The less redevelopment the better. That was the takeaway from dog owners who packed a May 23 scoping meeting at Mission Bay High School to hound the city about what they’d like — and not like — to see with long-range master planning on Fiesta Island.
Fiesta is a huge peninsular manmade island on Mission Bay with fire pits, dog parks, endangered bird sanctuaries, youth camps, various water sports and 27 miles of beach including a 90-acre off-leash dog area.
The city is kickstarting its long-delayed public process for planning the future of Fiesta Island, defining two options, A and B, in its recent public notice on resuming the Fiesta Island planning process. 
“Option A” would divide the area with a road and reduce access for off-leash users.”Option B” would keep the area intact and increase the fenced, off-leash area. 
Prior to the May 23 pooch pow wow, Debra Madden of Fiesta Island Dog Owners (FIDO), a community-based nonprofit with more than 14,000 members dedicated to preserving Fiesta Island’s leash-free recreation area, weighed in on the city’s reboot of long-term planning for the popular recreational island.
“We don’t want an amphitheater,” said Madden, FIDO spokeswoman. “This is the third planned amphitheater. They’ve got one in the dog space on Fiesta Island.”
Madden noted the Fiesta “experience” is “unlike other parks where you just stand around or sit” in a park setting, but rather is an active park where people walk, jog, run or cycle alongside their pets.
“You can’t be out there looking at the dogs, the ocean and the clouds without feeling refreshed,” confided Madden.
FIDO was created in 2006 as a response to a massive development plan unveiled then by the city, which originally proposed removing or moving the leash-free dog area. Fiesta Island went off-leash after the city in 1972 passed an ordinance “prohibiting dogs on all of its beaches in San Diego County, with the exception of OB Dog Park and Fiesta.”
City and park planners on May 23 said the scoping meeting was being held to receive public input on what Fiesta Island users wanted in terms of possible improvements, as a prelude to the environmental impact review process the city is conducting. The end result of that process is to amend the Mission Bay Park Master Plan to incorporate any publicly desired Fiesta Island improvements.
One city official noted Fiesta Island has been divided into quadrants, adding the island is criss-crossed with trails and roads. The official added a grading plan is proposed for the island to “reduce silt flowing into the bay.”
A notice of preparation for an EIR for proposed Fiesta Island redevelopment went out May 9. Once the eir is complete, there will be a 45-day, formal public comment period, to be followed, ultimately, by review and support or opposition by the San Diego City Council and the California Coastal Commission of any changes proposed, if any.
Following the scoping meeting, FIDO praised the workshop for its “great turnout.” The group also released a statement noting that, “though there is considerable interest in leaving things the way they are, this [Fiesta off-leash] area is not currently recognized on city plans as a dog park. … So it is imperative that we get this plan process completed and adopted.”
FIDO is on record as favoring Fiesta Island planning Option B.
About a year ago, Fiesta Island was nominated by the pet-friendly travel website BringFido.com, beating out nine other dog parks from around the country to receive the Reader’s Choice Award for “Best Dog Park in America.”