-
At the End of 2009, The design for the long-awaited Ruocco Park
was headed toward completion. Generated by Dennis Otsuji of ONA
Landscape Architects, hopefully this Revised Plan is one which
channels the spirit of its namesake.
The Park will be situated adjacent to the National Register Old
Police Headquarters and north of Sea-port Village, a project within
the Downtown His-toric Waterfront Plan which C3 participated in
with strident advocacy.
Intended to honor the memory of C3 co-founders and contemporary
San Diego pioneers Lloyd and Ilse Ruocco, the park has been
envisioned for more than twenty years. Shopping for sites and
funding has been a long legacy of C3.
Now the realization that the park is actually going to be
completed, as well as the fact that the Ruoccos will become known
as significant contributors to the post-war built environment of
San Diego, is another great achievement of near generational
commitment by C3 members. We look forward to the the Park’s opening
and the opportunity to make full use of it! •
C3 ViewsRuocco Park Taking Shape
Spring 2010
translating vision into action
Revised Ruocco Park Plan, 2009, San Diego Unified Port
District
In this Issue:
President’s MessagePlanning and Politics...and Hotels?...Page 2
Stephen M Haase, AICP, C3 President
County General PlanUpdate Status
Report........................Page 3 Diane Coombs
San Diego CanyonlandsNewly Formed Nonprofit.................Page
3 Diane Coombs
SB1177Support for Senator Kehoe..............Page 4 Judy
Swink
Annual Member MeetingMosaic Wine
Bar.............................Page 5 Rosemary Rowan
C3: A Look BackA Brief History of C3......................Page 7
Judy Swink
In Every Issue:Contributors...............................Page
2
New Members............................Page 4
Breakfast Dialogue Program.......Page 6
Member News............................Page 10
Committees ...............................Page 10
Membership Application......Back Page
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C3 Views- A Journal of Regional Planning Issues for San Diego
County
C3 Mission StatementTo establish a non-partisan, non-profit
or-ganization of informed citizens which will strive for the
conservation and improve-ment of the San Diego region.
To present objective information, con-structive opinion, and
educational programs, reflecting the deliberation of its members.
To weigh all matters in view of the contribution toward acheving
the highest standard of environmental quality, physical design,
economic benefit, and social progress.
C3 Views is published quarterly to inform C3 Members on Board
activity, and to promote excellence in land use planning in the San
Diego Region. The views expressed inside, unless specifically
noted, may not necessarily reflect those of C3 as an
organization.
© 2010 by C3. All rights reserved.Editor: Kacie Bluhm
President’s Message: Planning and Politics … and Hotels?In a
perfect world some dream the art of planning (a fundamental
property of intelligent behavior) and the act of politics (the
process by which groups of people make collective decisions) would
be separate. This is not only unrealistic, but loses the
synergistic benefits that ultimately derive from the development of
advocacy for a policy or project. These prin-ciples will be put to
the test with the consideration of an ordinance by the San Diego
City Council to subject hotel projects within the downtown
redevelopment area to a higher level of discretionary review.
When planning and politics are in balance, the creative tension
results in change that ben-efits us all. However, when planning
fails to engage the public, its efforts suffer from the perception
of vision from the ivory tower. Politics suffers a similar fate
when the exercise of power is not derived from the broader
collective, but driven by interest groups and gadflies from
throughout the political spectrum. While some lament politics as a
necessary evil, I embrace Sir Winston Churchill’s dictum from 1947:
“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those
other forms that have been tried from time to time.” The challenge
is to ensure our collective citizenship participates in the
political process and de-mands the highest standards of planning. A
higher level of project review by the political body destroys this
balance.
As a former planning director charged with overseeing
development activities in San Jose’s downtown redevelopment area, I
saw up close and personal the clash of too little plan-ning and too
much politics that resulted in a chilling effect on private
investment in the downtown. Seeking a better model based upon trips
and conversations with public officials in Vancouver, BC and
Denver, the City Council separated the policy setting from project
delivery. This resulted in clear rules (policy set by Council) and
a certain and timely process (project implementation delegated to
staff ).
