The final phases of Civita Park, Mission Valley’s largest open space, have opened to the public, adding four acres of colorful playgrounds, game areas, ornamental gardens and open lawns to the 14.3-acre park.
Completion of the project was announced this week by Sudberry Properties, which created the park as the centerpiece of Civita, a sustainable, transit-oriented village of nearly 5,000 homes and apartments on a former sand and gravel quarry.
“We’re excited to replace a barren quarry with a beautiful park that will be enjoyed for many generations,” said Marco Sessa, senior vice president of Sudberry. “It was important to the Grant family that Civita be designed around a central, unifying park. We are proud to have implemented their vision in a way that benefits the entire region.”
Mining relics from the Grant family’s quarry, including a Caterpillar D8 bulldozer, large augers and conveyor belts, have been arranged in one of the park’s new gardens.
“It is an honor to give back this land to our native San Diego,” the Grant family said in a statement. “We hope it provides a welcome respite from the busy world that surrounds us all.”
Civita Park is a public-private partnership of Sudberry Properties, the San Diego Parks and Recreation Department, and the Grant family. The park was designed by Schmidt Design Group and built by Hazard Construction Company. It has already received a prestigious Orchid award from the San Diego Architectural Foundation.
Highlights of the completed park include Celebration Plaza, a large civic plaza featuring an outdoor amphitheater, an interactive 48-jet water feature and a game area with a life-size chessboard. Elsewhere there are open fields and courts, a community garden, trails for walking and running, and a dog park.
A dramatic focal point is the 60-foot-high Civita Falls, a seasonal waterfall that is fed by runoff from neighborhoods in Civita and Serra Mesa. The runoff is then directed down Civita Creek, a bioswale containing special soil and plants that filter and clean the water.
Civita Park is decorated with 30 bronze animal figures created by Encinitas sculptor James Nelson and his late wife T.J. Dixon; The Frame, fabricated by San Diego sculptor Amos Robinson; mosaics by La Jolla artist Jane Wheeler; and a colossal 72-foot long, 270-degree mural in the pedestrian tunnel beneath Via Alta that connects the main portion of Civita Park to the dog park by Encinitas artist Kevin Anderson.
The final phases of the park included two playgrounds, one for children 2-5 and the other for kids 5-12, that feature rock-climbing walls, giant tree trunks set horizontally, rope bridges, swings and spinners.
“It is the hope of our entire team that everyone who visits — from the very young to the very old — will be pleased and inspired by the vistas, aromas, experiences, and sounds in this enchanting park,” said Sessa.
Planning continues on three additional parks in Civita: Creekside Park, Franklin Ridge Park and Phyllis Place Park. When complete, the community will feature 60 acres of public parks, open space and trails.
