The City Council has approved a conceptual plan for the redesign of Edison Park in the southeast area of Huntington Beach. This nearly 40-acre park is filled with rich history, and the City hopes to be able to create an improved space where more memories can be made for the community.
Plans to reimagine Edison Park started in May 2021 in partnership with landscape architectural firm, RJM Design Group Inc. After its initial meeting, check-ins, and assessment of the land, the Edison Park project team reached out to residences to take two online surveys to see what vision the community has for their local park. Many residences hoped to see a skatepark, a playground, and more pickleball courts along with a list of other amenities.
To engage further with the residences of Huntington Beach, an in-person community workshop was held at the Edison Community Center. This event educated residences on the purpose, timeline, community outreach methods, and goals for the project. The workshop activity was designed to gather input on improvements that can be made to both passive and active recreational opportunities. The information gathered from this event helped launch the community design charrette workshop which held a community park tour that focused on improvements that can be made to the park.
Some neighbors had concerns about the reconfigured parking lot and dog area as they would eliminate mature trees and the reconfigured parking lot could create potential congestion problems for homeowners on Stillwell Drive. Having heard these concerns, the team reconfigured the plan with an “Option C” alternative that was approved by the City Council 7-0. Some of the revised proposed improvements include:
- The planting of new trees, which will total more than then number of trees removed at the onset of the project
- Reconfigured parking lot with new entry at Edison HS intersection
- New basketball courts (4 full and 4 half-court)
- New dedicated tennis courts (2)
- New dedicated pickleball courts (8) on two of the existing tennis courts
- New sports court plaza with seating and shade
- Reconfigured walkways
- New shade shelter
- New outdoor exercise stations
- New tot lot with rubberized surfacing, equipment, and shade
- 4 new U-10 youth soccer overlays, with 2 full-size overlay options
- Enlarged skate area
- New pump track for cyclists
- Reconfiguration of existing batting cages
- New park restrooms and concession stand near softball fields
- Expansion of the exterior community restrooms
The next steps of the Edison Park Conceptual Plan are to gather more community input and conduct further geotechnical analysis. The City would like to hear your ideas and concerns on their survey as well as reach out to your City Council Members.
