Public to Help Plan Future of Mission Bay Park

The evolution of popular Mission Bay Park will take a new turn Saturday at an all-day workshop designed to involve the public in planning the future of the world’s largest urban aquatic park.

The workshop, one of a dozen meetings to update the park’s master plan, will unite the public with a host of consultants, planners, developers, environmentalists and park users.

Increased park use and an expected doubling of San Diego’s population by the year 2010 has spurred city and park officials to update Mission Bay’s master plan through a year of debate and public comment.

“The workshop is specifically designed to draw a wide range of participants . . . to shape the destiny of Mission Bay Park for the next 20 years and beyond,” said Steve Alexander, chairman of the Mission Bay Planners, a 25-member volunteer board that oversees the plan’s update.

The board and a team of private consultants will have to balance the interests of park users, commercial developers and environmentalists on issues ranging from the restoration of wetland habitats in the bay to the fate of Fiesta Island and South Shores.

The planners will also have to balance Sea World’s request of 30 acres for parking with those of the public for more picnic areas and new soccer fields. In addition, commercial developers have proposed such things as new hotels and an amphitheater on Fiesta Island.

A former marsh area, the 4,100-acre park offers everything from boating to bird watching to about 100,000 people on an average peak season weekend.

Workshop participants are expected to break into groups that will address issues on different areas. The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Marina Village, 1936 Quivira Way, Building A, Suite 1.

The updated master planis expected to be sent to the San Diego City Council by August.