After almost two years of being closed due to safety concerns, Pacific Beach is celebrating the reopening of a greener and more modern playground at Fanuel Street Park. Once commonly referred to as “Felony Park” by Pacific Beach residents, Fanuel Street Park has undergone an image makeover. W ith the help of its safer and upgraded playground, the park may finally shed its former bad reputation. In 2024, the city of San Diego removed Fanuel Park’s aging playground after determining the equipment was no longer safe due to severe corrosion and deterioration. Families who used the popular playground for decades were disappointed and expressed growing frustration by the city’s decision and the remaining limited play options: a swing set, a few spring riders and an open sand area. In February 2025, Pacific Beach residents sent a letter to the city cosigned by 33 residents, after all communal toys — including plastic cars, shovels and buckets donated by families — were removed. The city said that in order to install a full playground, the project required a Capital Improvement Program, typically a four-to seven-year process depending on funding approvals. In the meantime, Fanuel Street Park had a void where its central gathering space once brought children and neighborhood activity together. San Diego resident Dan Smith, who founded Zoom Recreation in 2019 with the mission to build playgrounds that create excitement and joy in outdoor recreation, led the effort to bring a new playground to Fanuel Street Park. He regularly drove by the empty park where there were no immediate plans for replacement or reconstruction. Smith then reached out to the San Diego Parks Foundation and the city of San Diego’s Parks Recreation Department to form a plan. The foundation launched a donation fund with a goal of $70,000 and was able to secure $45,000 at no cost to taxpayers, while Zoom Recreation agreed to install the new equipment pro bono. The city announced the playground will reopen on May 4, welcoming families back to the revitalized space. The reopening ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. at 4000 Fanuel St. The city is still accepting donations for the project on its website. Rendered design of renovated Fanuel Street Park. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less