Rewild Mission Bay

LOCATION:

San Diego, CA

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

In late 2014, the City of San Diego embarked on a community effort to prepare an amendment to the Mission Bay Park Master Plan. The project required necessary changes to Mission Bay’s northern end, commonly known as De Anza Cove. The City’s staff hired professionals to coordinate with the community and to facilitate a technical study of the area. Many local organizations formed a coalition for environmental research and to assist in an approach that community leaders desired for a long-term sustainable outcome. The coalition established ReWild Mission Bay to address these issues. The initiative included San Diego’s most notable environmental organizations, including the San Diego Audubon Society, San Diego Coastkeeper, Surfrider Foundation, Sierra Club San Diego and Citizens Coordinate for Century 3 (C3).The organization received research funding and assistance from the Coastal Conservancy Resources Legal Fund and from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prepare a feasibility study for an environmental solution for the De Anza Cove.

The scientific research and planning formulated the “ReWild Mission Bay: Wetlands Restoration Feasibility Study Report.” The “wildest” concept for the plan was chosen to move forward because it served the community in the best possible way. However, the concept was missing a land-use plan, which the city required and was part of the environmental impact report (EIR).

In early 2019, McCullough worked closely with Kristen Victor of Sustainability Matters, Board member of C3 to prepare a land use and site master plan for the “wildest” concept. Throughout the year long process, we met monthly with coalition members, coastal commissioners, scientists from USD, community leaders and activists to develop a comprehensive land-use plan that met the objectives for the City of San Diego’s Mission Bay Master Plan. In mid-2019, at the request of the coalition and as a result of a loud outcry from the community, the San Diego City Council recommended that the “wildest” plan be utilized in the pending EIR process as one of the three options considered for the property. A project of this nature can take many years to vet and adopt, therefore, the plans may go through many evolutions and the final execution may take decades.