I encourage the City Council to set the policy and stay out of
the process. Requiring a higher level of review for a specific
class of projects, such as hotels, politicizes the develop-ment
process. The City Council needs to step back and let the community,
staff, and devel-opment interests work together to deliver
projects. Only then will San Diego grow up and achieve its
potential.
Stephen Michael Haase, AICP
C-3 President
C3 Executive Board & Directors
PresidentStephen M Haase, AICP
President-ElectSusan TinskyVP FinanceJohn Lomac
VP MembershipRosemary Rowan
SecretaryEvelyn Shields
Treasurer:Dahvia Lynch
At-LargeRoger Lewis
Directors
Diane CoombsMartin Flores
Charles KaminskiPaul McNeil
Manjeet RanuLuisa Schultz
Jay TurnerSandra Wellhausen
Page 2
Spring 2010
ContributorsThank You to Spring 2010’s Contributing
Writers:Diane CoombsAnne FegeStephen HaaseChuck Kaminski
Vonn Marie May
Rosemary Rowan
Judy Swink
Contact:For information. questions, or com-ments:5252 Balboa
AveSuite 207San Diego, CA 92117-7005(619)
[email protected]: CitizenC3Become a fan of
C3 on Facebook!
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C3 Views- A Journal of Regional Planning Issues for San Diego
County
County General Plan Update Status Report
C3 has been represented on the County General Plan Update
Interest Group since the Group’s es-tablishment almost ten years
ago. It has been chal-lenging, to say the least, with starts and
progress, then staff changes and revisiting issues, politics, and
all this time development continuing under a long outdated plan.
Worse yet, the county has contin-ued to process and approve General
Plan amend-ments which are not consistent with the existing or
proposed plans - the Merriam Mountain Project is only one of many
examples.
C3 has supported the inclusion of smart growth concepts focusing
development in urban areas and town centers away from the back
country. This model will reduce infrastructure costs, improve
quality of life, enable transit and affordable hous-ing, create
walkable communities, reduce energy and water consumption,
facilitate habitat protec-tion and connectivity, and aid in job and
housing balance and public safety; particularly with respect to
wildfires. We believe that the Environmentally Superior Map best
addresses our goals as well as the requirements of state
legislation (AB 32 and SB 375). Climate change and sustainability
issues must be a driving force in the new General Plan. Policies
with ambiguous wording such as “encour-age”, “may”, “if feasible”,
and “support” should be replaced in most cases with clear language
that as-sures the desired outcome: “shall”,” must”, and
C3 has a long history of collaborating with other non-profits,
advocating protection and restoration of our canyon systems which
help define our sense of place, provide habitat, improve water
quality, nature education, recreation, and physical and men-tal
health. Under the leadership of San Diego Civic Solutions with
participation from C3 and the Sierra Club, a white paper was
published in March 2006 titled, “Canyonlands - The Creation of a
San Diego Regional Canyonlands Park”. In the introduction it
notes:
“The idea of Canyonlands is to create a visionary open space
park that will create a framework for our region. This park will be
a system of natural and urban spaces and connections incorporating
the canyons, coastline, and mountains that define
New San Diego Canyonlands Non-ProfitFour years after the
creation of a documentary expressing the need for a Canyonlands
Regional Park, a new non-profit hopes to make that dream a
reality.
Thank You to Board MembersC3 Staff and the Board of Directors
would like to express their gratitude to Joan Dahlin and Barry
Schultz for their service as C3 Board Members. Joan has been a
longtime contributor to C3, active in the organization for over
thirty years. We wish them the best of luck in their future
endeavors. Replacing Joan and Barry on the Board are Luisa Schultz
and Manjeet Ranu. We look forward to their input and ideas. •
Page 3
“require”. We have supported this, along with the development
industry and oth-er stakeholders in the Conservation Subdivision.
