The San Diego City Council is scheduled Tuesday to consider approving plans and specifications for an $11.7 million public park project at Horton Plaza that's about one year behind schedule.
City officials envision a 37,000-square-foot urban plaza at the site of the former Robinsons/May building that would host around 200 events a year, including concerts, cultural festivals and civic celebrations. Demolition of the building and surrounding grounds began in November 2012.
The actual plans for building the site back up were never approved, however. The project was also subject to numerous uncertainties created by the dissolution of the redevelopment system in California.
That's left the front of Horton Plaza along Broadway walled-off to the public while very little work has taken place over the last several months. The park had been scheduled to open this spring, but the estimate is now the summer of 2015, said Daniel Kay of Civic San Diego.
The project will include restoration of a fountain and a lawn; construction of an amphitheater; underground storage; installation of granite paving, chairs and tables; the building of public restrooms, retail and refreshment pavilions, according to city documents.
When the park is completed, it will be owned by the city but managed for 25 years by Westfield, the international operator of shopping malls.
