Construction on Phase 1 of Beyer Park in San Ysidro begins this week, bringing this long-awaited community vision one step closer to reality. The project, which received funding through several sources including Mayor Todd Gloria’s Parks for All of Us initiative, will construct 8 acres of new parkland on an approximately 43-acre site that is currently undeveloped. 

Proposals for a park on this site go back at least 50 years when an unimproved 6.78-acre site was designated for future park development in a 1974 community plan. Both the 1990 and 2016 San Ysidro Community plans reiterated calls to build Beyer Park. The future park site is located along East Beyer Blvd. 

“Beyer Park will be the first new public park in San Ysidro in over 25 years and serves as an example of our commitment to providing every San Diegan with access to high-quality recreational spaces," said Mayor Gloria. "It’s also an example of why partnerships matter, and I’m grateful to the California Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program and funds secured by Congressmember Juan Vargas, which together provided the millions of dollars in funding to make this vision a reality.” 

When the project is complete, Beyer Park will have a variety of amenities to serve the communities of San Ysidro and Otay Mesa. Features at the park will include a children’s playground area, ball fields, picnic areas, restrooms, a dog park, skate park, walking trails and public art.  

Through the City’s Commission for Arts and Culture, artists Ingram Ober and Marisol Rendón created a site-specific art piece for Beyer Park, titled Air Sanctuary. The artwork consists of a singular ironwood tree that will grow within a sculptural enclosure that relates visually to the growth of the tree and that also creates a charismatic space to contemplate the living processes of a tree. Visitors to the park will be able to watch the tree grow and change with the seasons with the hope that people will feel a sense of connection to the tree that might inspire future climate activism. 

“My top priority is to ensure residents of District 8 have the amenities that provide for a high quality of life, like parks and libraries,” said Councilmember Vivian Moreno whose district includes San Ysidro. “For over 30 years, City Hall has promised to build Beyer Park for the residents of San Ysidro. Unfortunately, past city leaders failed to keep that promise. I am proud to have worked closely with community members, particularly San Ysidro youth, to finally build Beyer Park and deliver residents with the park space they deserve.” 

The Beyer Park project is one of 19 park projects across the City that received funding through Mayor Gloria’s Parks for All of Us initiative. Through Parks for All of Us -- which provides for a more equitable funding process that helps ensure everyone has access to safe, clean and thriving park spaces -- Beyer Park received $1 million from the Citywide Park Development Impact Fee (DIF) in March 2024. 

The project also received an allocation of $2.5 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding in fiscal year 2023, along with $8.5 million in funding from the State of California’s Park Development and Community Revitalization Grant Program. For Phase 2 of the project, the federal government in 2022 gave a $5 million grant for the project, from a program that aims to create more green space and outdoor recreation options in underserved areas. The total project cost is approximately $22.4 million. 

“Construction for the new Beyer Park has been a long time in coming and is exciting to see come to fruition,” said Andy Field, Director of the Parks and Recreation Department. “We thank our numerous partners, including the San Ysidro community, youth, numerous nonprofit organizations, and federal and state levels of government, in helping fund and build this much-needed park. It’s important that all San Diegans have equitable access to park and recreation resources and this brings us one step closer to ensuring that more parks are available to more people across our City.” 

Construction on the Beyer Park project is expected to be completed in the spring of 2026.