Port to Host Public Meeting on the Proposed Ruocco Park

Thursday, 14 May 2009
Contact: Marguerite Elicone (619) 686-6222

The Port of San Diego will be hosting an informational meeting on the proposed Ruocco Park at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at the Embarcadero Planning Center, 585 Harbor Lane, in San Diego.

The proposed 3.3-acre park is planned at the southwest corner of West Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway on the former Harbor Seafood Mart site, and will require the partial demolition of the former Harbor Seafood Mart building.  It will be jointly funded by the Port of San Diego and a $3.5 million grant provided from the Lloyd and Ilse Ruocco Fund, which is being administered by the San Diego Foundation. 

Lloyd Ruocco was a noted San Diego architect and considered the father of the modern architectural movement here.  He and his wife, Ilse, were also educational leaders in the city throughout the 1950s, '60s and '70s.  The couple established a trust fund more than 25 years ago to provide money to build and maintain parks in the central area of San Diego.  The Ruocco Fund was specifically established to help create a public waterfront park that would feature outstanding urban design.

At the May 20 meeting, the park's landscape architect and lead designer, Dennis Otsuji of ONA, Inc., will give a brief overview of the project objectives and a brief background on the Lloyd and Ilse Ruocco Fund.  The public will be given the opportunity to offer input on the project design. 

The proposed bayfront park had already been identified in the Port's Master Plan and 1998 South Embarcadero Redevelopment Program and funding is allocated in the Port's 2009-2013 Capital Development Program. 

In November 2008, the Port entered into a donation agreement with the San Diego Foundation.  The agreement will provide $2.5 million from the Ruocco Fund for park enhancements, such as water features, garden areas, upgraded hardscape, benches, lighting, and a public art element.  The remaining balance will be held in a separate fund for the park's long term maintenance.

 

 

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