New recreational facilities for Acosta Plaza residents

Community members and city leaders hope to revitalize a neighborhood with a bad reputation. Acosta Plaza is a housing development made up of more than 300 units and over the years has seen lots of violence, including a deadly shooting just two weeks ago.

“Once you tell them you live in Acosta Plaza, they react,” longtime resident Linda Hernandez said. “They overreact like, “Oh my God, no, I would not go in there because it’s really dangerous.””

People who live there said they are sick and tired of the ongoing violence, so they’re taking it back. One solution was to build a park, which took years. On Thursday, residents along with community partners like the Center for Community Advocacy, the city of Salinas and CHISPA saw three years of hard work pay off with a revamped park aimed to deter crime and promote a sense of community.

While the basketball court has been there for years, volunteers and community partners installed a swing set, barbecue pits and picnic tables. The idea is to bring Acosta Plaza back to the family-oriented housing development it once was.

Salinas Mayor Joe Gunter says Acosta Plaza was once a place for young professionals. Over time, the housing values went up and homeowners began renting out the properties.

“When it was first built, it was going to be the new future of how people should live,” Gunter explained. “I was a young policeman then. I came out and looked at this property, took a tour, spoke to the realtor who asked me what I did and how much I made and said, “Don’t even apply, you don’t even qualify.””

While Acosta Plaza may not return to its once upscale roots, neighbors can now branch out and enjoy the open space.

“We spent Easter here, we did a barbecue, it was really nice,” Hernandez said. “We get to play with the swings, play basketball, it was really nice on Easter.”

The renovations took three years because of the lengthy design, permitting and construction process, made more complicated because of Carr Lake behind the property. Organizers say the cleanup is far from over.

“Sanborn Ranch House, which is a one acre lot here inside Acosta Plaza. We’re in the small phases, we were able to survey some of the residents here to ask what they wanted in that one acre area,” Joel Hernandez with CCA said. “It came as a consensus that a community center would be great. We’re still in the process of finding out what other programs or stuff can be inside that property but that’s the next planning process that we’re doing.”