San José’s historic Central Park stands ready for significant updates. The Municipality of San José presented plans to add a café under the bandstand and make other changes to bring new life to the space. The project carries a price tag of 648 million colones. Officials have it out for bids now, with offers due by March 20. Construction should start in the coming months.
The municipality hired Ingeniería Jorge Lizano to draw up the detailed plans and figure the costs. Those documents sit ready for final sign-off. Designers drew on input from a public survey that drew close to 1,300 replies. People asked for extra green areas, stronger safety measures, better lights, and spots with more shade.
Work scheduled for this year covers several areas. Crews will put in fresh street furniture. They will grow the green sections. Plans call for an inclusive sensory garden. The café will open in the bandstand basement. Builders will add pergolas and canopies. They will update the lighting and set up an automated watering system.
City leaders say the changes will help the park stay more in tune with the environment. They also aim to make the area safer and easier for everyone to use. Mayor Diego Miranda ties this effort to a wider push to fix up public gathering spots around the capital. He points out that Central Park went without attention for too many years.
“Part of the strategy to improve and revitalize public spaces is to invest in them,” Miranda said. The mayor calls Central Park a gem for the city. That makes the updates important. Work has already started on the floor of the kiosk. Officials have lined up money for similar projects at Plaza de las Garantías Sociales and Plaza Víquez.
The renovation counts as a project of public interest. It also carries approval from the Historical and Architectural Heritage Unit.
