The San Diego City Council voted to lease the Horton Plaza Park space in an effort to make that area a community gathering place in the heart of the city.
There have been a lot of ambitious plans for the Horton Plaza Park space downtown but the city admits those visions haven’t been properly executed. They’re hoping this new leasing plan will allow for the redevelopment of the space so it can be a community gathering place.
On Tuesday, the City Council voted to lease the 37,000-square-foot urban park that sits at 900 Fourth Avenue downtown to Stockdale Capital Partners, the same group that is converting Horton Plaza into an office campus. The lease will be for 25 years and the city will make approximately $4 million per year, but the city’s economic director said the priority wasn’t the money, it was to make that area a community gathering place.
In 2011 the city bought Horton Plaza Park from Westfield, the owner of the now empty mall nearby, and after investing $18 million in redevelopment the park was reopened in 2016 with an amphitheater, a new fountain, a grassy plaza and some food vendors, but now the park has been closed and mostly fenced off for the past two years.
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The city hopes that Stockdale Capital Partners will be able to redevelop the area.
“This project provides much-needed improvement to Horton Plaza Park, the creation of the new outdoor space, the dining deck, new food establishments, the artwork will reclaim this open space. It has been inaccessible for some time now, the new design will help to reactivate and revitalize this area of downtown that is used by residents and visitors alike,” said Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, who represents District 3, where Horton Plaza Park is located.
Stockdale will make improvements to the park, turn Bradley Building into a food court and maintain a public restroom during the park's operating hours which will be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday an Sunday, and it will stay open one hour later until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
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“This is an important historic asset in downtown and has an opportunity to really be an important part of the revitalization of the community around here,” said City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera.
The park is expected to be completed in January of 2025.
