Civita Park Honored by ULI with “Healthy Public Places” Award

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) of San Diego/Tijuana bestowed its “Healthy Public Places” award on Civita Park during gala festivities last week. The annual Healthy Places awards honor innovative projects that demonstrate creative development practices, inventive partnerships, imaginative problem-solving and visionary ideas. The park, designed by Schmidt Design Group, was designed to incorporate many of ULI’s Ten Principles for Building Healthy Places, which emphasize healthy living, accessibility, aesthetics, safety, and the promotion of physical and mental activity for people of all ages and abilities. Located in the center of the community to maximize the walkability and health of the community, Civita Park includes many vibrant places that serve as a magnet for recreation and social gatherings, including Celebration Plaza, the amphitheater, open fields and courts, the community garden, board game area, trails for walking and running and the popular dog park. The park also embraces the unique characteristics of the site, which was a former sand and gravel quarry. The “Mining Relic Plaza,” planned for the next phase, will showcase actual mining equipment that was used on site, including a Caterpillar D8 bulldozer and large augers. Educational and interpretative signage will explain Civita’s mining past. Civita Park is an innovative public-private partnership between Civita developer Sudberry Properties, the City of San Diego and Civita property owners. Civita Park will be owned by the City of San Diego. It will be maintained by the Civita Maintenance Assessment District (MAD), which receives funds from the City of San Diego and from property taxes collected from Civita residents. Civita Park will be maintained at a higher level than typical city parks.