The asphalt lot at the northwest corner of Sunset Cliffs and West Point Loma boulevards has long been an eyesore for visitors and residents as they pass through Ocean Beach’s front door. But thanks to $200,000 in donations, the space is on its way to becoming a park and completing yet another step in the community’s entryway revitalization plan.
Though both the Hervey Family Fund and District 2 Councilman Kevin Faulconer have committed $100,000 in private donations and city grants, respectively, more money is needed.
The Ocean Beach Community Development Corporation (OBCDC) kicked off their capital campaign drive on Saturday, June10, to raise an additional $500,000 with a gathering at the site to unveil illustrations of the future Ocean Beach Gateway Park and Pathway.
Curt Lutz, OBCDC executive director, said that grants from the 2006 fiscal year totaling $70,000 have been spent on planning documents, while the capital campaign funds will be applied toward future construction costs.
If fund-raising goals are met, crews could break ground in July 2007, Lutz added. So far there are no plans to recruit volunteer labor from the community.
As part of the Ocean Beach Entryway Master Plan, the beautification effort will be both symbolic and functional. Enhanced crosswalks and traffic calming measures will be employed at the intersection, an ADA accessible path will provide entrance to nearby Robb Field, and native, drought-resistant plants will decorate the corner.
“That’s all part of increasing the pedestrian-friendly and walkability [aspects] of the community,” Lutz said.
OBCDC developed the master plan with local input in 1999 to shape up the community’s entrance. To date, the non-profit has successfully widened Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, landscaped various medians near the Ocean Beach Freeway, and added 250 street trees in north Ocean Beach, as well as trash cans, bus benches and bike racks.
The comprehensive plan has been implemented in phases and is halfway complete, said Lutz. Remaining projects include additional landscaping and irrigation along the medians, connecting the park to the city’s meandering concrete path from Robb Field to the San Diego River Bike Path, and more pedestrian friendly measures along the Voltaire Street corridor.
According to Rich Grosch, OBCDC founder and current board member, the push to clean up Ocean Beach began with the town council in the early 1980s, when the now familiar entrance sign near the fork of Sunset Cliffs and Nimitz boulevards was installed.
Grosch said that first small step was a battle, but it made way for bigger and better improvements that complement, not compromise, the local character.
“We love where we live and the people in it, but we want to clean it up.”