Moonlight Beach skate bowl project could end up at Cardiff’s Glen Park – San Diego Union-Tribune

Proponents of a skate bowl proposal for Moonlight Beach have run into many roadblocks, but they now might find success with a different option that calls for using an ocean-view, city park in Cardiff.

Three council members — Luke Shaffer, Jim O’Hara and Marco San Antonio — all said Wednesday they were receptive to the idea of putting a skate bowl at Cardiff’s Glen Park, and the council now plans to explore new skate boarding options for city parks generally during a meeting next month.

Shaffer, who said he wanted to “get the ball rolling,” had placed an item on Wednesday’s agenda asking for city staff to look into the feasibility of the Glen Park proposal. The council ultimately decided to pursue setting up a committee to look into new skate boarding options generally, and not just at Glen Park.

“This is not an item for a skate park, this is for a skate feature,” said Shaffer stressed as he introduced his Glen Park item.

Shaffer, who represents the city’s north coastal region of Leucadia, said he envisioned a skate feature more like what’s at Leucadia Oaks Park or Olympus Park, and not the full-scale skate park housed in the Encinitas Community Park.

Barry Blumenthal skateboards at the Encinitas Skate Plaza aka Poods Park on Aug. 26, 2025 in Encinitas, California. Blumenthal and a group he regularly skates with are trying to get another skate bowl built at Moonlight State Beach. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Barry Blumenthal, one of three skaters — all in their 60s — who have been promoting the Moonlight Beach skate bowl proposal for several years, said they want to build something that’s about the size of a 1970s-style, backyard swimming pool. He said Glen Park would be a good backup location now that Moonlight Beach is proving to be a state permitting challenge. It’s beautiful and has a view of the ocean, so it would provide a great backdrop for high-profile skating events, he said.

Located at the southern edge of Cardiff’s downtown region on Orinda Drive, Glen Park is considered one of the city’s oldest parks. It’s beloved for its grass-covered slopes and large shade trees. Considered more of a neighborhood park than a regional destination, it contains a bit of court space for basketball, tennis, volleyball and horseshoe games.

Shaffer’s decision to place the skate bowl proposal on the agenda drew a strong negative reaction from park neighbors, who said they felt blind-sided. Dozens of them sent e-mails to City Hall decrying the proposal and mentioning that the park’s natural amphitheater-like shape will intensify any skate boarding noises.

Councilmember San Antonio, who represents the city’s eastern regions including Olivenhain, said he knows that park neighbors have noise concerns and he won’t dismiss that as the council explores its options, but said he didn’t believe the proposed skate bowl would be “this blight on the neighborhood,” especially as it wouldn’t be lit at night and thus couldn’t be used then.

O’Hara, who represents the city’s central downtown region, said people were concerned about the Leucadia Oaks Park zip line feature before it opened and that has since been a non-issue.

“This isn’t a community burden, this is a community bonus feature,” he said, mentioning that the women’s annual Exposure Skate event held at the city’s main skate park gets millions of views online and noting that outside funding would be paying for the proposed skate bowl.

Mayor Bruce Ehlers and Councilmember Joy Lyndes, who represents the Cardiff region, both said they were not at all keen on the idea of adding a skate bowl to Glen Park. Lyndes, who said Shaffer hadn’t approached her before he put the item on the agenda, said Glen Park already has many demands on it and it’s located in one of the most dense areas of Cardiff.

Ehlers said he was “very concerned” about putting a skate bowl into the park, noting that the city previously decided not to put pickleball courts there because the park’s contours tend to amplify noise and carry it into the surrounding neighborhood.

“We’ve been fighting noise (issues) in that park for quite a long time,” he said, mentioning problems the city had for years with a homeless man who used to shout and sing in the park.