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La Mesa resident urges council to prioritize long-promised Waite Drive park
Summary
Resident Vaughn Rios told the council the fenced dirt lot at Waite Drive and Murray Hill Road has been listed as a park for decades but remains undeveloped; he asked the city to accelerate planning, allocate funds, or give a clear timeline to residents.
A La Mesa resident asked the council to prioritize an undeveloped pocket park near Waite Drive and Murray Hill Road that he said has been fenced and empty for more than 20 years.
"If you drive by the place, you can clearly see it is not a park," Vaughn Rios told the council. He said Google Maps lists the site as "City Of La Mesa Park at Waite Drive," but the lot is a fenced dirt lot and has lacked visible progress despite population growth near Helix High School and two new housing developments that did not include playgrounds.
Rios told council members that neighborhood residents considered a posted sign promising a park to be a commitment and that he had been told construction might still be five years away. "Parks are not a luxury," he said, urging visible action such as earlier funding, accelerated planning or at minimum a clear timeline and accountability to the residents who have waited.
The council did not take immediate action at the meeting but heard the comment during the public-comment period; council members and staff offered to provide follow-up information after the meeting.
