Mission Bay Park Conservancy Launches to Partner with City and Community on Central Park Model for San Diego's Largest Aquatic Park

SAN DIEGO, CA — Following founder Bradley Schnell's announcement at last night's City Council budget hearing, the Mission Bay Park Conservancy is officially launching as a citizen-led initiative to help San Diego deliver on the Mission Bay Park Master Plan. We aim to help our city and grow a cultural movement — steadily and together. Because we all care about the same thing: a clean, safe, well-loved park that works for every San Diegan. The best time is now. Join us to make a difference.

Spanning over 4,235 acres of dynamic waterfront — roughly equal parts land and water — Mission Bay Park welcomes more than 100,000 visitors on peak summer days and generates tens of millions in annual lease revenue. At a pivotal moment with growing needs and new opportunities for habitat restoration and resilience, the Conservancy is stepping forward as a community catalyst: raising private philanthropic support, delivering professional stewardship, and accelerating progress on the 1994 Master Plan while keeping full public ownership firmly in City hands.

"This nonprofit is designed to be a community catalyst — bringing together public and private efforts to turn vision into action," said Bradley Schnell, Founder and President. "My connection to Mission Bay started with a simple walk through the park, where I came across the deteriorating remains of the original Visitor Center — an iconic structure that had clearly been forgotten. I didn't just see what was there; I saw what it could become. What we've done there is a proof of concept for what's possible across the entire bay when we strike the right balance between environmental stewardship, community needs, and respect for the site's history. This organization is for the Park by the People."

Four Proven Pillars

1. Raise Sustainable Private Funds & Build an Endowment — Creating a reliable revenue stream through memberships, major donors, corporate partnerships, and foundation grants that supplements (never replaces) City resources.
2. Deliver Professional Maintenance & Operations — Tackling the deferred-maintenance backlog with privately funded crews focused on restrooms, pathways, fire rings, landscaping, patrols, and water-quality monitoring.
3. Activate the Park Through Vibrant Programming & Community Engagement — Fast-tracking free events, festivals, guided walks, kayak clinics, volunteer cleanups, and youth programs while building a park-wide Volunteer Task Force.
4. Convene Diverse Constituencies, Lead the Master Plan Update & Build Public-Private Partnerships — Bringing leaseholders, environmental advocates, sailors, families, scientists, and the broader Mission Bay community together to accomplish shared goals: leading a community-driven update to the 1994 Master Plan, advancing long-promised salt marsh and eelgrass restoration along the Pacific Coast Flyway, and working transparently with the City and lessees.

Immediate Priorities

• Building a strong coalition of diverse interests around shared values, in coordination with the City and other community groups
• Partnering with the City of San Diego to adopt and support the maintenance of 25 Mission Bay restrooms at risk of seasonal closure under the FY2027 budget — modeled on Forever Balboa Park's existing Special Use Permit framework
• Advancing environmental restoration, including the long-promised Rose Creek wetlands and Pacific Coast Flyway habitats
• Launching the park-wide Volunteer Task Force
• Establishing a distinguished founding Board of Directors

The launch comes as San Diego faces a projected $1 billion budget gap over five years. The conservancy model — already delivering world-class results at Central Park and Balboa Park — offers a proven path forward: private investment and professional management that protect public ownership while delivering the park San Diegans deserve.

What's next

Within the first 60 days, the Conservancy expects to announce the first adopted Mission Bay restroom, an initial cohort of founding Board members, and the kickoff of community input for the Master Plan update. Press inquiries, photos, fact sheets, and additional materials are available at missionbaypark.org/press.

For the Park by the People.

For more information, to join the Volunteer Task Force, express interest in the founding Board, or become a founding member, visit www.missionbaypark.org.

About the Mission Bay Park Conservancy

The Mission Bay Park Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2026 to preserve, enhance, and activate Mission Bay Park as a world-class public waterfront for every San Diegan. Inspired by the Central Park Conservancy model and in close partnership with the City of San Diego, it provides dedicated fundraising, professional maintenance, vibrant programming, and transparent stewardship — all while keeping ownership firmly in public hands.

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