The flat ground off Rancho Del Oro Drive that city documents called "El Corazon Park Site 1" for years now has a name. On April 8, 2026, the Oceanside City Council voted 5-0 to name it Supul Park. Supul means "one" in the Payomkawichum/Luiseño language.
The name came first. The park is still in design, with no construction contract on the books. Three choices remain: what the two big fields are made of, which youth programs get first claim on them, and who builds the park. Those choices will shape what Supul Park is like to live next to, and the next openings for Council to act on are its meetings on Dec. 2 and Dec. 16.
Why "one," and why it beat a surf theme
The city's April 8 staff report lists three nominations for the site: Point Park, Kiyam Park and Supul Park. The Point Park nomination wanted surfing to inspire the names of all nine parks planned at El Corazon. The Parks and Recreation Commission did not recommend it. Kiyam means "family" in Payomkawichum/Luiseño, and the commission sent both Luiseño names to Council for consideration.
The Supul nomination made the stronger point about place. El Corazon's landmarks and street names are in Spanish and English. The nomination argued that its parks should carry Payomkawichum/Luiseño names to honor the history of the land. Like the surf proposal, it treats Site 1 as the first of a set. The Coast News describes Site 1 as the first of nine parks planned in Oceanside.
The naming rules come from City Council Policy 100-55, adopted in 2003. It favors geographic names and also allows names based on cultural or historical precedent. Rancho Del Oro neighbors have seen this process before. In 2021 the same policy turned Rancho Del Oro Park into Jim Wood Park. It also named the William A. Wagner Aquatic Center, Luiseño Park and the El Corazon Senior Center.
What the design puts on the ground
Supul Park is being designed on about 17 acres that are available now. The El Corazon Specific Plan contemplates 36 acres for the site. The preferred concept includes:
- Two full-size athletic fields
- An off-leash dog park
- A pump track
- A children's playground and an adventure playground
- Hardcourts, restrooms, plazas and a performance area
- Gardens, pathways, shaded seating, lighting and interpretive signs
The San Diego Union-Tribune described the plan in August as including a BMX bike course, a dog park, picnic areas, and pickleball and tennis courts.
Funding is in place. In February 2025, The Coast News reported that Council had put $8.25 million of surplus funds toward Park Site 1. Staff said soil remediation would come before construction. The design work keeps growing too. On Aug. 5, 2026, Council approved a $26,800 amendment that raised Schmidt Design Group's design contract to $770,000. The added work covers drainage and stormwater, plus permit support for recycled water once it becomes available.
The two fields carry the open questions
Of everything in the design, the two athletic fields bring the most traffic, the most evening lights and the most weekend activity. They are also where the undecided votes sit.
The surface. On Aug. 19, Council faced a choice between natural grass and artificial turf and chose not to pick yet. It voted unanimously to have contractors bid both surfaces, the Union-Tribune reported. City Manager Jonathan Borrego explained the approach to the paper:
"We can have them bid two options, both artificial and natural turf … then decide down the road. That's what we would suggest at this point to keep the project moving forward."
Borrego said Council could choose as soon as October. The Coast News put the field cost at about $2.2 million for grass and $3.2 million for synthetic turf. That is a gap of roughly $1 million on top of the $8.25 million set aside in 2025. The same report noted a councilmember's worry that poor soil conditions could affect how the fields can be used.
The home teams. At the same Aug. 19 meeting, Council voted 4-1 to have staff study the city's current and future multipurpose fields. Staff will recommend one as the home field for Oceanside Pop Warner and Thunder Rugby. Most players in both programs live in Oceanside, but the teams often host "home" games in Vista and Carlsbad. Several coaches and supporters asked for the Supul fields. Council also told staff to look at Martin Luther King Jr. Park and Melba Bishop Park. Rugby and football play in different seasons, so the two programs would not overlap. Councilmember Rick Robinson said other teams could still use the fields, with the two programs getting priority.
The study also covers on-site storage for team gear, and that is where the debate has been sharpest. Kelyn Hsu, vice chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission, told The Coast News: "If we're going to give them storage, we have to give storage to other people."
Here is where things stand ahead of the December meetings:
| Piece of Supul Park | Status as of mid-November 2026 |
|---|---|
| Name | Approved 5-0 on April 8, 2026 |
| Design | Schmidt Design Group, contract at $770,000 after the Aug. 5 amendment |
| Field surface | Bids requested for both grass and synthetic turf; choice pending |
| Home field for Pop Warner and Thunder Rugby | Staff study of Supul and other parks directed Aug. 19 |
| Construction agreement | Staff expected to bring it to Council in fall 2026 |
The dates to watch
The Aug. 5 staff report said staff expected to bring a construction Public Works Agreement to Council in fall 2026. The city's meeting calendar lists two more Council meetings this year:
- Wednesday, Dec. 2
- Wednesday, Dec. 16
Agendas are posted on the city's Legistar portal, and a search for "Supul" pulls up every item tied to the park so far. You can also follow the city's El Corazon Park Site 1 project page, which still uses the old name.
What's already open next door
Supul Park will join a site that already draws people for other reasons. Many of them are within a short drive of Ivey Ranch and Rancho Del Oro.
The William A. Wagner Aquatic Center has a competition pool, an instructional and therapy pool, a splash pad, locker rooms and a multipurpose event room. The El Corazon Senior Center at 3480 Village Commercial Drive offers senior programs, walking trails and a fitness room. A sensory garden behind the center came up during the April naming debate. Councilmember Peter Weiss said giving it an official name seemed inappropriate, and the council majority agreed, according to the Union-Tribune.
The trails are spreading across the site. The first habitat-trail phase added about a mile of public nature trail along Garrison Creek in 2016. In August 2025 the city awarded Charles Doherty Concrete a $669,900 contract for the Phase IIA trails. The city calendar listed an April 16, 2026 grand opening for the Phase IIA Trail at the Oceanside Boulevard entrance, 1620 Town Center, just east of El Camino Real. That same month, Council opened the Phase IIA trail to public name nominations. Four facilities were up for naming, and the trail was the only one that won unanimous support.
The private side of El Corazon keeps filling in as well. Luma at El Corazon, a 268-unit apartment community at 3546 Village Commercial Drive, began leasing in January 2025. Frontwave Arena, which The Coast News described that year as home to the San Diego Sockers and San Diego Clippers, sits nearby.
Within the El Corazon Specific Plan, Supul is planned as the first of nine city parks, and the name chosen for it was meant to set a pattern for the parks that follow. Its construction agreement, field surface and home-team designation are still waiting on Council action.
If you live near Rancho Del Oro or Ivey Ranch and want to talk through how projects like Supul Park and the El Corazon trails are changing the blocks around them, Travis at Beach and Sun Homes is glad to share what he's seeing on the ground. Schedule a call whenever it suits you.
