Residents Will Have Another Chance Tonight to Voice Opinions on Rohr Park Redo

Susan Heavilin
Sep 18
3 min read

At tonight's Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting, attendees will be allowed three minutes to make comments about the Rohr Park proposed renovations.

Details About Tonight's Meeting

The meeting begins at 6:30PM tonight (September 18, 2025). It will be held at the Norman Pak Senior Center Conference Room, located at 270 F Street in Chula Vista.

Curious Questions Without Answers

Director Carson did a presentation at the September 2, 2025 Sweetwater Community Planning Group meeting. He spoke quickly and many words were unintelligible. I asked him why the Chula Vista Golf Course had been removed from the Rohr Park Master Plan. He could not answer me.

I mentioned that the Club House was in disrepair and that the food was comparable to slop. He laughed and replied that it was under private ownership until 2028. He did not reveal to me that a PUBLIC NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR OWNERSHIP CHANGE had been posted on August 21, 2025.

Rohr Park and Golf Course to be Developed?

Around 2017, residents started hearing rumors about the Chula Vista Golf Course being developed into condos and apartments. The 3-mile trail around the golf course is used by walkers, runners, bikers and equestrians daily. They did not want a bustling housing development in the middle of their tranquility. This scuttlebutt had the quiet, rural community in a panic.

"In 2017, the City of Chula Vista commissioned a report to explore redevelopment of City-owned land along the Sweetwater River between the Willow Street bridge and Central Avenue in Bonita. A panel of experts assembled by the Urban Land Institute summarized their high level analysis into recommendations. The experts laid out a path forward for phased redevelopment that included both the golf course and park land. Yet, their scenario did not take into account that nearly two thirds of Rohr Park is protected from becoming housing."—Karen Henry, P.E.

Tonight's Presentation About Proposed Rohr Park Renovations

Agenda Section 5.5 (Presentations) will be the Rohr Park Master Plan Mid Plan Report Update by Director Frank Carson.

Here are the milestones they plan to hit on the Master Plan. So far, they appear to be on track.

Participants have responded that their current concerns with Rohr Park deal mainly with lighting and maintenance, followed by parking, cleanliness and safety. Access and traffic round out the list at 10%.

One of the questions inquired about the top five features park users would like to see in the future Rohr Park. I found this slide extremely interesting.

Instead of listing the top five, they added four more. I believe these bottom four are less desirable to the surrounding community and wonder if the Parks & Rec Department is trying to keep that fire lit.

The Outdoor Amphitheater would direct additional noise to all the homes perched above Sweetwater Road. Because of the park's location, residents on all sides would be inundated possibly all day or into the night. With all the complaints the County is already fielding about party noise in Bonita-Sunnyside, the fact that an Outdoor Amphitheater is even being considered is astounding.

Pickleball Courts are abundant already and we have our own flourishing Community Garden at Bonita and Sweetwater Roads. It may be found behind the Pumpkin Patch/Pinery and is just a hop, skip and jump from Rohr Park.

The shared amenities slide shows facilities to be placed on both plans. Some appear mundane in my own opinion but definitely the dog park drinking fountain should be a go. What were they thinking not having water for pets in the first place?

The replacement of aging trees is a real concern to me. Director Carson callously stated that trees are old after ten years and need to be removed. I strongly disagree with this statement. I have seen 50 - 100 year old trees that are gorgeous! Maybe they need to water their trees more often. I cannot image ripping out perfectly good trees and replacing them with little tiny 15-gallon trees that will take 20-30 years to catch up.

You can look over the 32-page presentation in the agenda, pages 23-54.

Your Opinion is Requested

At the end of Director Carson's slide show, you will be asked to participate. You will be given one sticker dot, three blue push pins and three green push pins. You vote for the alternative plan you prefer by placing your sticker dot on it. Stick your blue pins in the amenities you love and the green pins in the ones you like. They may be pushed into either plan. You must be present to participate in this activity.