Print
The plan to temporarily place an observation wheel in Balboa Park’s Plaza de Panama has been abandoned by proponents who are pointing to city bureaucracy and a vocal opposition group as insurmountable roadblocks.
“Regretfully, four months into this journey and after many hours dedicated to community outreach and responding to the city’s endless list of project action items, we’ve decided to walk away from the Balboa Park Star,” proponents said in a statement shared with the Union-Tribune.
The brain child of David Cohn of the Cohn Restaurant Group, the so-called Balboa Park Star was intended as a pandemic-friendly activity that could promote more foot traffic in the park at a time when many of the park’s other attractions museums and restaurants have limited or ceased their operations because of state and county regulations.
SAN DIEGO
A plan to temporarily place an observation wheel in Balboa Park has been abandoned by proponents who are pointing to city bureaucracy and a vocal opposition group as insurmountable roadblocks.
“Regretfully, four months into this journey and after many hours dedicated to community outreach and responding to the city’s endless list of project action items, we’ve decided to walk away from the Balboa Park Star,” proponents said in a statement.
The brainchild of David Cohn of the Cohn Restaurant Group, the so-called Balboa Park Star was intended as a pandemic-friendly activity that could promote more foot traffic in the park at a time when many of its other attractions museums and restaurants have limited or ceased their operations because of state and county regulations.
u003cstrongu003eu003cemu003eGet the latest San Diego lifestyle stories from NBC 7 s The Scene by u003ca href=u0022https://www.nbcsandiego.com/newsletters/u0022u003esigning up for our newsletter hereu003c/au003e; just enter your email and click the box next to The Scene.u003c/emu003eu003c/strongu003e
It still had several steps to complete before the giant wheel could be installed, temporarily, in the Plaza de Panama as early as Spring.
The idea was to create a way for visitors to dine safely amid the coronavirus pandemic inside one of 36 enclosed gondolas, which would provide sweeping views of San Diego. It would have been operated for three to six months by Sky Views of America and managed by The Cohn Restaurant Group, which owns the iconic Prado Restaurant and Tea Pavilion that are located in the park.
Plans for observation wheel in Balboa Park suspended
Provided
and last updated 2021-01-19 22:36:24-05
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) â Plans to temporarily install an observation wheel in Balboa Park have been suspended, the city confirmed.
Plans for the Balboa Park Star, which recently gained support from the majority of the city s Balboa Park Committee, would have seen a sky wheel temporarily installed in the park s Plaza de Panama. The effort was considered a feasible method to attract more visitors back as the park s museums and restaurants deal with coronavirus-related closures.
A city spokesperson said due to the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the plans for the Balboa Park Star were halted by David Cohn, of the Cohn Restaurant Group. The group, alongside Sky Views of America, proposed the sky wheel last October.