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Presidio Park at Risk - Sample Letters
Contact San Diego City Council and Mayor
Sample Letter 1: City Council and Mayor
Subject: Urgent Request for Full EIR and Reconsideration of Presidio Park Accessibility Project (S15034)
Dear Mayor and Honorable Members of the San Diego City Council,
On behalf of concerned residents and preservation advocates, I write to urge you to reject the proposed funding allocation for the Junípero Serra Museum Accessibility Improvements Project (S15034) as currently designed and to require preparation of a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) before any further action is taken.
Presidio Park is not an ordinary public landscape. It is a National Historic Landmark and one of the most archaeologically and culturally significant sites in the United States. It contains the buried remains of the 1769 Spanish presidio—the first European settlement in California—alongside evidence of Kumeyaay, Afro-Hispanic, and other multicultural communities who lived and worked there. It is also part of the broader cultural landscape of Kumeyaay Cosoy village and its enduring significance.
The current project proposes grading, excavation, and construction activities—including a new access road and altered topography—that risk irreversible damage to fragile and largely unexcavated archaeological resources. Of particular concern is the recently identified casa mata (fortified armory), along with buried adobe structures, defensive features, and associated cultural deposits that have not been fully studied.
Archaeological professionals, including Dr. Paul Chace, have noted that only a fraction of the Presidio complex has ever been systematically investigated. Proceeding without full archaeological assessment risks the permanent loss of irreplaceable historical information.
It is also deeply troubling that the City proposes to proceed under a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND). Given the documented sensitivity of the site and the potential for significant environmental and cultural impacts, this level of review is insufficient under CEQA standards and does not provide the transparency or rigor this project demands.
Furthermore, a viable, less destructive ADA-access alternative has already been identified and should be fully evaluated in the public record before any irreversible actions are taken.
For these reasons, I respectfully urge the City to:
- Reject approval of the project in its current form
- Require preparation of a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
- Conduct on-site public scoping meetings at Presidio Park
- Require full archaeological investigation of the potential casa mata and related features
- Engage Tribal representatives, preservation experts, and the State Office of Historic Preservation in meaningful consultation
- Evaluate less destructive ADA alternatives before any grading or excavation occurs
Presidio Park is a nonrenewable cultural resource. Once its archaeological record is disturbed, it cannot be recovered. The City has both a legal and ethical obligation to ensure its protection.
Respectfully,
[Name]
Contact blawrence@sandiegohistory.org and tzarpour@sandiegohistory.org
Sample Letter 2: San Diego History Center
Subject: Request for Institutional Reconsideration of Presidio Park Accessibility Project
Dear Leadership and Board of Directors of the San Diego History Center,
I am writing to express profound concern regarding the proposed Junípero Serra Museum Accessibility Improvements Project (S15034) and to respectfully urge the History Center to reconsider its support for the current plan.
As an institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and safeguarding San Diego’s history, the San Diego History Center holds a unique responsibility not only to document the past, but to actively protect the physical places where that history resides. While it is understood that the History Center is not a preservation organization in the formal sense, the Junípero Serra Museum in Presidio Park is nonetheless under your care, and with that stewardship comes a clear obligation to protect both the museum and its extraordinary setting. This responsibility is inseparable from the legacy of George W. Marston—your founder—whose vision and philanthropy helped secure and shape the preservation of the park itself. In this context, both the museum and the landscape in which it sits are directly tied to his original intent, and the History Center therefore occupies a uniquely specific and consequential role in safeguarding this site for the public.
Presidio Park is one of the most important historical landscapes in California. It is the site of the original 1769 presidio, contains deeply layered Indigenous, Spanish, Afro-Hispanic, and multicultural histories, and remains one of the most archaeologically sensitive sites in the region. Its significance is not abstract, it is embedded in the soil, the topography, and the still-unexplored archaeological record.
The current proposal would introduce grading, excavation, and new infrastructure in areas that are widely understood to contain intact archaeological resources, including the recently identified potential casa mata. These actions risk permanent and irreversible loss of historical information that has not yet been studied.
It is difficult to reconcile how an institution dedicated to history and interpretation could support and indeed promote a plan that may result in the destruction of primary historical evidence. At a minimum, this project demands the highest level of archaeological scrutiny, full public transparency, and a willingness to prioritize preservation over convenience.
It is not an exaggeration to say that decisions made here will shape how future generations understand the origins of San Diego. Institutions of history are defined not only by what they preserve, but by what they choose to protect when it is at risk.
We therefore respectfully urge the San Diego History Center to:
- Reconsider any support for the project as currently designed
- Publicly advocate for a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
- Support evaluation of non-invasive ADA alternatives
- Encourage full archaeological investigation prior to any ground disturbance
- Affirm its commitment to preservation over irreversible alteration of historic landscapes
Respectfully,
[Name]
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