It would protect the environ-ment and agricultural lands, reduce
infrastructure costs, promote public safety in fires, and reduce
water and energy use as well as green house gas emissions. C3 also
supports an equity mechanism in the General Plan which acknowledges
extreme down zonings and up zonings. The County staff proposal to
purchase development rights (with no funding mechanism) while
resisting a Transfer of Development (TDR) rights to parcels
proposed for significant density increases
Continued: ‘Plan’ Page 8
Artst’s rendering of the Merriam Mountain Project
Continued: ‘Canyonlands’ Page 8Bancroft Creek Canyon
Spring 2010
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C3 Views- A Journal of Regional Planning Issues for San Diego
County
“SB 1177 would require the greenway zone to be permanently
dedicated to the use and enjoyment of the public, so that if the
22nd DAA ceases to exist or if a part or all the property is sold,
the greenway
and public access trail will remain.”
C3 Board Member RetreatLike clockwork, the C3 Board of Directors
got together at the beginning of this year to review the successes
and challenges of 2009, and chart the goals for 2010. This year, we
met at the Jacobs Center in south-eastern San Diego in the Diamond
neigh-borhood.
With a full agenda, the day’s topics includ-ed C3’s committee
structure, organizational stability, advocacy, programs, events,
mem-bership, fundraising, and office support.Highlights from the
retreat include:
Both Stephen Haase and Susan Tinsky return to their positions as
President and President-Elect, while VP Membership will pass from
Diane Coombs to Rosemary Rowan. John Lomac has signed on as VP
Finance, and Evelyn Shields accepted the role of Secretary. Dahvia
Lynch continues as Treasurer and new board member Rod-ger Lewis
took over from Evelyn as the At-Large board representative.
Committee Structure was moderately adjusted with new board
member Luisa Schultz and active C3 member Don Wood co-chairing the
Water & Energy commit-tee. Diane Coombs will continue with her
very active Waterfront Committee, and John Lomac will work with
Judy Swink on Parks and Open Space. Sustainability will continue
with Dahvia Lynch as chair, and Susan Tinsky will head the Equity
in Community Planning committee.
Organizational Sustainability was the day’s major topic. Evelyn
Shields and John Lo-mac prepared an Action Plan last fall as a
follow-up to the Membership Survey con-ducted in 2009. The intent
of the Action Plan “is to improve the organizational
sus-tainability of C3 in the areas of decision-making, committee
structure, membership engagement, fiscal responsibility, and
gov-ernance practice.”
Within Finance and Fiscal Responsibility, the Board discussed
ways to increase the organization’s income, and identified areas to
target to reduce expenses. One outcome of this discussion was a
modest increase in annual member dues.
In the Organizational/Committee Struc-ture discussion, the Board
took action to form or assign responsibilities for C3 com-
Page 4
Continued on Next PageSpring 2010
mittees to be chaired by a Board member with a committee
structure of members and interested others. We looked at mar-keting
and re-branding the organization to raise the visibility of C3 as a
thought leader and authority on the built and natural
en-vironment.
Another important topic was embership ngagement and retention.
The Board real-izes that the organization is only as good as its
membership. Setting percentage goals for membership retention and
increasing the membership base was an objective for discussion.
The Board also made a commitment to hire a full time office
manager, funding permit-ting. We also looked at the possibility of
es-tablishing an Advisory Board, how to bet-ter utilize the C3
Views and our monthly Breakfast Dialogues, as well as agreed to
update C3’s homepage to make it more appealing, as well as
user-friendly. In the last year C3 has developed a presesence on
Facebook and Twitter, and would like to keep that momentum moving.
The Board discussed what were the best ways to lever-age our
events, publications, and mission to sustain the organization
financially for the present and the future.
Dahvia Lynch presented the Sustainabil-ity Committee
recommendations for both short and long term goals for 2010. The
Committee’s major effort will be updating “Sustainable Paradise: A
Call to Action for Creating Sustainable Urban Systems in the San
Diego Region”, (pending title). The Board had spent over seven
hours in the conference room when it re-ceived the position paper,
and deferred discussion to en-sure it receives the attention it
needs. A “parking lot” for topics that we couldn’t get to included
by-laws, office man-ager job description, and the mission statement
for each C3 standing committee. The retreat con-cluded at 4:30 PM.
