Public Spaces
San Diego Municipal Code § 132.1615
in effect§132.1615 Public Spaces
(a) Applicability
(1) Development on a premises equal to or greater than 10,000 square feet and that proposes a total gross floor area of development equal to or greater than a floor area ratio of 0.5 shall provide public spaces in accordance with Section 132.1615.
(2) Development on a premises less than 10,000 square feet are exempt but if the development includes public spaces in accordance with Section 132.1615, the development shall receive a floor area ratio bonus of 1.0.
(3) A subdivision of land equal to or greater than 10,000 square feet shall provide public spaces on all lots in accordance with Section 132.1615.
(4) Development that qualifies for an exemption from the Citywide Park Development Impact Fees by constructing on-site park improvements in accordance with Section 142.0640 and Council Policy 600-33 is exempt from this Section.
(b) Size
(1) Development shall provide a minimum of five percent of the area of the premises as a public space, or 75,000 square feet, whichever is less in accordance with Section 132.1615(a).
(2) For development that exceeds the required area of a public space for a premises, the development may receive a floor area ratio bonus of 0.2 for every 1,000 square feet of the provided public space up to a maximum of 5,000 square feet. The floor area ratio bonus for public space shall not exceed 1.0 and cannot be used with the floor area ratio bonus in Section 132.1615(a)(2).
(3) For development on a premises where resources such as important archaeological sites, traditional cultural properties, historical resources, or environmentally sensitive lands limit the ability to meet the required area of a public space, the required area for the public space may be reduced to the extent required, to avoid the resource, as determined by the City Manager.
(4) If required stormwater, public utility, or transit infrastructure or facilities limit the ability to meet the required area for the public space, the required area for the public space may be reduced to the extent required to locate the required infrastructure or facilities to the satisfaction of the City Engineer.
(5) The applicant may purchase a reduction in the required public space area up to a maximum of 25 percent of the total required public space size, at a rate of $170 per square foot of reduction, which shall be increased, starting on July 1, 2026, and on each July 1st thereafter, based on the one-year change (from March to March) in the Construction Cost Index (CCI) for Los Angeles as published monthly in the Engineering News-Record. Payment shall be deposited into the Citywide Park Development Impact Fee Fund prior to final inspection.
(c) Type. An applicant shall satisfy the public space requirements through the provision of one or more of the following:
(1) A plaza, urban green, or podium meeting the following requirements:
(i) A minimum area of 1,200 square feet; and
(ii) A minimum dimension of 20 feet in any direction.
(2) A greenway having a minimum width of eight feet measured perpendicular from the parkway to the street wall or in accordance with Table 132-16E.
(3) A paseo having a minimum width of 8 feet or in accordance with Table 132-16G.
(d) Amenities. A public space shall include amenities in accordance with Table 132-16C and Table 132-16D.
(1) Amenities in Category 2 shall satisfy two single amenities requirements in Table 132-16C.
(2) A development shall not utilize the following amenity types with the specific public space more than once: Interactive/Technology Element; Placemaking Elements; Performance/Event/Cultural Space; Splash Pad; or Sports Court with Lighting.
(3) A development less than 200,000 square feet may utilize either the Interactive/Technology Element amenity or Placemaking Elements amenity types. Use of both amenity types within the public space shall not be permitted.
(4) An alternative compliance determination may be made for a development by the City Manager in their sole discretion for amenities not listed in Table 132-16D.
(5) For development greater than 200,000 square feet, the applicant may purchase amenity points, as listed in Table 132-16C at a rate of $480,835 per amenity point, which shall be increased, starting on July 1, 2026, and on each July 1st thereafter, based on the one-year change (from March to March) in the Construction Cost Index (CCI) for Los Angeles as published monthly in the Engineering News-Record. Payment shall be deposited into the Citywide Park Development Impact Fee Fund prior to final inspection.
