By Brian Schrader
Across 30th Street from Fall Brewing Company in one of San Diego’s best neighborhoods sits an abandoned lot that could be a new mini park. The lot has plenty of space for a few benches, drinking fountains, and even a swing set along with ample green space for residents to enjoy.
The space on the east side of the street has been vacant and without a structure for years and is conveniently located within a bustling section of San Diego’s beer and bar scene as well as just off of historic Adams Avenue. The site is also blocks from a number of currently under-construction apartments which will bring even more residents to the area.
Residents of North Park, Normal Heights and University Heights will no doubt be familiar with Trolley Barn Park, located on the western-most end of Adams Avenue just before the Park Avenue intersection. This large park provides ample green space for residents, but is a long walk from the bustling area surrounding 30th Street. Likewise, although the area has quite a few mini parks, none provide suitable green space between Trolley Barn and Ward Canyon Park next to the 805.
While the site on 30th Street wouldn’t necessarily solve this problem entirely, the site is certainly large enough to support some amenities and is close enough to the center of North Park to further improves the walkability of the neighborhood.
With the construction of multiple new apartment complexes in the area, locals will need more green space in which children can play and dogs can run. Residents will no doubt be familiar with the ample supply of sidewalk-adjacent doggie bags that litter the area. A park would not only provide a space for families and dogs to play, but could provide ample places for visitors to deposit their doggie baggies, cutting down on the amount that end up on the street.
Similarly, a green space on such a popular street would only serve to make the area around 30th and Adams even more desirable, bringing more business and money into the area. The site could also serve as a suitable and central location for bands to play—a role Trolley Barn fills for neighbors of Park Avenue today.
When contacted about the idea, both the offices of Council member Stephen Whitburn and Mayor Todd Gloria were supportive of the idea. What’s needed now is for residents of Uptown to push the issue and make it a priority for the city.
If recent trends continue, North Park and Normal Heights will see increasing amounts of development and housing construction in the coming years and that will bring more people into the vibrant fold of the Adams Avenue community. All these new people will need more green space and the empty lot across from Fall Brewing is in a prime location, so let’s make it happen. Call Council member Whitburn’s office at 619-236-6633 and Mayor Todd Gloria’s office at 619-236-6330 and encourage them to make the 30th Street Mini Park a reality.
— Brian Schrader is a local business owner, software developer, writer and San Diego resident living in Normal Heights. Reach him at brian@brianschrader.com.
