Del Mar Mesa park to open this spring

Residents of Del Mar Mesa will have to wait a few more months for the opening of a new community park at the intersection of Duck Pond Lane and Del Vino Court, a project that has been in the works for more than a decade.

The 4-acre park, named after longtime Del Mar Mesa resident Elizabeth S. Rabbitt, had previously been scheduled to open in January. However, a spokesman for the city of San Diego wrote in an email last week that currently, an opening date has not been set.

Crews are working to amend the soil in preparation for the planting of sod, wrote spokesman Alec Phillipp. Once the sod is planted, it will take 90 days for the new grass to be established before the park can open for public use.

The park will include a multi-use turf area, children’s play area, basketball court, shade shelters, comfort station and horse corral, as well as picnic tables, benches, drinking fountains, barbeques, hot coal and trash receptacles.

A small area has been set aside for equestrians who may ride past the park on the trail that runs along the Carmel Mountain Road side of the park.

Funding for the park’s $3 million price tag came from fees collected from developers when building permits are issued.

Construction of the park began in August 2016. The park’s namesake, Elizabeth Rabbitt, is a longtime Del Mar Mesa resident known for raising horses, goats and chickens on her farm, as well as volunteering to maintain trails in the area.

Neighbors of Rabbitt started a petition to name the park after her, which was later presented to the city. Earlier this year, some members of the Del Mar Mesa Community Planning Board were upset because their group had been bypassed on the park naming decision.