The City of Carlsbad is starting construction of a new community center and gardens at Pine Avenue Community Park, located in the historic Carlsbad Barrio, just south of the Village. They are scheduled to open in spring 2018.
The City of Carlsbad recently updated plans for Pine, Aviara, Poinsettia and Leo Carrillo parks, based on input from the community gathered during a “needs assessment” completed in 2013.
Improvements for Pine Avenue Community Park, slated for completion next spring, include a new, multi-use, multi-generational community center, an ornamental garden and a community garden.
The playground, fields, picnic areas, basketball courts and senior center will remain open during construction.
The new community center, located at the corner of Pine Avenue and Harding Street, will feature a gym with a multi-sport court, general multi-purpose activity room, teen center, state-of-the-art computer room, homework room, large second floor balcony, , courtyard and administrative office. The main entrance to the 18,000 square foot building will face a new drop-off area for the community center and Senior Center. The other entrance aligns with the east entrance to the Senior Center, with the goal of creating a seamless, integrated, multigenerational campus.
The gardens will be located on a vacant 1.5 acre parcel at the corner of Madison Street and Chestnut Avenue. The site will include an “ornamental” garden with a community plaza, shade structure, drought tolerant plants, picnic areas, artwork and seating. A new community garden will feature over 30 raised planters for lease, and an area to be used for education and gardening demonstrations. The plots at the community garden are administered through a partnership with the Carlsbad Community Gardens Collaborative. The city’s has two other community gardens: the Harold E. Smerdu Community Garden on Laguna Drive, behind City Hall, and the Calavera Schoolhouse Community Garden at Calavera Hills Community Park.
For information on plots or to be put on the waiting list, visit the Carlsbad Community Gardens Collaborative website.
The park improvements incorporate sustainable energy and water savings features including: LEED silver equivalent building design standards, energy generating solar photovoltaic panels, a dual-port electric vehicle charging station, surfaces that help prevent storm water runoff and a water conserving landscape palette.
Regular construction hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Neighbors have been advised that construction vehicles will come and go from the site; that some parts of construction will be noisy; and that part of the park’s parking lot will be used for construction equipment and materials. Patrons with questions about the construction project should call Parks & Recreation Administration at 760-434-2826 or email parksandrec@carlsbadca.gov.
The construction contract for this project is nearly $8.5 million. The project is funded with fees developers pay to the city to ensure quality of life is maintained to the standards set in the city’s Growth Management Program. The city contracted with Roesling Nakamura Terada Architects, Inc. for the project design and with Barnhart-Reese Construction, Inc. for the project construction.
More information
Pine Avenue Community Park Master Plan
Parks & Recreation Department Master Plan (needs assessment)