After years of stalling, needed updates for Marina’s Locke-Paddon Park are finally on track.

Recent discussions about the future of Locke-Paddon Park in Marina, a 17-acre community hub and green space, have revealed two distinct factions: one that favors wetland restoration as a priority, and one that wants more amenities, including the creation of an Asian garden.

On Wednesday, April 1, the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District’s board of directors split the concepts in two. That means separate planning processes for the wetland portion and for amenities/recreational offerings elsewhere. MPRPD voted to proceed with two separate plans: one focused on the pond and riparian area, and another for the dry parts of the park.

That will enable planning, analysis under the California Environmental Quality Act and permitting to advance on both visions simultaneously; if one part is slowed down, it doesn’t need to slow down the entire project, says MPRPD General Manager Eric Morgan.

The City of Marina leases the park from MPRPD, and in 2005 MPRPD adopted a master plan for the park, but the city never joined in. The lease agreement expired in 2012.

“I think there’s going to be a breakthrough on implementation of a shared vision,” Morgan says.

Jeff Markham represents Ward 1 (including Marina) on the MPRPD board of directors, and says reviving Locke-Paddon Park is a priority. “We want people to be able to feel safe and go to the park and enjoy it,” he says.

Safety concerns have recently come to light; on April 13, a man was allegedly kidnapped and taken to an overgrown area of the park, where he was sexually assaulted.

Wetlands restoration is one thing, but Marina city leaders have long advocated for improvements on the other areas of the park, home to a Monterey County Free Libraries branch, Martin Luther King Jr. sculpture garden, community garden and potentially a future Asian garden. Marina City Council already allocated $250,000 for the latter in 2022, but MPRPD officials say they cannot proceed forward without a clear plan.

“We can’t approve it unless we get it designed,” Markham notes. He is hopeful about seeing the Asian garden advance, noting even on a separate track there will be obstacles. “I believe that they’ve chosen a very challenging location,” he says. It would be located in a parcel the city doesn’t own (it’s owned by the park district) and would involve approvals from several agencies, including the California Coastal Commission, California Department of Fish and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The two-track system could keep both projects moving along simultaneously.

Kathy Biala, a member of Marina City Council and of the group Asian Communities of Marina (ACOM), has been working for years to bring the Asian garden concept to fruition and more broadly, to revitalize Locke-Paddon Park.

“This is a real asset. What we have here is an eyesore that has gone on for decades,” she says.

Marina City Council is set to vote on Tuesday, May 5 on whether to hire a consultant to design the Asian garden. On Wednesday, May 6, MPRPD staff is scheduled to bring back the dual plans for discussion at a board meeting.