The San Diego City Council has approved a plan to convert about six acres of surface parking lots in the heart of Balboa Park to vehicle-free parkland, gardens and plazas, as well as complete other aesthetic and infrastructure improvements. The city will cover $49M of the $79M cost, with a combination of parking revenue from a new 797-space parking structure and city funds earmarked for capital projects. Parking is currently free. The Jacobs Plaza de Panama Committee plans to raise the remaining $30M needed from private donations, plus cover any cost overruns.

“We can now seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform San Diego’s crown jewel for the next century,” Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer says. “This public-private partnership will reclaim the heart of Balboa Park for pedestrians and return the Plaza de Panama to its original grandeur. With the support from the city council and great civic leaders like Dr. Irwin Jacobs, the grand restoration of Balboa Park can finally begin.” Jacobs, Qualcomm co-founder, first championed the plan six years ago.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports Save Our Heritage Organization executive director Bruce Coons led a group that opposes changing the historic look and circulation of the 1915 expo grounds, the site of the first World’s Fair. The group had successfully sued the city when the plan was originally approved in 2012. Coons is now calling for donations for another legal defense fund.

Construction of this transformation project is scheduled to begin September 2017, with completion in July 2019. Pictured is the original conceptualization of the plan to replace a parking lot in front of Plaza de Panama with a water feature, landscaping and decorative pavers.