CHULA VISTA GREEN BELT SUPPORT

Presentation to Chula Vista City Council , September  16, 20003

          The  Otay Valley Regional Park Citizens Advisory Committee supports the Chula Vista Green Belt concept. The  Otay Valley Regional Park , a major identity within the Green Belt, contains 16 recreational nodes totaling about 680 acres, providing playing fields, picnic areas, hiking, biking and equestrian trails.  
    
        For planning and development purposes, the park  has been divided into three parts. The Western OVRP,  San Diego Bay east to Heritage Road.  Eastern OVRP, Heritage Road to the west end of Lower Otay Reservoir, and the third part contains both Lower and Upper Otay Reservoirs, and the Air Sports Field. 
       
        The Western Otay Valley Regional Park, Bay to Heritage Road, currently has four commercial recreational activities.  A golf practice range and a  go-cart track are located on the west side of Hollister Street, the 20,000-seat Coors Amphitheater, and. Knot's Soak City Water Park.       
       
        The Eastern Otay Valley Regional Park,  contains San Diego County's Otay Lakes Park,    a picnic area and fishing pier with rental boats, the United States Olympic Training Center's Canoe, Kayak and Rowing facility, and the San Diego Air Sports Field.    
       
                Six major projects are currently being pursued, the Otay River Valley Clean-up Project, Finney Elementary School Overlook, a Otay Valley Sports Complex, a Trails Master Plan  and a Otay River Valley Watershed Management Plan and Tree Planting     
       
        The Clean-up Project during 46 work periods (126 workdays) has expended over 12,084 labor hours in removing 1,080 tons of trash, requiring over 230 trips to the landfill.
     
        The Finney Elementary School Overlook will provide space for two outdoor classrooms and a public overlook facility.
    
            The Park Trails Master Plan Project proposes multi-purpose and single use trails that provides hikers, bicyclists and equestrians, connections to other public facilities, such as parks, open space, Bay Shore Bikeway, Green Belt trail systems and other points of interest.    
       
        The 35 acre Otay Valley Sports Complex will contain a skateboard park, soccer and baseball fields, swimming pool and recreation center.

        Planting of native trees in various locations in the river valley. November  15th, native trees will be planted in staging area, southwest corner of Broadway and Favier St, north side of the river in Chula Vista.
   
        The Otay River Valley Watershed Management Plan's, primary task will be to identify and prevent storm water run off pollution entering the Otay River and then San Diego Bay.  To date, some 48 storm water run-off entry points into the Otay River have been identified.     
           The Otay Valley Regional Park Web Site (www.ovrp.org), contains  numerous aerial photographs of the valley, status of  each project's development and links to similar parks, trails and historic sites.


John Willett, Chair,
Otay Valley Regional Park, Citizens Advisory Committee