It wasn’t all business, as the Board members brought a pot-luck of
food and refreshments to last throughout the day (we started at
8:30 AM). Board Member Roger Lewis’s Breakfast Strata with Spinach
and Gruyere appeared to be the hit of the day. I’m sure he will
share the recipe if you ask. •
Welcome to 2010’s New Members
Charles AlmackSteve and Elizabeth BluhmJay CorralesAmy
HarrisJacqueline KingTerra KingNick MarinovichBrenda MartinAnthony
MendiolaRita MonaresLael MontgomeryTracy MoralesTodd PitmanPatty
RangelTina Zenzola
Thank you, and Welcome!
Recently, C3 expressed their support to Sena-tor Kehoe on SB
1177, which would require a 100-foot wide greenway zone on Del Mar
Fairgrounds. Here is the letter Senator Kehoe received from Judy
Swink, of the Parks and Open Space Committee and C3 President
Stephen Haase. Citizens Coordinate for Century III is a non-profit
organization established almost 50 years ago to enable an educated
citizen
voice in regional environ-mental and land use issues. C3 has
long sup-ported the preserva-
tion and enhancement of San Diego’s river valleys and estuaries,
often advocat-ing creation of regional open space parks to achieve
this end.
We write to you in support of SB 1177 which would require the
22nd District Agricultural Association (DAA) to de-velop, manage,
and maintain a minimum
C3 Letter of Support to Senator Kehoe on SB 1177
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C3 Views- A Journal of Regional Planning Issues for San Diego
County
100-foot wide greenway zone on Del Mar Fairgrounds immediately
north of the San Dieguito River, including a public access trail in
or along this greenway zone. The greenway will enhance and restore
the overall en-vironmental quality of the San Dieguito River and
adjacent wetlands, and
provide permanent public access to the river and San Dieguito
Lagoon.
The Fairgrounds property is surrounded by more than 600 acres of
natural habitat, including the Southern California Edison $80
million restoration project required as mitigation for the San
Onofre Nuclear Generat-ing Station (SONGS). The San Dieguito River
Park Joint Powers Authority ( JPA) and the California Department of
Fish and Game also manage habitat areas near the Fairgrounds.
It is important to preserve public ac-cess and passive
recreational uses on this unique piece of state property. With a
minimum 100-foot buffer, the area will begin to recover, much as
the surrounding open space has.
SB 1177 would require the greenway zone to be permanently
dedicated to the use and enjoyment of the public, so that if the
22nd DAA ceases to exist or if a part or all the property is sold,
the greenway and public access trail will remain. SB 1177 will
assure permanent public access and enjoyment of this special
natural resource.
Sincerely,
Stephen M Haase and Judith Swink •
Page 5
Spring 2010
Last year, C3 joined the IPR Coalition after Lani Lutar of the
San Diego Taxpayer’s As-sociation provided the board with a
compel-ling presentation. C3 has supported water reclamation since
the 1970s, and is excited to share the news of the coalition’s
success with our membership. •
IPR Coalition Receives Award
At its annual conference on Monday, March 8 at Paradise Point
Resort, the San Diego Chapter of the California Wa-teReuse
Association honored the IPR Coalition with an advocacy award. The
coalition received the award for its work highlighting the
importance of investing in local sources of drought-proof water
supplies that will require less reliance on energy and increasingly
expensive imported water. Coastkeeper helped bring together the IPR
Coalition, an unprecedented alliance of San Diego groups including
San Diego County Tax-payers Association, Surfrider Foundation, San
Diego Regional Chamber of Com-merce, San Diego and Imperial
Counties Labor Council, Citizens Coordinate for Century 3, BIOCOM
and other business, labor, economic growth and ratepayer advocates.
Most recently the coalition helped to encourage council members to
vote in favor of the public outreach contract as part of the
indirect potable reuse pilot project currently underway in the City
of San Diego. [SD Coastkeeper News, 3-22-2010]
Annual Member MeetingBilled as C3’s 3C’s: Camaraderie, Cul-ture,
and Cabernet (or Chardonnay if you prefer), C3’s Annual Member
Meeting returned to Mosaic Wine Bar in North Park on March 18th,
2010.
Over seventy five of C3’s finest attended to meet old friends,
speak with Board
Members, and greet new C3 members. They enjoyed hosted
flatbreads, pizzas, and wine along with fast paced conversa-
tion and plenty of smiling faces.
