Mayor Bob Filner’s promise to shut down Balboa Park’s Plaza de Panama to cars hasn’t yet come true. He’d originally said he would keep traffic off Cabrillo Bridge on weekends starting with Memorial Day Weekend.
But Filner said last week that his Balboa Park plans were delayed after protests from the Old Globe Theater. So, cars continued to roll through the park this weekend.
In another part of the city, the mayor waded in to a long-standing controversy over another park: the dog park on Fiesta Island in Mission Bay. A plan for the island includes more space for boaters and a road that would reduce the size of the large dog park.
A group called Fiesta Island Dog Owners organized to oppose the plan. The mayor told the group on Sunday that he supports their side and will stop the plans from going through.
“We have this incredible space, the biggest in the state, where dogs and their families can exercise and play together," he said. "And there were some plans apparently that want to put a road through this area. I don’t think that makes any sense. This is so rare in our state and in our nation that we ought to preserve it. And I'm going to make sure we do.”
The planning process used to create the Fiesta Island Development Plan started in 2005. Boaters and dog owners have been battling over the plan ever since, with little progress being made on its implementation.
