Construction on the history-making Windansea parking lot met some resistance at first, but is now just about a month away from completion.

This ‘Windansea Parking Lot Improvements’ project, as it is called, is being funded by the City of San Diego through city Council District One and is scheduled to have a 44 day construction period from 9/3/08 until 11/4/09. The La Jolla community approved the project back in 2000 and local landscape architect Jim Neri is responsible for the design.

Now between the La Jolla community and the La Jolla surfers, sometimes there can be a world of difference. And sure enough, there are some who see it that way. According to one of the local surfers, “the positive and negative reception to the project was about 50/50 among the parking lot regulars.” Historically, the parking lot has been a defining feature of the Windansea Surf community, providing a place where locals chat and watch the waves, while also claiming their veteran status on the bench. And with so much at stake on that small strip of coastline, it comes as no surprise that some are discontent.

But there are times when the word ‘improvement’ might actually mean improvement, rather than being simply a tag on the project’s title name. And that’s how some felt about it. There are times when “you have to move forward,” said a local surfer, even though the project looks “kind of Disney Land if you ask me.” The mixed reaction to the parking lot renovations continues to spur controversy, but at least the prospect of completion is keeping a host of sentiments at bay.

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