The meeting spilled between Mosaic’s wine bar and the newly
opened gallery space. Artist Mark Jesinoski generously offered his
art at steeply discounted rates for silent auc-tion, splitting
the
proceeds with C3. Adding to the evening’s fun, Kerem Bardot, a
certified massage therapist of Moonstone Health, offered 5 minute
stress and relaxation therapy, also sharing her profits with C3.
Kerem was a big hit at the event, as the entire night she had a
waiting list! Marti Kranzberg was the evening’s photographer,
catching all of the night’s entertainment.
Staff and Board Members had just as much fun as the membership.
Pictured: Chuck Kaminski, Susan Tinsky, Stephen Haase, and Kacie
Bluhm
Artist Mark Jesinoski in front of one one of the paintings he
auctioned to benefit C3
Thanks to Mosaic Wine Bar, Graphic So-lutions, and a special
thanks to Marrokal Design & Construction who sponsored the
event. We already can’t wait for next year!
All photos from the event featured in the Views are courtesy of
Marti Kranzberg •
Voice of San Diego Welcomes Don Wood
Congratulations to C3 past president Don Wood and regular
contributor to C3 Views for his new blog with the Voice of San
Diego. Check in with Don on a regu-lar basis at
www.voiceofsandiego.org as he follows issues related to the
downtown waterfront, energy, and water. •
Lani Lutar of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association
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C3 Views- A Journal of Regional Planning Issues for San Diego
County
Breakfast Dialogue ProgramFebruary’s Breakfast Dialogue brought
the audience face to face with issues challenging a community that
is truly mixed-use land with an overlooked and underrepresented
population. “First in a Series Showcasing Ongoing Commu-nity Plan
Updates: Barrio Logan,” moderated by Martin Flores of Rick
Engineering, contained a diverse group of panelists including Lee
Wilson of Continental Maritime and Working Water-front Group;
Georgette Gomez of Environmental Health Coalition; Lara Gates of
City of San Diego; and Vicki Estrada of Estrada Land Plan-ning; who
shared their experiences as homeown-ers, business owners, community
activists, and environmentalists attempting to come together to
bring a new sense of community and future hope to Barrio Logan.
Thank you to Rick Engineering, who sponsored the event.
The March 2010 Breakfast Dialogue, “Making San Diego Community
Garden Friendly,” highlighted the struggles, frustrations, and
ultimate successes of community groups in City Heights hoping to
develop community gardens as anchors for their neighborhoods and
communities. Amy Lint, Community Development Coordinator, San
Di-ego Office of the International Rescue Commit-tee; Diane Moss,
Director of the People’s Produce Project; and Judith Jacoby, San
Diego Community Garden Network and Master Gardener; spoke to their
experiences. Carla Blackmar, Community Development, City of Chula
Vista, informed the attendees of the efforts by Chula Vista to
incorpo-rate community gardens into their land use plan-ning
efforts. Stephen Hill, Senior Policy Advisor, stood in for 3rd
District Council member Todd Gloria as moderator. Good Earth Plant
Co. Inc./Greenscaped Buildings was the March Dialogue sponsor.
April’s Upcoming Breakfast Dialogue, “ Show-ers to Flowers or
Toilet to Tap: A Solution to the Region’s Water Supply?” will
feature a panel of government and public agency representatives
from the Orange County Water District and the City of San Diego
Public Utilities Department together with a professor from San
Diego State University Graduate School of Public Health. The
moderator is a partner with Coast Law Group.
Currently in planning, the May dialogue hopes to bring to the
panel local political personalities to discuss the June ballot
initiative on “Strong Mayor/Strong Council”. Circle May 27th on
your calendar to join us so you’ll have all the informa-tion to
make an informed decision on the ballot.
Page 6
Topics up for consideration for the remainder of the year
include: the San Diego County General Plan Update, the Chula Vista
Bayfront Master Plan, Balboa Park’s Conservancy,,Plaza de Panama,
SANDAG/SB375, Water Bonds, and one or two fall Dialogues reflecting
on the issues you may be voting on in the November ballot.
