Laureate Park in La Jolla Shores will stay fenced off until at least January 2027. A broken sewer main at the site sent sewage to the surface on July 10, and the pocket park along Avenida de la Playa has been closed to the public since late September.
The closure, first reported by the La Jolla Light, has also wiped out multiple stretches of 90-minute street parking along Avenida de la Playa and nearby streets. For residents and beachgoers who rely on those spots, the repair timeline means months more of hunting for alternatives.
The damage is at Sewer Pump Station 27, located inside the park. City of San Diego spokeswoman Jennifer McBride told the Light there is no ongoing spill. Crews contained the sewage on July 10 and diverted it back into the main, and the surface area was later cleaned.
Fencing went up around the park in late September. Cones line the perimeter, and no-parking signs cover the park's frontage on Avenida de la Playa from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, posted for a period running Sept. 23 through Oct. 30. Parking spaces on El Paseo Grande and Paseo del Ocaso are also blocked off for construction equipment staging.
The city plans to install a bypass pump to replace temporary fixes now in place. McBride said crews conduct daily checks to confirm the site stays dry and secured. Both the cause of the damage and the total repair cost remain unknown, the Light reported.
La Jolla Shores Association member Mike McCormack, a La Jolla Shores resident, said the city's backlog of deferred maintenance makes these breakdowns predictable. He called them "whack-a-mole style failure events" that are "very likely more frequent."
Terry Kraszewski, who operates the nearby Ocean Girl apparel and gift shop, told the Light she is hopeful the repair goes smoothly and the park is restored for the neighborhood.
Repairs are expected to wrap up in January 2027, according to the city. Whether the parking restrictions will extend beyond their posted Oct. 30 end date has not been announced.
