There has been some confusion as to what the issue is regarding Pedro Park. When folks search for it online, it shows up. So why are we saying the City should keep its promise when Pedro Park is already there?
The Pedro family donated their building that used to exist and land to the City that you see as Pedro Park on Google Maps. The agreement was that the Pedro Luggage building that sat on what is now the green space would be torn down with the understanding that when the public safety building next door became vacant (taxpayers spent $18 million to build a new building and move the police out of that building so it could be vacated last year) that building would also be torn down and the park would become the full length of the city block.
The issue is that the City is going back on its long-standing promise to tear the building down and complete the park. As is, the Pedro family and citizens are understandably upset that the vision for the park has now been turned into more of a small space for the neighborhood and a nice corporate green space for the would-be office space if the building is not torn down as promised.
It is also worth noting that throughout 20 years of comprehensive planning and neighborhood planning, there was extensive community process and consensus between the public and elected officials that the full-block park was going to happen. Those plans are required by law to be reviewed every ten years, so you can see this was a long-standing commitment agreed to and repeatedly reaffirmed by many.