Join us to explore some of the pressing issues in the San Diego
region as C3 keeps you informed and knowledgeable through our
monthly Breakfast Dia-logues.
Interested in joining the breakfast dialogue committee, or have
an idea for a dialogue you’d like to see? Contact the C3 Office at
[email protected] •
Spring 2010
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C3 Views- A Journal of Regional Planning Issues for San Diego
County
What better way to celebrate our Golden Anniversary then with a
Gala?
Our Board of Directors and Staff are currently putting together
a committee to throw our 50th Birthday Party. We encourage members
to lend a hand in any way they can.
We’re also asking our members to let us know what they remember
about C3 over the years. Was there a specific event or dialogue you
particularly enjoyed? How has the organization impacted your
neigh-borhood and community? Let us know.
Also, we’d love all past presidents and board members to come
forward so we can acknowledge their leadership and stewardship.
•
“Part of Citizen Coordinate’s function is, of course, to ask for
impossible things. Dreaming the big dream, favoring the hard
alternative, speaking up for the
unpopular cause are some ways this group can serve as the voice
of the citizen who cares.”
-Harold Keen, “Cabrillo Freeway Fight”, San Diego Magazine,
Sept. 1966
If you are interested in being a part of the 50th Gala
Committee, or are a past president or C3 Board
Member, please contact the C3 Of-fice at
[email protected],
or (619) 232-7196
As C3 gets closer and closer to our big 5-0, we can’t help but
feel a little nostal-gic. In 1961 when our organization was formed,
the world was a much different place. The United States just broke
rela-tions with Cuba while Moscow announced they would be the first
to put a man into orbit around the Earth. Patsy Cline topped the
record charts, and Audrey Hepburn delighted audiences as Holly
Golightly in Breakfast at T i f f any ’s . In San Di-ego, the Old
Globe opened; the Amer i c an F o o t b a l l L e a g u e Chargers
played their first season at Balboa Stadium; and Lloyd Ruocco and
Esther Scott formed an organization called, “Citi-zens Coordinate
for a Handsome Com-munity,” with the goal of educating and
coordinating citizen action in San Diego.
The history of C3 is the story of a hand-ful of citizen
activists who banded to-gether to make a difference. Originally,
their goals were to be a, “Voice for Beauty” and a “Link to a
Handsome Community”, but soon they found themselves battling with
the outdoor advertising industry, the California Division of
Highways, the City Council, the Christian Anti Communist
Crusade, Mission Valley developers, and proponents of high-rise
construction in La Jolla. The story of C3 speaks of architects,
artists, scientists, horticulturists, and con-cerned citizens who
cared about preserv-
C3, A Look Back and to the Future: 50 years of Citizen Activism,
Sponsorship, and Education
Page 7
Spring 2010
Architect and C3 Founder Lloyd Ruocco
50th Anniversary Gala Committee
articles during the coming year. •
*Harold Keen, San Diego journalist from 1936 until his death in
1981, reporter for the SD Sun and SD Union, then contrib-uting
editor for San Diego Magazine and editorial director for
KPBS-TV.
ing San Diego’s very special environment, and discovered that
the only way to do so was through concerted citizen action,
com-munity planning, land use and zoning or-dinances, and purchase
of open space. It is the story of the development of a group that
Harold Keen* called “the aesthetic conscience of the
community”.
C3 grew out of a comment made by archi-tect Lloyd Ruocco in a
speech at a luncheon meeting of the League of Women Voters. In his
speech, titled, “The
Arts: Public Weapon for Progress”, he spoke of San Diego’s
natural beauties but expressed concern for San Diego’s “lack of
coordinated planning to protect its envi-ronment and beautify its
urban center”, as evidenced by the location of the luncheon itself
in a Mission Valley, already beginning to show the results of
careless, piecemeal development. Then he asked:
“But where are the people organized to demand and welcome this
new urbanity?...who will be there with a constant demand
for beauty, with instant aggressiveness against ugliness?...We
need...a quick, dynamic form of organization so that those most
against ugli-ness are all broughtinto contact for optimistic
action.”