Table 132-16C Public Space – Number of Required Amenities
Premise Size | Required Amenities | Amenity Point Purchase Maximum (Development greater than 200,000 square feet)
Equal to or greater than 10,000 square feet but less than 100,000 square feet. | 1 amenity | Not Eligible
Equal to or greater than 100,000 square feet but less than 200,000 square feet. | 2 amenities | Not Eligible
Equal to or greater than 200,000 square feet but less than 400,000 square feet. | 3 amenities | 1 amenity
Equal to or greater than 400,000 square feet. | 6 amenities | 2 amenities
Table 132-16D Public Space Amenity Type
Amenity Type | Required Amenity Features | Category
All-Weather Shade Cover/Pavilion with Tables and Seating | Minimum of 400 square feet and a minimum of two sets of fixed or movable tables and chairs. Shade covers shall not replace tree plantings or count toward tree canopy coverage. | 1
Community Garden | Minimum of 1,500 square feet, containing at least 10 plots with a minimum of 80 square feet of soil area per plot, communal refuse/recycling area, and a dedicated water meter with hose bibbs. | 1
Fitness Circuit | Minimum of three pieces of fitness equipment, with visible and clear instructional signage, and a connecting path from the public right-of-way. | 1
Interactive/ Technology Element | Provides features which can include the following: publicly accessible Wi-Fi, solar panel furniture/feature, touchable information board, and smart kiosks, designed and constructed to the satisfaction of the City Manager. The element shall be accessible to the public during operating hours from at least 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. seven days a week or during the hours of operation of the commercial use where the public space is located. | 1
Multi-Purpose Natural Turf Area | Minimum of 10,000 square feet of continuous natural turf with a slope of 5 percent or less to support universal access. Multi-purpose turf area to be used for athletic competition shall provide a slope of two percent or less. | 1
Off-Leash Dog Area | Minimum of 2,000 square feet of fenced-in area. | 1
Placemaking Elements | Minimum of 2 elements which can include the following: artwork, interactive playscape, climbing structures, elements of historical or cultural relevance, or community activation elements/games, designed and constructed to the satisfaction of the City Manager. | 1
Play Area | Minimum of 750 square feet with children’s play equipment and safety surfacing. Separate play areas shall be provided for children ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12. A minimum of three play pieces shall be provided per play area. | 1
Amenity Type | Required Amenity Features | Category
Performance/ Event/Cultural Space | Minimum of 2,500 square feet of paved area with seating for a minimum of 40 people, lighting, and utilities including power, data, and sound. | 2
Splash Pad | A Splash Pad (otherwise considered a “water playground”) measuring a minimum of 750 square feet. | 2
Sports Court with Lighting | Minimum of one full court or two half-courts for sports, which can include the following: basketball, tennis, pickleball, and sand volleyball, designed and constructed to the satisfaction of the City Manager. Lighting appropriate to the sport shall be provided, sited, and directed to minimize impacts to nearby residential uses in accordance with Section 142.0740. | 2
(e) Landscaping
(1) A minimum of 20 percent of a public space area shall be comprised of permeable landscape planting. This requirement is in addition to the landscape regulations in Chapter 14, Article 2, Division 4.
(2) At least 30 percent of all paving within the public space on a ground level shall be shaded by a minimum of one, 24-inch box canopy form street tree, standard trunk, evergreen species for each 30 feet of public space on a ground level abutting a street frontage.
The street tree shall be selected in accordance with the Landscape Standards of the Land Development Manual and the City’s Street Tree Selection Guide.
(f) Trash and Recycling Containers. At least one trash and one recycling container shall be provided with a minimum of one for every 1,000 square feet of public space.
(g) Seating and Tables
(1) A minimum of one linear foot of seating shall be provided for every 100 square feet of public space. All or a portion of the required seating can be moveable.
(2) Tables and seating operated by on-site commercial tenants, or the record owner, may be included within the public space if they are accessible to the public and are limited to no more than 20 percent of the public space area.
(h) Lighting
(1) A public space shall have lighting provided on either poles or bollards at the entrance to the public space, pedestrian pathways, and edges of the public space.
(2) The lighting design within the public space shall coordinate with the architectural lighting of the abutting property.
