At the heart of the City of Salinas lies 480 acres of agricultural land that once was seasonal wetlands known as Carr Lake. In 2006, the Big Sur Land Trust purchased 73 acres of this property with the intent of restoring the land to its original wetland state. In 2018, BFS partnered with the Land Trust to help the City of Salinas engage the community and develop a master plan to transform these fields into the City’s own ‘Central Park.’ Through the course of five bilingual community meetings, with input from community leaders and organizations, Carr Lake Park and Open Space began to take shape, with a 6-acre community park and 68 acres of restorative and recreational open space. Master planning finished in the fall of 2020, and the City began the CEQA process in the spring of 2021, while BFS and Big Sur Land Trust started preparing construction cost estimates and the application process for Prop 68. BFS will continue to steward the project through the permitting process, coordinating with a diverse set of agencies, including FEMA, USFW, CADFW, RWQB, MCWRA, CADAG, and ACE.
