Background

San Diego voters approved Proposition C on Nov. 4, 2008. This amended the City Charter by adding Section 55.2. San Diego voters approved amendments to Charter Section 55.2 by approval of Measure J on Nov. 8, 2016.

Overview of Charter Section 55.2

San Diego Charter Section 55.2 restricts the use of a portion of lease revenues from Mission Bay Park for capital improvements in Mission Bay Park. This fund is known as the Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund (“Improvement Fund”). The Improvement Fund may only be used to complete a series of prioritized projects specifically identified within Charter Section 55.2.

Charter Section 55.2 also establishes the Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund Oversight Committee (“Oversight Committee”) to oversee, among other things, the prioritized list of projects funded by the Improvement Fund within the Mission Bay Park Improvement Zone (“Improvement Zone”). These prioritized projects are identified and explained further in this Report.

Changes to San Diego Charter Section 55.2 resulting from Measure J

With the adoption of Measure J, San Diego voters approved the following Charter amendments to Section 55.2:

• Extend Charter Section 55.2 for an additional 30 years from the original expiration date of June 30, 2039, to a new expiration date of June 30, 2069.
• Allows multiple capital improvement projects funded with Improvement Funds to proceed simultaneously if doing so does not preclude completion of greater priority projects.
• Combine former Priorities 5, 6, and 7 into one priority category (Priority 5).
• Change the distribution formula of Mission Bay Park lease revenues in excess of the initial $20 million allocated to the General Fund. Of the remaining lease revenues, 35% or $3.5 million (whichever is greater) transfers to the San Diego Regional Parks Improvement Fund and the remaining funds, up to 65%, transfers to the Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund.
• Allow for dedicated parkland located contiguous to Mission Bay Park to benefit from Improvement Funds if incorporated into Mission Bay Park by City Council, consistent with the priority categories.
  

Proposed Mission Bay Park Master Plan Amendments

The City’s Planning Department is currently seeking two amendments to the Mission Bay Park Master Plan: Fiesta Island Amendment and the De Anza Cove Amendment. Both Master Plan Amendments would affect planning and policy decisions within Mission Bay Park and planning and implementation of listed priority projects to be analyzed within the Mission Bay Park Improvements PEIR (Programmatic Environmental Impact Report).

Fiesta Island is the site of three potential wetland expansion and/or water quality improvement projects identified in City Charter, Section 55.2, to be analyzed within the Mission Bay Park Improvements PEIR.  Specifically, these three projects are: (1) wetlands at the north end of Fiesta Island, (2) wetlands at the mouth of Tecolote Creek, and (3) single-direction culverts, or other water quality improvement measures, beneath Fiesta Island’s connecting causeway.  De Anza Cove also includes the location of several listed priority projects identified in San Diego Charter Section 55.2, including wetlands expansion, water quality, shoreline restoration, and capital improvements deferred maintenance.

The Mission Bay Improvements PEIR will be prepared and implemented consistent with amended Mission Bay Master Plan once the planning process for both the Fiesta Island and De Anza Cove Amendments have concluded and been approved by the City Council.  

Related Links

• San Diego City Charter
• De Anza Cove Master Plan Amendment

Capital Improvements Program Projects Currently Under Way

Please see this list of Capital Improvement Program deferred maintenance projects funded by the Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund that are currently underway and being designed and constructed by Public Works, on behalf of Parks and Recreation. Click on a project's associated hyperlink to be taken to the project's webpage which contains more information and a location map.