Burton Park improvements could affect Arbor Bay School

A community and aquatic center was initially included in the draft plan, and staff asked councilmembers to provide input on where such a development should be located. While the majority of the council and polled residents favored establishing it at Burton Park, there was still uncertainty on moving forward with the process.

The potential development of a community and aquatic center and further improvements to Burton Park could take away currently available amenities at the park, which drew concern from the community. 

Public commenters spoke to the potential loss of tennis courts and the demolition of the Kiwanis Building — which currently is home to Arbor Bay School. 

Arbor Bay opened in 2003 and serves students with mild to moderate learning differences. It has called the Kiwanis Building home since 2009, Bonnie Silverman, executive director of the school, said during public comment. 

One Arbor Bay student also shared their love for the school. 

“It’s way better than my old school,” the student said. “I was bullied there. I have disorders that make loud and crowded places hard to be in. My third reason is that it has a lot more fun things to do.” 

Improvements to Burton Park proposed by city staff suggest not renewing the lease with Arbor Bay, which is set to expire in June 2027. Silverman and other public comments asked the city to give them more time. 

Proposed development at Burton Park could also affect the available tennis courts, which has yielded a reaction from residents who feel their access to courts is already diminishing. Based on preliminary design concepts, the most favored location for an aquatic center could remove the current tennis courts and place them on the roof of a building.

Acknowledging that the plans for a community and aquatic center remain in the very early stages, Mayor Sara McDowell assured residents nothing would be constructed any time soon. 

“This is a massive plan, tens of millions of dollars that we do not have right now,” McDowell said. “We do not have the money to build any of this.” 

Although Councilmember Neil Layton said picking a location for the development is necessary if there is to be any movement forward on the massive project, he also said residents should not feel worried about losing what they love about Burton Park. 

“There’s still a lot to be decided so the concern about it taking away amenities doesn’t have to be decided right now,” Layton said. 

The intention of the city’s review of the draft Parks Master Plan is to move the process along and conduct a California Environmental Quality Act study on its contents. 

The community and aquatic center was initially to be considered along the rest of the extensive document. Councilmembers ultimately opted to remove the project, mainly because they could not agree upon the location, so the rest of the master plan could move forward.

The lengthy study session on the draft Parks Master Plan outlined short-, mid and long-term improvements proposed at 13 of the city’s 17 parks. 

Any redesigns of parks will be in hopes to increase usability, such as implementing a public restroom, upgrading play structures to be more active and exciting for children and adding seating and tables. Improvements will also include erosion prevention, sustainability enhancements and wayfinding. 

Staff will return to the City Council to present the official draft Parks Master Plan for consideration in spring 2026.