PLEASE help us save the fenced off-leash area on Fiesta Island!

Fiesta Island, voted number 1 dog park in the nation by USA Today, is in danger of having a road cut through the middle and expensive, unnecessary development added (fencing, a parking lot, an amphitheater, a launch facility,  a storage facility for private boat clubs, and more) reducing and ruining this area.

On June 10th, the California Coastal Commission is going to decide whether to approve the City's plan for Fiesta Island, keeping it in its natural state (Option B) with the acreage and the Coastal Trail intact.  In 2019, after a 13+ year-long process supported by the residents of San Diego and across the nation, the San Diego City Council recognized the Southwest corner of Fiesta Island as an off-leash dog park and voted to keep this area intact. (They unanimously approved Option B.) In additional, the City found a better option for the outrigger canoe clubs and the dragon boats at South Shores, just across the bay from Fiesta, where a large paved parking lot, boat ramps, restrooms and even showers already exist. 

At the beginning of the Plan Update process, the Personal Water Craft (outrigger canoe clubs, dragon boat clubs, etc.) users made a list of their needs that included “fresh water rinse capability, 250 feet of beach for boat storage,” a large boat storage building and a “parking lot for 120+ cars without other heavy uses during peak paddling times.” None of these are available on Fiesta Island. However, South Shores has most of these needs TODAY and is severely underutilized. The City initiated a Plan Update that addressed recreational usage on both Fiesta Island and South Shores. Furthermore, the Mission Bay Boat and Ski Club as mentioned by staff currently located at the site that is threatened by the De Anza Plan Update is already on the Plan at South Shores and the city has initiated the GDP Update Process.

To quote the paddling community, “Dog parks are neither coastal related or dependent and can be placed anywhere inland” but we know this is not true -- tens of thousands of people go to Fiesta Island to exercise because it's the only truly open space on the bay shoreline.  We don't have to be ON the water in order to enjoy the bay, nor do we have to own boats. Recreating along the water is hugely important for mental and physical health. Section 30213 of the Coastal Act clearly states: "Lower cost visitor and recreational facilities shall be protected, encouraged, and where feasible provided." Fiesta Island is a place where all people can walk, bike, and enjoy time with their family and can also bring their dogs with them. There’s nothing else remotely like it in San Diego, and if we lose it, we’ll lose it forever.

Please stop the development of the Southwest corner of Fiesta Island by signing this petition.