This is a crucial winter for a stretch of empty Mission Bay shoreline where parks-hungry San Diego has long dreamed of putting sports fields, boat ramps, beaches, boardwalks and other recreational amenities. City officials say they’ll soon decide whether the proposed parks complex — now called South Shores — should include empty land between Friars Road and Interstate 5 that would expand the size from 100 acres to 140 acres. Once that decision is made, officials say they will present two competing visions for the entire empty area that will differ regarding which activities would be included, how many acres each would get and where they’d be located. Development of South Shores, just east of Sea World and just south of Fiesta Island, has been delayed for decades by concerns over its history — industrial waste was dumped there in the 1950s. But city officials say they’re finally ready to move forward with developing the area, although they did not say why now. It could serve as a crucial third leg to help anchor major changes coming soon to other parts of Mission Bay: Fiesta Island and the bay’s entire northeastern corner. A city plan approved last spring would transform much of the northeastern shore of Mission Bay into climate-friendly marshland, which would leave less space for camping, boating activities, picnic areas and playgrounds. A separate plan approved for Fiesta Island has also created the need for more recreational space elsewhere. While the plan there would add some fields and other amenities, there wasn’t space for new swim areas and playgrounds. Other uses expected to battle for space in South Shores include canoe and kayak clubs. Some of the clubs are losing space in the bay’s northeast corner, while others unsuccessfully lobbied for more space on Fiesta Island. City officials say South Shores is an ideal place to relocate all those activities and create space for others because the area is less environmentally sensitive than Fiesta Island or the bay’s northeast corner. South Shores is also ideal for intense uses because it’s located near two freeways and far from any housing. “It’s just unbelievable that 140 acres of what is essentially parkland is not developed when we are so parks-deficient as a city,” said Marcella Bothwell, chair of the city’s Parks and Recreation Board. Marcella Bothwell, chair of the Pacific Beach Planning Group, delivers a presentation about a proposed 239-foot high-rise to the Bird Rock Community Council on Nov. 12. (Noah Lyons / La Jolla Light) The new amenities in South Shores could take pressure off the limited park space available in nearby communities like Clairemont, Linda Vista and Point Loma, she said. San Diego’s plans for dense housing in those neighborhoods and others would make already parks-deficient areas even worse off, said Bothwell, who as a Pacific Beach community leader has opposed such projects there. “If we are going to approve all this new housing, we have to approve the parks and open space to go with it,” Bothwell said. “It’s not easy in San Diego because land is so expensive.” The land on South Shores won’t cost any money to acquire because the city already owns it — but it comes with other problems. A study completed two decades ago found that more than 2 million tons of waste were dumped in South Shores during the years it served as a landfill, from 1952 to 1959. In addition to residential trash, the area was used for industrial waste. When the city aggressively dredged the bay in the 1960s, the landfill was covered by layers of material that had been dredged, the study said. The study required the city to continually monitor toxins in the area at more than a dozen locations; samples are still taken four times a year. Roughly half of the 100 acres now called South Shores was occupied by the landfill. And about two-thirds of the 40 acres the city might add — now called South Shores East — was occupied by it. City parks and engineering officials have declined more than half a dozen requests for interviews since last fall. But a city spokesperson said the decision about whether to include the additional 40 acres is partly based on money. The city has $915,000 set aside to study how South Shores should be developed. The spokesperson, Tyler Becker, said it would require another $300,000 to widen the study to include South Shores East, which is bounded by I-5, Friars Road, Pacific Highway and Sea World Drive. In addition to the landfill concerns, the South Shores area is also home to endangered plant species such as Lewis’ evening primrose and the woolly seablite, and sensitive plants such as Nuttall’s acmispon and Torrey pines. Despite those concerns, city officials said they don’t plan to do a comprehensive environmental analysis for the proposed parks complex. Instead, they will rely on the existing analysis for Mission Bay Park as a whole, Becker said. The city anticipates including landfill acreage in the new parks complex, but Becker said they are conducting a study to determine “what we can actually develop on that land.” Pictured are South Shores Park and Fiesta Island on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024 in San Diego. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune) One positive for South Shores is that it’s essentially a blank canvas. The area currently includes only a small passive park, dirt trails, a concrete walkway, a shade structure and a small parking lot for the Silent Electric Flyers, a remote-control miniature airplane club. The flyers say they hope to get a spot in the new South Shores. The club only has about 400 members, which is relatively small compared to other activities vying for space at South Shores. But club leaders say they’ve been good stewards of the land. “We are one of the best uses of that site,” said club spokesperson Jim Bonnardel. “We’re nervous, and we understand that we are fairly small in number — but we are happy that the discussions have been considerate of us.” Bonnardel said the runway and flying area at South Shores, which is also popular for drones, is the only area of its kind in the state. And allowing the flyers to use that site keeps them out of other city parks, he said. In addition, the Mission Bay Boat and Ski Club, which would lose the four acres it occupies on the bay’s northeast corner under the approved proposal for the area, have been told it will get a replacement spot in South Shores. While no other decisions have been made, city officials have listed the top passive and active recreational uses they expect to include at South Shores. The passive options include open grass areas, habitat, nature trails, picnic space, sandy areas, enhanced shorelines and an elevated boardwalk at the water’s edge. The active options include playgrounds, outdoor fitness areas, courts for tennis, pickleball and basketball and fields for baseball, soccer and football. City officials say they’re also open to revenue-generating commercial activities at South Shores. No specifics have been revealed on that. The project is also likely to include a new entry to the area off Friars Road, officials said. Becker said the city is planning a public workshop in February or March. The Parks and Recreation Board is expected to vote on a proposed set of amenities for South Shores by the end of this year, with City Council and California Coastal Commission approval after that.