SAN DIEGO — People living in Mira Mesa want to know why the City of San Diego is chopping down dozens of trees at a popular park.
CBS 8 is Working for You and found out the details of this new multi-million dollar improvement project at Mira Mesa Community Park.
"They're big beautiful trees that took a long time to grow. The kids loved to climb the trees, get sticks off the ground, a tree is better than any playground you can build and they're already there you just have to keep them," said Lisa who lives near the park.
Lisa and her neighbor Martha Martin visit the park every day.
"I really wish they would have just planned with the trees. These trees are an asset it doesn't make sense to remove an asset to put another in. I wish they would have done better outreach so that we could have gotten more involved," Martin said.
The city confirmed 68 trees will be cut down and four trees will be relocated to a different area of the park. To offset the removals, the city plans to plant 75 new trees and have enhanced landscaping.
When the project is completed, it will include a new aquatic center in the area that is now occupied by the outdoor basketball courts, which will be moved to a different location. There will also be a new all-wheel skate park.
The city said the park improvement project will be done in the summer of 2026.
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