San Diego has a new riverside park. KPBS Environment Reporter Ed Joyce tells us a family with nearly a century of history in Mission Valley made it possible.
A donation of land to the San Diego River Park Foundation has made Grant Park a reality.
The 17-acre park is Mission Valley's first publicly-accessible neighborhood park along the San Diego River.
San Diego River Park Foundation Executive Director Rob Hutsel says the donation is worth nearly $10 million.
"This is an incredibly important piece of property because it's really the last undeveloped piece of Mission Valley," Hutsel says. "And it's right on the banks of the San Diego River. So it gives us an incredible opportunity to create a unique space."
He says the Grant family arrived in the Mission Valley area in 1912.
Hutsel says the idea for a riverfront park was originated by the family so that future generations of San Diegans and visitors would enjoy an open area in Mission Valley.
He says Grant Park will also be the site for the San Diego River Discovery Center.
Hutsel says the foundation is raising money to build the interactive learning and education facility.
Ed Joyce, KPBS News.
