Padres Pitch Tailgate Park for Events, Concerts

For smaller events, Petco Park has a potential "relief" in the bullpen

A big stretch of asphalt east of Petco Park figures to see a lot more action than it gets on game days.

The San Diego Padres team is now applying for city permits to hold concerts, festivals, farmers markets and other events in its Tailgate Park.

Besides blowout gigs such as the Rolling Stones, the Padres hold dozens of concerts and community events each year in the ballpark and "Park at the Park,” some of which might not warrant the overhead costs of staging them there.

So for the smaller occasions, Petco Park has a potential "relief" venue in the bullpen: Tailgate Park.

"I'm an enthusiast of local musicians and local artists, so to have another venue for them to showcase their talents, I think, is a wonderful idea,” said Kim May, a Mission Valley resident.

Just two blocks away, the Tailgate Park is an empty wasteland most of the time, given over mostly to transients and the trash they leave there.

So the Padres want to put it to better use. Most of the people who spoke with NBC 7 Friday applauded the idea.

"You know, people that tend to move downtown and live downtown, they're often into the stuff that's going on and the 'busyness' factor. The rest of us, as businesses, it's great,” said John Egan, the operations manager at Mission Brewery.

"I do think that there's a big enough community down here and over in Barrio Logan,” said Coronado resident Patty Flores-Charter. “I think they would come over. So the more activities, the better."

The Padres declined to be interviewed for this story. Civic San Diego, which oversees the area, says the permit requests will go before the Downtown Planning Council late next month.

Any issues that may arise would be reviewed by an agency hearing officer.
 

Contact Us