[“Notes from a talk by Lloyd Ruocco, Jan.17, 1961”, CC Office
Archives]
Two women in the audience, Esther Scott and Dorothea Edmiston,
took up Lloyd Ruocco’s challenge and made the first steps towards
bringing together the people who became the core of the
organization. Most of those early members of CC, as it was called
before incorporation in 1970 as “Citizens Coordinate for Century
3”, became lifelong active supporters of C3. As we move toward C3’s
50th Anniver-sary in 2011, we can look back on a long and
successful history. Bits and Pieces of this history will be
reviewed in C3 Views
C3 Founder Hamilton Marston
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C3 Views- A Journal of Regional Planning Issues for San Diego
County
At the February 11th meeting of the Coastal Commission, the
Port’s applica-tion for a Coastal Development Permit for North
Embarcadero Phase One improve-ments was delayed until the April
14th meeting in Ventura. It was clear this was the Port’s attempt
to amend their mas-ter plan via a CDP. This would eliminate the
long planned oval park intended for the foot of Broadway, and
another along Broadway Pier, due to the decision to con-struct a
permanent cruise ship terminal. Under the Port CDP, the public’s
access to the waterfront would be greatly restricted due to the
increased number of driveways for vehicles servicing cruise ships,
as well as heightened security measures, which require no public
access for a period of 36 hours when a cruise ship docks.
The Coastal Commission delayed the mat-ter to April to allow the
Port and Com-mission staff time to review ways in which additional
park area may be secured, mak-ing up for the proposed removal of
the oval-shaped park and plaza. The motion made it clear that the
new space must be equivalent in size, quality, and function.
Subsequently, supporters for waterfront preservation, which
includes protecting views, waterfront access, and park spaces, have
meet with several Port Commission-ers, Port, and Coastal Commission
staff and proposed several alternatives. The Port and Coastal
Commission staff have also met.
The recently released staff report for the April 14th Coastal
Commission reflects a lack of any alternative park site, and
rec-ommends the approval of the CDP with conditions including
compliance with a, “Waterfront Destination Park Plan,” to ensure
that a new park replacing the oval park and plaza will be designed
and con-structed. It also includes revised final plans requiring
the restroom located across from C street be moved or redesigned in
a way that no portion of the structure will be in the 40 foot wide
clear zone. A revised public access program is also addressed,
attending to pedestrian and bicycle cir-culation. Public access to
Broadway Pier is also focued on, as is a parking removal phasing
and replacement plan, circulator
Page 8
Spring 2010
On the Waterfront shuttle, signage, a revised landscape plan,
and liability for costs and attorney fees.
While the staff report and recommenda-tions stressed development
of a new park with environmental analysis, public out-reach
discretionary approvals including a Port Master Plan Amendment,
they also noted that funding must be identified and obtained. They
address milestones and dead-lines for review, and construction of
the Project. The park must be brought to the Commission for review
no later than two years after approval of the CDP.
The Coastal Commission staff recommen-dations are fine, but most
waterfront advo-cates believe they do not go far enough, and have
suggested additional conditions. In an April 5th letter to the
Coastal Commission from the Navy Broadway Complex Coali-tion the
following additional conditions were proposed:
1. Prior to issuance of the CDP, the Port shall obtain a
performance bond for com-pletion of the alternative Waterfront
Des-tination Park.
2. The Waterfront Destination Park shall be completed not more
than one year after the Commission approval of the Port’s
al-ternative.
3. The alternative Waterfront Destination Park shall be given
priority over all other projects included in the Port’s Capital
Im-provement Program.
4. The Waterfront Destination Park shall be designated as part
of the California Coastal Walk, and dedicated in perpetuity as a
public park.
5. The Port shall complete construction of the public park
identified for Navy Pier in the existing Port Master Plan to assure
that all mitigation measures for the Mid-way Museum are fulfilled
no later than 24 months after completion of the alternative
Waterfront Destination Park.
