Padres break ground on $20 million Gallagher Square renovation
SAN DIEGO — Construction officially began Monday on the multi-million dollar renovation to Gallagher Square at Petco Park.
Crews put up gates, black tarps and signs Monday afternoon, alerting onlookers of the construction.
Some features of the makeover include:
Playground and play area expanded for wider range of ages and abilities
Fenced, off-leash dog park
Improved play ball field
Tony Gwynn terrace viewing deck and picnic space
State of the art technology and sound mitigation”
Padres CEO Erik Greupner said this will “improve the game day experience for fans.” The 2024 season also marks the 20th anniversary of Petco Park.
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Construction is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays – Saturdays. The project is scheduled to be completed by the 2024 baseball season. The first home opener is scheduled for March 28 against the San Francisco Giants.
“I think it’ll be great, it’ll be a lot of different things for different groups of people, different parts of the community,” East Village resident Jannrey Pontillas said. “We can use all the diverse things that they are putting together, but we will see I hope they get it done on time and there wont be a lot of interruptions for the rest of us that live in the city.”
“Minor construction projects will continue after Opening Day and are expected to be completed by June 2024,” the Padres organization said in a news release Monday afternoon. “Additionally, Gallagher Square will be reconfigured in a manner that will allow for portions of the park to remain open for public use more frequently.”
The renovation is underway as some East Village residents banded together and filed a lawsuit over concert noise levels at Gallagher Square.
Some residents FOX 5 talked to are hoping the renovations will mitigate the noise of concerts held. Another big concern from East Village residents is the size and location of the renovated dog park.
“As a dog owner in the East Village I would appreciate having a full time off-leash dog park,” Pontillas siad.
“If they can include a portion inward toward the venue for dogs to hang out and run around and for us to bring our dogs that would be really great, because otherwise everybody who lives in this area, there’s not really another large grassy portion or any grass for our dogs to play,” said Michelle Gonzalez, who lives in the East Village.
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