Communities · San José, San José

San José Plaza Upgrades: Parque Central and Plaza Víquez Under Way

In April 2026 the Municipality of San José laid out plans to renovate three historic downtown spaces: Parque Central, Plaza de las Garantías Sociales and Plaza González Víquez. Since then, work has started at Plaza Víquez (July 22) and Parque Central (Aug. 3), with Parque Central due to reopen around February 2027.

By Pura-Verde.com Editors · Published October 30, 2026
Original report: The Tico Times: San José Moves Forward With Upgrades to Parque Central and Key Plazas (2026-04-27)

Downtown San José is getting some of its oldest public spaces back, slowly. In April 2026 the city's municipal government said it would renovate three historic plazas this year with more green space, shade, lighting and accessible design. Six months on, two of the three are fenced off and under construction, and the third is still waiting.

What the city announced in April

As The Tico Times reported on April 27, the Municipality of San José described the work as part of a wider effort to recover public space in the capital, not just a cosmetic refresh. At that point the three projects were at very different stages:

• Parque Central was in public procurement, with heritage approval already in hand.
• Plaza de las Garantías Sociales, beside the headquarters of the national social security agency (CCSS), was in an early contracting stage. The goal there is a cooler, safer and more accessible plaza.
• Plaza González Víquez, in the city's south, was waiting on final design approval from the national engineers and architects' association (CFIA) before any contract could go out.

The same April report said the city had set aside money this year for both park renovations and sidewalks, including more than 21 kilometers of new walkways with trees, street furniture and accessibility features. Mayor Diego Miranda presented the plans.

Plaza Víquez: work started July 22

Plaza Víquez moved first. According to CRHoy, construction began on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, and is expected to last up to seven months. The plan renovates the multipurpose court, the skate park, the area around the statue of former president Cleto González Víquez and the main entrance, and adds a café, an open-air amphitheater, children's play areas, perimeter sidewalks and new lighting.

Only the north section, between the train line and Avenida 18, is closed during the work, with temporary pedestrian crossings. The train stop there stays open, and so do the plaza's gyms, courts and offices.

The project as described in July differs somewhat from the April list (which mentioned a gym area and a synthetic field), so the final design appears to have shifted during approval.

Parque Central: closed until about February 2027

The bigger symbolic project is Parque Central, the square around the old bandstand that has been the city's meeting point for generations. Work began on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, after the contract went to the firm Montedes S.A., CRHoy reported. The municipality expects about six months of work, which puts the reopening around February 2027.

Planned changes include:

• multicolored paving stones across the whole surface
• larger green areas with an automated irrigation system
• new benches, street furniture and shade pergolas
• a sensory park designed for people with different disabilities
• modern lighting, including architectural lighting on the bandstand, to make the park usable after dark
• a historical timeline set into the pavement
• a café in the basement of the historic kiosk

The whole park is closed while crews work. The Tico Times noted on Aug. 5 that the café won't open with the park; it's due to go out to tender after construction, likely opening in the first half of 2027.

Miranda framed the park as the heart of the city, saying it "represents the collective memory of San José" (translated from Spanish, as El Observador reported). Both the park and its kiosk are protected as historic architectural heritage under a 1991 decree, which is why the design had to pass a heritage review.

Plaza de las Garantías Sociales: still in the queue

The third space hasn't broken ground. Plaza de las Garantías Sociales opened in 1994 to honor the social rights added to Costa Rica's constitution in 1943, and it holds a statue of former president Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia. In March 2025 the municipality opened a public survey asking residents what they'd change, from lighting and shade to benches, El Observador reported. As of late October 2026 we found no public report that construction has started.

Why plazas matter for a greener capital

Downtown San José is hot, paved and busy. More trees, planted beds and shade structures make plazas cooler, give birds and pollinators somewhere to land, and make walking more pleasant, which matters in a city trying to get people out of cars. Better lighting and accessible paths also mean more people actually use the spaces at night and with strollers or wheelchairs.

It's part of a wider trend in the Central Valley of neighborhoods reclaiming small pieces of land for nature, such as Curridabat's pocket forest project. Our guide to urban greening in Costa Rica maps the river trails, parks and peace gardens that make up the rest of green San José.

What visitors should know now

If you're walking downtown before early 2027, expect construction fences around Parque Central, across from the Metropolitan Cathedral. Nearby Plaza de la Cultura, Parque Morazán and Parque España remain open, according to The Tico Times. At Plaza Víquez, only the northern section is closed. Timelines are the municipality's estimates and could slip.

Frequently asked questions

Is Parque Central in San José closed?

Yes. It closed on Aug. 3, 2026, for a full renovation, and the municipality expects it to reopen around February 2027.

What is changing at Parque Central?

New paving, more green space with irrigation, shade pergolas, new benches, a sensory park, better lighting, a historical timeline in the pavement and, later, a café under the bandstand.

When does the Plaza González Víquez renovation finish?

Work started July 22, 2026, and was scheduled to take up to seven months, so completion is expected in early 2027 if it stays on schedule.

Has work started at Plaza de las Garantías Sociales?

Not as of late October 2026, based on available reports. The city consulted residents on the design in 2025 and listed it in April 2026 as being in early contracting.

Sources and original reporting

1. The Tico Times: San José Moves Forward With Upgrades to Parque Central and Key Plazas (2026-04-27)
2. CRHoy: (Fotos) Así se verá Plaza Víquez luego de remodelación que inicia este miércoles (2026-07-22)
3. CRHoy: Inicia remodelación del Parque Central de San José (2026-08-03)
4. El Observador: Inicia remodelación del Parque Central de San José por ¢619 millones (2026-08-03)
5. The Tico Times: Parque Central San José closed for renovation (2026-08-05)
6. El Observador: ¿Qué le cambiaría a la Plaza de las Garantías Sociales? (2025-03-22)

We wrote this story from the published reports and official sources above. We didn't interview the people named unless the story says so.