Eucalyptus Park in Chula Vista is one step closer to getting a skate plaza, pickleball courts and splash pad.

The City Council on Tuesday approved a master plan to renovate the 20-acre park, located on Fourth Avenue and C Street, where it is surrounded by multiple apartments and shopping centers.

In 1927, it became the city’s first park, according to city staff. And today, it remains among the most visited parks as it is one of the very few green spaces in Chula Vista’s northwest region.

As one of 56 parks the city manages, Eucalyptus has been on a list of recreational spaces in need of repairs. Eucalyptus Park currently offers a playground, basketball and tennis courts, ballfields, restrooms and picnic areas. Residents have raised concerns about vandalism, insufficient play equipment and safety.

“This motion… really is an investment in north Chula Vista,” said Deputy Mayor Jose Preciado, whose District 2 includes the park. “As I drive by regularly, I see that it’s heavily used by the community. So, I’m glad it’s gonna have new amenities.”

The $8.7 million master plan calls for the addition of four pickleball courts; another playground, fitness equipment; a shower and changing plaza outside of the existing restrooms; a lit artificial turf field; a splash pad; plazas for scooters, skateboards and bike skills; a second dog park; an access point along Fourth Avenue, 13 more parking spaces; ADA ramps to improve access from the lower to upper fields; and an entrance sign.

Renovations to the existing playground, lower parking area and the existing perimeter fencing are also planned. The park will also get a storm channel and basins, which “will be naturalistic looking with grasses, shrubs and decorative boulders,” said Bethany McDonnell, a city landscape architect.

The park is a wintering site for monarch butterflies because of its eucalyptus trees. To honor that characteristic, McDonnell said a monarch butterfly theme will be carried out in the design. The splash pad, for instance, will be built in the shape of butterfly wings and each will incorporate colorful spray elements.

Chula Vista is funding the renovations using $5.2 million in state grants and $3.5 million in federal stimulus dollars. The city had previously dedicated $7.1 million in state grants for the project, but because it used $1.19 million on design costs and will use $750,000 of those funds to transform a former YMCA building into an art gallery, it will use federal funds to cover the shortfall.

City officials said the renovations are expected to be completed by March 2025.