(i) Access and Visibility
(1) A public space on a ground level shall be designed to be visible from the abutting property and abutting parkway.
(2) The public space at a ground level shall use different paving material from the public right-of-way to delineate the area maintained by the record owner.
(3) A minimum of 50 percent of a public space at a ground level shall be free of physical barriers or obstructions to ensure public access.
(4) Public space at a ground level shall provide pedestrian connections to the abutting parkway and building entrances.
(j) Fire Apparatus Access
(1) Development shall provide fire sprinklers and meet the access requirements of the California Fire Code, Appendix D, sections 105.2 and 105.3 for all structures that exceed 30 feet in structure height where public space at a ground level would result in the distance between the building facade and the street being greater than 30 feet.
(2) Any deviation from the fire sprinklers and access requirements shall comply with the construction type exceptions identified in the California Fire Code, Appendix D, section 105.1.
(k) Hours of Public Access
(1) A public space and amenities shall be publicly accessible from at least 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. seven days a week or during the hours of operation of the commercial use where the public space is located, whichever provides greater access.
(2) A minimum of one wayfinding sign shall be provided per 100 feet along the street frontage. All signs shall be at least 2 square feet in size, located along, and legible from, the public right-of-way, and shall advise the public of the hours of public access, and direct the public to any public spaces not located adjacent to a public right-of-way.
(3) A public space shall have signs visible from the adjacent public right-of-way or transit station stating that the public space is open to the public.
(l) Maintenance. All public spaces shall be maintained by the record owner of the premises.
(m) Building Façade. A minimum of one building façade shall face the public space:
(1) The abutting public space shall be accessible from the adjacent building entrances from:
(i) Each commercial retail tenant space or dwelling unit; or
(ii) A building’s common area for buildings without retail tenant space or dwelling units.
(2) An upper story of a building with a finished floor elevation of more than 25 feet above a public space at a ground level may have balconies, building elements, or habitable space that project over the public space to the property line or setback specified by the base zone.
(n) Common Open Space. A public space may be counted towards common open space requirements of the base zone.
(o) Garage Entrance or Driveway. If the premises does not have access to a second public right-of-way, a garage entrance or driveway is allowed within a public space subject to the satisfaction of the City Engineer.
(p) Parking spaces, loading berths/zones, trash storage facilities, utility boxes, as well as the access or service for these facilities, are not permitted within the public space.
(q) Best management practices for stormwater may be constructed within the landscaped area of a public space at ground level in accordance with Chapter 4, Article 3, Division 3, only if pedestrian access to and within a public space is not hindered by the best management practices subject to the satisfaction of the City Engineer.
(r) Development on a property with a mixed-use base zone and a premises greater than five acres shall be exempted from the requirements of Section 131.0718(d)(6) if the development provides public spaces in accordance with this Section.
(s) A development providing public space under Section 143.1020(b) may be counted towards the public space requirements in Section 132.1615.
(“Public Spaces” added 1-21-2026 by O-22050 N.S.; effective 3-22-2026.)
[Editors Note: Amendments as adopted by O-22050 N.S. will not apply within the Coastal Overlay Zone until the California Coastal Commission certifies it as a Local Coastal Program Amendment. Click the link to view the Strikeout Ordinance highlighting changes to prior language http://docs.sandiego.gov/municode_strikeout_ord/O-22050-SO.pdf ]
[Editors Note: Amendments as adopted by O-22050 N.S. will not apply within the Coastal Overlay Zone until the California Coastal Commission certifies it as a Local Coastal Program Amendment. Click the link to view the Strikeout Ordinance highlighting changes to prior language http://docs.sandiego.gov/municode_strikeout_ord/O-22050-SO.pdf ]
Source: City of San Diego Office of the City Clerk, San Diego Municipal Code and City Charter (docs.sandiego.gov PDFs)URL: https://docs.sandiego.gov/municode/MuniCodeChapter13/Ch13Art02Division16.pdf#page=6Fetched: 10/28/2026