Skate advocates ask Encinitas commission to back ‘dream bowl’ at Moonlight Beach and upgrades across city parks

David Skinner, a local skateboard activist, told the Parks and Recreation Commission on Aug. 19 that Encinitas has a unique place in skateboard history and urged the city to help secure a new, world-class bowl at Moonlight Beach.

The request, presented by Skinner alongside Doug Marker and Barry Blumenthal, urged the commission to help the group connect with city council and the state so private donors will invest in a bowl they estimate would occupy 3,000–5,000 square feet. "We believe that this could be a joint project between private and public funding," Skinner said, and asked the commission to help the group find who at the state would evaluate the proposal without the private donors advancing an estimated $200,000–$300,000 up front for state review.

Why it matters: presenters said Encinitas is the birthplace of innovations that changed skateboarding—citing Frank Nasworthy’s development of the urethane wheel—and that the city already hosts elite athletes and events at Encinitas Community Park (locally known as “Poods”). They argued a bowl at Moonlight Beach or upgrades at Glen Oaks Park and Leucadia Oaks would expand tourism, training and the sport’s link with local surf culture.

Details and debate: Skinner and colleagues described current city facilities: Encinitas Community Park (Poods), Olympus Park, and a small facility at Leucadia Oaks Park. They said Poods is the only free, large bowl in the city; Skinner said Poods is about 34,000 square feet while the proposed Moonlight bowl would be roughly a sand-volleyball-sized footprint (3,000–5,000 sq. ft.) and modeled on an empty swimming pool with depth ranging roughly 5 to 10 feet.

Doug Marker told commissioners the principal barrier to Moonlight is the state review required for work on state-owned land; private donors are reluctant to advance $200,000–$300,000 for engineering and permitting without clearer state guidance. "We need real help with somebody to reach out and say, can you come take a look at this?" Marker said.

Commissioners and staff urged the presenters to narrow proposals and pursue a two-track strategy: smaller, quicker upgrades at locations already approved for skate use (such as Leucadia Oaks) or expansions at Encinitas Community Park, and a parallel effort to pursue state permission and fundraising for Moonlight. Commissioner comments stressed that neighborhood parks often lack restrooms and parking, and suggested Glen Oaks and Poods have the amenities that make them more feasible near-term options.

What was not decided: the commission did not adopt any formal motion to fund, design, or pursue permitting; staff did not commit to a specific next step beyond continuing conversations and advising the presenters on how to engage council and relevant state contacts.

Ending: presenters and several commissioners described the discussion as a next step in a year-long effort. Neither the state nor the Coastal Commission made a formal determination at the meeting; presenters said they would continue outreach to the city and state and may pursue private fundraising for feasibility studies.