Officials in Orange are taking steps to open a new city skate park at Grijalva Park, a project residents have been anticipating for years.
City officials unanimously approved an approximately $2.5 million contract to construct the skatepark facility — expected to feature a custom concrete skate area with bowls, rails, stair sets, lighting, spectator seating, landscaping and a restroom building.
It comes as city officials have been grappling with a budget deficit for years, leading some city council members to again consider asking voters to temporarily raise the sales tax to bail out the budget.
[Read: Orange Inches Closer to Tax Increase Ballot Measures]
City officials say the money being spent on the new skatepark has been specifically earmarked for such projects, which wouldn’t be able to be used for other spending areas — like offsetting the deficit. That means the spending won’t come from the general fund, the city’s most flexible pool of money.
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Meanwhile, some of the skatepark’s planned features also include a multi-level bowl with varying depths, hips, extensions and pool-style coping, along with a street plaza featuring handrails, ledges, manual pads, quarter pipes and banks intended to maximize usability throughout the park.
The total cost for the skatepark project is expected to be $2.8 million. The overall project will be paid for using Park Acquisition funds, Capital Projects funds and County Park Grants funds, according to the staff report.
Some city leaders estimate it could be open within the next year.
The project traces back to November 2022, when the city council directed staff to use $1.75 million in park development fees to begin planning a skatepark at Grijalva Park. The city later contracted with Grindline Skateparks to provide design, engineering and construction management services for the project.
“The skate park, as an idea or premise to be in the city, has been around for some time, with the desires of the community wanting it,” Councilmember Jon Dumitru said in a phone interview.
Councilmember Arianna Barrios wrote in an email that a master plan for Grijalva Park was developed several years ago.
While the old plan did not specifically call for a skatepark, a group of residents asked the council to approve a skatepark on one of the unused land pads, and the council agreed, she wrote.
Community members have helped shape the proposed project through public meetings, during which residents emphasized the need for a safe, high-quality recreational space for skaters of all ages and skill levels.
“A new skatepark would provide a space for the community to gather as well as offer an additional amenity for fitness and active recreation,” Charlene Cheng, the Public Affairs and Information Manager for Orange, wrote in an email to Voice of OC.
This comes at a time when other OC cities, like Costa Mesa and Lake Forest, are also looking to expand their skateparks.
[Read: Skating Across Orange County]
According to Dumitru, there is no firm timeline for when this skatepark will open, as the project still has several stages before construction is complete.
He explained that while city officials originally hoped the skatepark would open sooner, unexpected issues could delay progress, including possible environmental remediation due to the site’s prior use as a dump.
He went on to explain that much of the delay stems from limited city staffing and the time required to move the project through the contracting and approval process.
Once the city officially approves the project and secures construction and project management contracts, Dumitru said he hopes progress will move quickly.
“I’m optimistic that within the next year, we’ll have a skate park,” Dumitru said.
When asked whether there were any concerns about the project, Dumitru mentioned the possibility of teen drinking or drug use and the policing issues that come with this. However, he listed many reasons why he did not see this becoming an issue at Grijalva Park.
“This skate park will be very open. It’ll be observable from multiple angles,” said Dumitru. “The people using it are going to be more family-oriented just because of where it’s located.”
Additionally, this project comes at a time when Orange officials are pushing to ban smoking in public parks, a development that would make policing these issues much easier.
[Read: Orange Eyes Smoking Ban as a Crackdown on Homelessness]
A request for construction bids was issued in November 2025, with the city ultimately receiving 11 bids. City staff recommended awarding the construction contract to DD Systems, Inc, after the company submitted the lowest responsive bid at about $1.95 million.
They would work with a subcontractor, California Skateparks, to complete the project. According to the staff report, California Skateparks has completed more than 500 skateparks worldwide and specializes in concrete skate facilities for public parks.
Although this comes on the heels of budget concerns for the city, city leaders emphasized that the money used to pay for the skatepark comes from funds specifically designated for projects like these.
[Read: Orange to Again Ask Voters for a Sales Tax Increase to Save Budget]
“The cost of this project does not impact our general fund budget,” Barrios wrote. “The money can only be used for the acquisition of new parks or the enhancement of existing parks.”
To fully fund the project, city staff recommended appropriating an additional $1.04 million from the city’s Park Acquisition Fund. The project would continue to be funded through a combination of park development fees, county park grants and capital project funds.
Dumitru also mentioned that once the skatepark is completed, some city leaders want to begin discussions about building a BMX track nearby.
He noted that Orange previously had a BMX track and said that renewed interest in the sport, especially since BMX returned to the Olympics, could make a new track a valuable addition to the community.
“I think it’s going to be a good project and a real added amenity to the city.”
