From Tara Grimes, Public Information Officer, Communications Department, City of San Diego: On Thursday, February 27, 2020, the City of San Diego held a Land Use and Economic Prosperity forum to receive input from business associations, major employers and community members in order to update the 1987 University Community Plan. Input from the Forum will help inform an update to the University (City) Community Plan.
“The planning area includes the region’s premier life science, high-tech, biotech, health care and finance clusters,” said Mike Hansen, the City’s Planning Director. “It’s integral to the city’s future to work with community members and the business industry to ensure the economic vitality and quality of life in the area continues to thrive.”
Forum attendees, which also included property owners and building industry professionals, provided input on what they believe should be included in the economic prosperity, mobility, land use and urban design elements of the Plan Update.
After learning more about the dynamics of the area, stakeholders formed groups and discussed ideas that could go into the Plan Update. Many saw key challenges in the area as opportunities to build upon. This included strengthening connections from employment areas to transit, increasing the availability of pedestrian and bicycle connections, adding more housing, integrating modes of transit and creating a mix of uses in the area. This would allow workers to live near their jobs, reduce congestion, retain talent and support transit.
The new Mid-Coast Trolley blue line, overseen by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), will also play a part in the Plan Update as service is expected to begin in late 2021, and there are six stops planned for the University City area.
Once adopted by the City Council, the University Community Plan Update will serve as a policy document that drives the area’s vision for the next 20 years. It considers current conditions, Citywide goals in the Climate Action Plan and the General Plan and community specific goals. The City has also solicited, and will continue collecting, public input through the process of the Plan Update.
The draft Plan Update is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2021 and is expected to go through the public hearing process in 2022. To learn more about the University Community Plan Update, visit www.planuniversity.org.
The University Community Planning Group (UCPG) usually meets the 2nd Tuesday of the month; the Community Plan Update Subcommittee (CPUS) usually meeting the 3rd Wednesday of the month. Both meetings are open to the public. For more information from UCCA, visit https://www.universitycitynews.org/category/ucpg/
