San Diego opened the first park in downtown’s East Village in over a decade Friday, a 1.3-acre expanse of grass, playgrounds and reflective art in the shadow of the new 45-story Pinnacle on the Park tower.

“A blighted site in East Village has been transformed into an iconic development,” said Reese A. Jarrett, president of Civic San Diego, the city-owned nonprofit that helped develop the site.

Fault Line Park, located on Island Avenue between 14th and 15th streets, is named for the Rose Canyon Fault, which runs under the the park and is marked by a walkway.

The park includes a broad lawn, shade trees, play areas for children, a garden and giant reflective spheres, titled “Fault Whisper,” designed by artist Po Shu Wang. A cafe occupies one corner of the site.

Pinnacle International built and will maintain the park as part of the tower development, which includes 956 apartments, street level commercial and retail space and underground parking. More than 70 of the new residences will be set aside for affordable housing.

Leasing is underway with the first move-ins taking place earlier this month. A second tower is scheduled to begin construction this fall and be completed by 2018.

City Councilman Todd Gloria, who represents the area, praised the developer for the design of the new park, saying it balanced density with quality-of-life amenities. “We don’t do ugly in Council District 3,” he quipped.

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