The ambitious plans to redevelop De Anza Cove in Mission Bay have stoked controversy over what environmentalists feel is the plans’ emphasis on commerce over preserving wetlands and animals in the bay.

According to 10 NEWS, the two proposed plans for the park are essentially the same, the distinction only being where the new amenities would be located — on the south side of the cove or the north side. The amenities proposed are restaurants, open grass areas, walking and biking trails, camping, volleyball courts, picnic areas, and an increased wetlands area. Each version allows the Mission Bay Golf Course to stay as is while expanding the tennis courts and the baseball field.

“What the city tried to do is take much too many uses and smash them into too small of an area, rather than make hard choices about what to prioritize,” Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg of the San Diego Audubon Society told the news station.

It will be a long road before anything is concrete; an Environmental Impact Review will have to be conducted after a plan is chosen. Plus it may take as many as 18 months before City Council is even presented with a finalized plan. 

Lesberg added, “These plans are really bad for wildlife and ignore seas level rise. If you care about the environment, know that climate change is real and want California to protect public lands, come out and make your voice heard.” An open to the public meeting on the Cove was held last Tuesday evening with the Mission Bay Council.