On
April 13, 2004,
after more than five hours of public testimony and deliberation,
the City Council of San Diego unanimously approved the Park
Boulevard Promenade plan that was presented to them by the
Zoological Society of San Diego.
With this outcome, which defines a vision for development
at the north end of Balboa Park by the San Diego Zoo, the Zoological
Society is free to move some employee parking to a lot situated
within Zoo grounds. Further development of the plan will not
occur until the Jones & Jones study for all of Balboa Park
has been completed. Financing for parking facilities in Balboa
Park will not be addressed until a full plan has been completed.
The Zoological Society of
San Diego has played a major role in conserving endangered
species by preserving self-sustaining populations of
these species in a zoological setting. As years pass, the
importance of conserving as many species as possible, of
being an ark for future generations, becomes paramount.
Exhibits
like Gorilla Tropics, Tiger
River, and Ituri Forest demonstrate
the Zoo’s success at maintaining species in bioclimatic
habitats that allow animals to roam and gives them space to
breed while educating guests from around the world about endangered
species. These habitats are larger than old-style zoo enclosures,
requiring more space if the same diversity of animals is maintained.
The
Park Boulevard Promenade incorporates the key concept elements
outlined by a community working group. The concept reawakens
the Central Mesa Precise Plan, developed more than a decade
ago as a vision for the future of Balboa Park's cultural and
recreational areas.
This
new concept plan addresses parking and access to Balboa Park
without impacting the War Memorial Building or Florida Canyon.
It increases the accessibility of the Park to all users by
increasing the number of parking spaces, increasing green space,
and reducing asphalt surfaces. The plan includes provisions
for transit stops on both sides of Park Boulevard and increases
the link between Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo.
The
Spanish Village, carousel, and miniature railroad are emphasized
as part of an enhanced family-oriented destination featuring
historical resources. The concept also maintains important
service access for Balboa Park institutions supporting daily
operations.
A
new below-grade, four-level parking structure will provide
4,803 spaces for automobiles. More than a third of the parking
structure, which extends approximately a quarter mile along
Park Boulevard, is located below the area currently leased
by the Zoological Society. The structure also includes a transit
center for shuttles, taxis, and tour buses, as well as school
buses serving Balboa Park museums and attractions. Landscaped
pedestrian walkways on top of the parking structure replace
asphalt-covered surface parking lots once occupied by about
3,000 automobiles, and create an enhanced continuous green
belt along Park Boulevard extending from the fountain near
the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center to the grassy lawn around
the War Memorial Building.
Parking
for the War Memorial Building would be located near this
building, creating a shared area for buses to drop off students
at Roosevelt Middle School and the San Diego Zoo.
