University Community Planning Group summary, courtesy of Nancy Groves, UCPG Rep District 1:
Announcements: Chair, Janay Kruger announced the topics for coming meetings in Oct.: Illumina expansion, Pure Water San Diego, Alexandria 9880. October 12 is the big UTC opening.
UPDATES: UCSD announced the Mesa Nuevo Housing draft EIR which is online at http://physicalplanning.ucsd.edu/environmental/pub_notice.html. The public comment period extends through 5PM, Oct 9. The proposed project consists of two campus student housing developments Mesa Nuevo West with 802 student beds and 82 UCSD Family House beds, as well as a 1,228-space parking structure. (The Family House will provide family housing for those with patients at the UCSD hospital.) The parking structure will be on an existing parking lot. Mesa Nuevo East with 1,374 student beds is within the approximately 86-acre east campus Mesa Housing Neighborhood. Nuevo West would redevelop approximately 6.2 acres that is a portion of the West Mesa housing. The roadway improvements which were suggested by the UCPG have been incorporated into the EIR and will enable cars, bikes, and pedestrians access to the West campus without going onto city streets and going across the new E-W bridge over I-5. An additional bike path is also planned for the near future to link to the bridge. The university is working with the city on the plans for the UCSD fire station which will be built by the university but manned and sustained by the city.
Council woman Bry’s representative reported on the draft of the short-term vacation housing proposal, traffic safety on Governor Drive, and a 2-year process regarding consolidation of FBA funds of North U.C. with South University City.
Todd Gloria’s representative reported on AB 187 which maintains Medi-Cal managed care for Children’s Services, and on SB2, SB3 and SB35 which provide assistance, appropriations, and streamlining of the building process to address the housing crisis.
ACTION ITEM: Stanford Prebys Burnham Discovery Institute requested to allow demolition of one building and adding one building with no increase in net square feet. Approved.
INFORMATION ITEM:
- A) CALTRANS reported that each new freeway bridge takes 18 months to build. The North bound ramp from Genesee to I-5 are complete and by March 20, 2018 the Genesee bridge will be completed. They are currently connecting all the utilities and fiber optic cables.
- B) The Gilman bridge false work is being completed now and should join the East and West campus of UCSD by early 2017.
- C) There are currently 50 construction projects in University City.
- D) A question was raised about the reported possible tunnel under UTC for the train. It was explained that this is a state required study to see only if it would be feasible and cost effective. The study results are due in one year from now.
- E) Considering Pure Water’s attendance at the meeting next meeting, the UCPG would like to find an alternative route for the 46” pipe water line which is currently proposed to go down Genesee and would involve digging up Genesee again. We would like to get an exception to use an easement down the 805 freeway and 52 to the Morena Pump Station. This would have to be an exception since state law does not allow the use of utilities on freeway easements.
ACTION ITEM: Community Choice Alliance has asked that UCPG support the concept of CCA and send a letter to the city. This topic was discussed at the July UCPG but action was deferred until we received the results of the City of San Diego Community Choice Aggregate Feasibility Study. The CCA program would supply energy that is 100% from renewables and meet the minimum performance criteria for Green House Gas reductions to meet CAP targets. The study concluded that it is feasible that the CCA program would have electric rates that are competitive with the incumbent utility. The SDG&E shareholders’ representative presented a letter listing three conditions that they thought must be met if CCA was implemented. These three are: equal benefit for all the region’s customers, provide additional environmental benefits, and must reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the various scenarios examined, the CCA program rates remained below those projected for SDG&E. A major motive for developing CCA’s is to bolster local economic development by encouraging manufacturers to stimulate jobs. The study of CCA’s concluded that “lower utility costs would enhance the City’s economic competitiveness, particularly for large power users such as the military, aerospace/defense, biotech/medical device, electronics/telecommunications and international trade/logistics manufacturers.” UCPG voted and approved a motion to send a letter of support to the city with a mention that the CCA also meshes well with the mayor’s environmental plan for the city.
INFORMATION AND UPDATE: Fire station 50 on Nobel had small problem with the MSCP land parcel and the city had to buy back part of the parcel from Fish and Game. The site development permit is in the works and the MSCP land will become ‘dedicated’ park land. The design build/teams’ proposals will be sent in Oct. with a 30-60- day review period and 3-4 months for award proposal. Construction should be completed by summer 2019.
NEXT University Community Planning Group (UCPG) MEETING: OCTOBER 10, 2017 at Scripps Office Bldg., 10010 Campus Point Drive (enter to right of bldg. to free parking lot and entrance.)
Editor’s Note: UCPG October agenda includes UCP amendment (Regents Road Bridge and Genesee Ave widening) update schedule
The City Council adopted an amendment to the University Community Plan on December 5, 2016, to remove the Genesee Avenue Widening and Regents Road Bridge projects from the Plan.
At the October 10 UCPG meeting, the City of San Diego Planning Department is scheduled to review the Schedule of the Community Plan Update.
The University City Community City Association (UCCA) will provide summary information at our meeting on Wednesday at 6 PM at the University Community Library at 4155 Governor Drive.
Full agenda is posted at https://www.sandiego.gov/planning/community/profiles/university/agendas
Information about the Community Plan Amendment is posted at https://www.sandiego.gov/planning/community/profiles/university
For more information, including summaries of past UCPG meetings provided courtesy of Nancy Groves, please visit https://www.universitycitynews.org/category/ucpg/
