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Chollas Creek Watershed
Regional Park Master Plan
Chollas Creek Watershed Regional Park Master Plan
Achieving a Healthy, Safe and Enjoyable Chollas Creek
The Chollas Creek Watershed is a vital natural resource encompassing a network of water channels, parks and surrounding open space. The watershed stretches across the neighborhoods of City Heights, Eastern Area, Encanto, Southeastern San Diego, Barrio Logan, Greater Golden Hill, North Park and Normal Heights. The watershed plays a crucial role in maintaining the region's ecological balance and providing essential habitat for numerous plant and animal species as well as providing opportunities for community-serving recreation.
Strategic Plan Priority Areas of Focus
This initiative focuses on the following priority areas of the Strategic Plan:
Protect & Enrich Every Neighborhood
Plans for cleaner air and water, safe and enjoyable ways to move around, high-quality places to play and enjoy nature, and safe and healthy homes that not only make great communities in traditionally underserved communities, but also provide unmatched recreational enjoyment for all San Diegans.
Champion Sustainability
Plans for safe and healthy spaces for people to live, connect and play through improved and sustainable environmental conditions.
Foster Regional Prosperity
Fosters connected and thriving communities for people in all of San Diego's communities by creating a regional attraction that will draw visitors to enjoy nature in a traditionally underserved community.
Chollas Creek Watershed Regional Park Master Plan -
Building off the Chollas Creek Enhancement Program
In 2002, the City Council adopted the Chollas Creek Enhancement Program, laying out a visionary path for the Chollas Creek Watershed guided by the community's vision. This comprehensive program includes policies, design guidelines and an implementation strategy, all of which were developed collaboratively with City staff, community leaders and community members. Together, they identified opportunities for improvement and watershed restoration through nature-based solutions and the creation of enjoyable public spaces accessible to all.
The Chollas Creek Enhancement Program offers detailed design guidelines for wetland restoration, channel reconstruction, landscaping, trail system, public art, education and programming, ensuring a comprehensive approach to the watershed's enhancement. Some of the projects that were realized as a result of the Chollas Creek Enhancement Program include the South Crest Trails Park, creek restoration along street sections of Imperial Avenue, Market Street and Euclid Avenue, Wightman Street Neighborhood Park and Charles Lewis III Memorial Park.
The development of the Chollas Creek Watershed Regional Park Master Plan will build off the work from the Chollas Creek Enhancement Program in close collaboration with community members, community leaders and community-based organizations, reimagining Chollas Creek to align with present-day needs, challenges and opportunities. The Chollas Creek Watershed Regional Park Master Plan will help shape a vibrant future for Chollas Creek, embracing community values and ensuring its preservation and enhancement for today and in the future.
On Aug. 3, 2021, San Diego City Council designated the Chollas Creek Watershed as a Regional Park. To realize the vision set by the community and to implement the policies of the recently adopted Parks Master Plan, the City Planning Department will engage with community members to develop the Chollas Creek Watershed Regional Park Master Plan (Chollas Creek Master Plan). The Chollas Creek Master Plan will help bring diverse neighborhoods together through a watershed-wide system of trails and parks where people can gather, play, interact and enjoy nature. The Chollas Creek Master Plan will deliver on the broader vision of more outdoor recreation opportunities and preserving natural qualities and habitats within the watershed.
The Chollas Creek Master Plan will be a long-term planning document developed by the City of San Diego in partnership with various stakeholders and community members to guide the sustainable future of Chollas Creek Watershed as a regional park. The goals of the Master Plan are to protect and enhance the Chollas Creek Watershed’s ecology; improve the watershed’s sustainability and resilience to the impacts of climate change; increase recreational opportunities; improve walking/rolling and biking within the watershed and adjacent to neighborhoods; and foster a sense of ownership and connection to the Creek among community members. By working hand in hand with the diverse communities and stakeholders within the watershed, the Chollas Creek Master Plan will address the needs and aspirations of the community members while creating a sustainable and resilient watershed.
The Chollas Creek Master Plan will prioritize the following:
Timeline for the
Chollas Creek Watershed Regional Park Master Plan
A robust public engagement process, in partnership with local community organizations, individuals and businesses, is integral to the success of the Chollas Creek Master Plan. Through an intensive and participatory approach, community members, stakeholders and community-based organizations will share their knowledge of the watershed's conditions, identify shared values and concerns, and prioritize improvements for the Chollas Creek Master Plan. The City and partner organizations will host a variety of engagement events such as community surveys, walk audits, stakeholder meetings, mobile engagements and workshops to gather valued community input.
A framework to guide the Chollas Creek Master Plan has been developed based on valuable community feedback over the years. This document outlines the goals and values of the community for the watershed to transform Chollas Creek into a vibrant natural resource and regional park that meets the community's diverse needs. The framework document provides an overview of the topics that the Master Plan will address and the various engagement tactics that will be used to gather community input to guide the development of the Chollas Creek Master Plan. Please review the Chollas Creek Master Plan Framework document and share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at publicspaces@sandiego.gov.
The existing conditions report is a foundational analysis that examines the physical and social infrastructure along the Creek to help map areas of interest and better understand needed improvements. The existing conditions report builds on the Chollas Creek Enhancement Program and identifies opportunities to further the community visions identified in the Chollas Creek Enhancement Program.
Following the existing conditions analysis, the Chollas Creek Master Plan will be developed with a vision of a new regional park within the Chollas Creek Watershed. It will be integrated with ongoing projects, proposed improvements and an implementation strategy to ensure a successful, thriving and sustainable regional park. The Master Plan will serve not only as a collection of community needs and priorities but also as an advocacy tool for people at all levels of governance to realize a holistic vision for Chollas Creek.
Your Feedback is Important!
Please check back periodically to obtain additional project information. The City will host a community survey in the summer of 2023.
Make your voice heard and help shape the Chollas Creek Master Plan!
Please submit your comments to publicspaces@sandiego.gov.
Share Information
To help facilitate learning more about Chollas Creek Master Plan, easily sharable materials have been developed and are linked below.
Upcoming Community Workshops
The details of future community workshops will be posted here as they become available. Questions and comments can be sent to publicspaces@sandiego.gov.
Sign up below and stay tuned for future events!
