On June 29, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved its $7.2 billion fiscal year 2021/22 recommended budget, which included $10.5 million for phase 1 of Alpine County Park. The total estimate of the project is at $28 million. Since the 1990s, the county of San Diego Parks & Recreation Department worked with the Alpine Community Planning Group and other stakeholders to obtain a suitable community park location. The County purchased the 98-acre parcel of land with intent to build an active recreation area from Wright’s Field Partnership, LLC on March 4, 2019, for $1,621,500. Of the 90 acres, approximately 26-acres will be developed for the Alpine County Park. The remaining acres will remain open space preserve. The park will be located at 2480 South Grade Road.
The park is in the design and environmental process which includes park design, environmental permits and process, and the preliminary creation of trails. Phase 1 construction is estimated to begin in Spring 2022, including a baseball field, dog park, playgrounds, picnic areas, a restroom, equestrian staging area, a volunteer pad, a maintenance building and some parking.
Although there have been several objections for the park at Wright’s Field in the past at the Board of Supervisor meetings and the Alpine Community Planning Group, no one objected to the proposed park at the final budget hearing.
ACPG Chairman Travis Lyon, Vice Chairman Jim Easterling and member George Barnett spoke to the BOS in full support of the park.
Lyon said the park project is extremely important for the Alpine community and that he trusted that the BOS understood the importance of parks in communities.
“I trust you reviewed the capital improvement needs assessment that outlines how underserved Alpine is,” he said. “I trust you recognize the staff and stakeholders exhausted the search for alternative sites, and I trust that you will not allow another generation of kids to grow up in Alpine without adequate park land.”
Easterling said he has been active with the ACPG for 18 years said he supported the park and that it would allow him to enjoy Wright’s Field again.
“The park design shows that we can have family get togethers, parties, birthdays,” he said. “Additionally, there are excellent areas for children to play because our community does not have an area like that for children to use. Our community is very much in favor of this. My constituents, who have contacted me, would like to see this take place.”
Barnett thanked the staff for the community outreach on this project. On his fourth term on the ACPG he said it has been “20 years searching for a park.” As vice president of the Back Country Land Trust of San Diego County, he said with partners, they conserved more than 10,000 acres at a cost of $42 million.
“The county has been really focused on the environmental aspect. They worked diligently with the local and stat wildlife agencies to maximize solutions to environmental concerns,” he said. “I wish to speak to social equity. Alpine is a community of perhaps 18,000 people. We live in everything from multi-family apartments, condominiums, mobile home parks, standard single family residences on small city parcels, to affluent gated communities, all the way up to rural communities with very modest homes with hundreds of acres. Two thirds of us, 11,000, and 4,000 less than affluent families have no access to park lands. So, we are really underserved in the bulk of our community.”
Phase 2 would take place FY 23/24 and would cost an anticipated $6 million. Phase 3 would take place FY 23/24 and cost an estimated $5 million.
