability and Long-Term Financial Success
The Master Plan will holistically review the Park's current resources and management, identifying investment needs and funding strategies to address deferred, current and future park needs. Governance and organization will be evaluated to align responsibilities and allocated resources, and land use scenarios will be assessed to ensure long-term economic vitality.
Community Heart and National Treasure
Balboa Park is one of the City’s most visited regional and national destinations. The Park welcomes approximately 14 million visitors annually to experience its historic charm, unique architecture, vibrant cultural institutions and diverse recreational offerings. A welcoming environment that connects parks, people and places through improved circulation, enriched park amenities, and strengthened access to the Park’s diverse attractions contributes to this experience.
Sustainability and Resilience
These strategies will include a framework for future green infrastructure and climate-resilient projects, urban greening, enhanced tree canopies and stormwater management. Nature-based solutions will be explored to mitigate urban heat, while also identifying potential cool zones and opportunities for urban forests and native plantings contributing to carbon sequestration and supporting biodiversity.
Inclusive Community and Stakeholder Engagement
A Community and Stakeholder Engagement Plan that prioritizes meaningful and inclusive public engagement is in development and will be released in November 2026. A stakeholder working group will be convened, and the City looks forward to working with community-based organizations to ensure that outreach materials and engagement strategies effectively reach underserved communities. The City will share draft materials at key milestones, allow for public review, provide ongoing feedback channels and ensure that community and stakeholder input informs the vision for the future of Balboa Park.
Existing Conditions Report
Many valuable planning studies and efforts have provided a foundation to build from. The City will utilize these and build upon them as it works to prepare the Existing Conditions Report to document the Park’s existing physical condition, land uses, infrastructure and recreational amenities, which can be built upon to identify planned uses and improvements. The Existing Conditions Report will also identify and summarize the work of the various committees and non-profit organizations whose work centers on the maintenance and improvement of Balboa Park.
Balboa Park Master Plan
Following the completion of the Existing Conditions Report, the development of the Master Plan will continue with a comprehensive planning process to address Balboa Park’s unique and varied needs as well as the community members, institutions and visitors it serves. An inclusive engagement process will shape the Master Plan while expanding on the guiding principles for Balboa Park’s future.
Project Timeline
Relevant Materials
Draft Documents
Draft documents will be provided here for review as they are available.
Past Meeting Materials
Materials presented at past meetings will be provided here for review as they are available.
Past Master Plan Documents
Balboa Park Master Plan – Adopted by City Council on July 25, 1989 (Resolution R-274090), the Balboa Park Master Plan (prepared by Estrada Land Planning) is the current document guiding Balboa Park planning.
- Balboa Park Master Plan (original)
- Balboa Park Master Plan Amendment R-289537
- Balboa Park Master Plan Amendment R-290039-1
- Balboa Park Master Plan Amendment R-299085
- Balboa Park Master Plan Amendment R-299666
- Balboa Park Master Plan Amendment RR-307555-1
Precise Plans - The 1989 Master Plan called for precise plans for each sub-area. Central Mesa (1992) and East Mesa (1993) plans were completed and adopted by City Council. Inspiration Point remains a 1998 draft and the West Mesa did not advance beyond the Master Plan's general direction.
- Central Mesa
- East Mesa
- East Mesa Precise Plan includes appendices
Get Involved and Stay Connected!
We look forward to your ongoing engagement and feedback. Below are ways to stay connected.
Share Information with Friends and Family
Quick facts and additional project information are being developed and will be linked below once published.
Opportunities to Share Your Input
The details of future community workshops will be posted here as they become available. Questions and comments can be sent to planbalboapark@sandiego.gov.
- Take the Balboa Park Master Plan Initial Survey. This survey is just the beginning of the community engagement process. There will be many more opportunities to share your ideas and help shape the future of Balboa Park throughout the process.
