Construction of new play structure to begin at Pacific Beach park after 2-year closure
After being closed for almost two years, Fanuel Street Park in Pacific Beach is nearing its late May reopening date with a new play structure and other improvements.
Once commonly referred to as “Felony Park” by Pacific Beach residents, Fanuel Street Park is undergoing an image makeover. With the help of a safer and upgraded playground, the park may finally shed its former bad reputation.
In 2024, the city of San Diego removed Fanuel Park’s aging playground after determining the equipment was no longer safe due to severe corrosion and deterioration.
Families who used the popular playground for decades were disappointed and expressed growing frustration by the city’s decision and the remaining limited play options: a swing set, a few spring riders and an open sand area.
In February 2025, Pacific Beach residents sent a letter to the city cosigned by 33 residents, after all communal toys — including plastic cars, shovels and buckets donated by families — were removed.
The city said that in order to install a full playground, the project required a Capital Improvement Program, typically a four-to seven-year process depending on funding approvals. In the meantime, Fanuel Street Park had a void where its central gathering space once brought children and neighborhood activity together.
San Diego resident Dan Smith, who founded Zoom Recreation in 2019 with the mission to build playgrounds that create excitement and joy in outdoor recreation, led the effort to bring a new playground to Fanuel Street Park. He regularly drove by the empty park where there were no immediate plans for replacement or reconstruction.
Smith then reached out to the San Diego Parks Foundation and the city of San Diego’s Parks & Recreation Department to form a plan. The foundation launched a donation fund with a goal of $70,000 and was able to secure $45,000 at no cost to taxpayers, while Zoom Recreation agreed to install the new equipment pro bono.
During the month of May, many changes will be made at Fanuel Street Park.
On May 4, installation of the new play structure and other improvements will begin with a groundbreaking event to kick off construction at 10:30 a.m.
Installation and improvements are expected to take about two weeks, with a reopening date of sometime before Memorial Day (May 25), according to the city.
Once the play structure installation is done, city leaders, alongside San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava, will officially reopen the play structure in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the park to mark the occasion.
The San Diego Parks Foundation has been accepting donations for the project on its website, the city said.
A previous version of this story stated that Fanuel Street Park would reopen to the public with the new play structure and improvements on May 4. The park will not be completed by then, but will reopen with the improvements around Memorial Day on May 25. The story has been updated to reflect that correction. —Ed.
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