6. None of the alternative Waterfront Des-tination Parks may be
a park or similar use that has already been approved by the
Port
or that is currently being considered as a park or similar use
by the Port or any other public agency. Why ask for these
additional conditions? The answer lies in the Port’s history, and
Navy Pier is a perfect example. About nine years ago, the Midway
gained approval to dock at Navy Pier. The Navy
also agreed to transfer ownership to the Port with conditions
which were to be accom-plished in phases over ten years. The
im-pacts of shading from
this huge carrier have been mitigated in a south bay wetland.
The promised removal of parking from the pier, and replacement
nearby has not occurred. Most importantly, the promised park on
Navy Pier has either been forgotten or neglected, while the Port
focuses on Phase One NEVP. Could it be they want to make good on
their prom-ises to Carnival Cruise? At the February Coastal
Commission hearing there was a lot of talk about approving the CDP,
as it was a shovel-ready project and could pro-vide badly needed
jobs. Why not focus on a nine year old project, a forgotten
promise, and a requirement on Navy Pier while pro-viding these
jobs? •
Parks & Open Space
City budget cuts for its share of the San Dieguito River Valley
Regional Park JPA and State legislation introduced in Febru-ary
regarding the San Dieguito River Estuary were the subject of two
letters sent expressing 1) concern about the damaging impacts of
City withdrawal of all funding for the San Dieguito JPA and 2)
support of Senator Kehoe’s proposal for a permanently dedicated
buffer (a 100’ greenway with public access trail) between the Del
Mar fairgrounds property and the wetlands restoration project
funded with mitigation funds from Southern California Edison.
Details of the probable impacts on the San Dieguito River Park
if the budget cut is finalized, can be read in the JPA Board
Continued: ‘Parks’ Page 10
The Coastal Commission staff recommendations are fine, but
most
waterfront advocates believe they do not go far enough.
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C3 Views- A Journal of Regional Planning Issues for San Diego
County
Re-use, desalination, and of course, conservation, appear to be
our best
hopes for a future sustainable region.
has been challenged by several members of the Planning
Commission. TDR’s have been used for decades in many jurisdic-tions
to achieve equity. When we create
winners and losers, why not have the win-ners foot the bill?
Water is the most important determinant of future development.
Current resources are overcommitted statewide, and re-use,
desalination, and of course conservation appear to be our best
hopes for a future sustainable region. It is critical that a wa-ter
supply for agriculture be protected to assure we have a food
sustainable future in our region. New development must demonstrate
a water source that does not impact existing users or have negative
im-pacts on ground water resources.
On April 16, the County Planning Com-mission will meet to
address outstand-ing issues regarding the plan update and they may
take final action. Some of the issues include: Pipelining policy,
popula-tion projections, I-15 corridor buildout, equity mechanisms
permissive versus re-strictive language,village core mixed use
designation,and conservation subdivision program. •
Plan: Continued From Page 3
Page 9
Spring 2010
our communities and their setting. It will include connections
and windows to the canyons. It will be green infrastructure for the
future - a necessity, not a luxury.”
Later that year, C3, with grants from County Cable TV, the
Hattie Ettinger Conservation Fund, and Lambda Alpha International
Foundation, produced a San Diego Canyonlands video which has been
aired on UCSD TV and is available in the C3 office. UCSD TV
provided support, and Shannon Bradley wrote, produced, and directed
with assistance from former C3 President, Jennifer Whitelaw, who
also narrated.
The good news-- these seeds have sprouted and are now growing! A
new non-profit has been established with encouragement and funding
from the San Diego Founda-tion to focus solely on establishing a
San Diego Canyonlands Regional Park. They have received additional
grant funding and private donations. In addition to estab-lishing
and nurturing Friends of Canyons groups, they are collaborating
with other organizations to get kids in canyons to learn about
nature while working on resto-ration projects. Richard Louv focused
on this effort in his book, “Last Child in the Woods”.
With a grant last year from the San Diego Foundation and support
from others, San Diego Canyonlands has embarked on a project to
cre-ate a Canyon-lands Enhance-ment Planning Guide for the City of
San Diego. Us-ing Manza-nita Canyon as a model, they are draw-ing
planning b o u n d a r i e s , mapping prop-erty owner-ship,
easements and habitat, and planning for restoration and appropriate
access. The Manzanita Friends group and expert volunteers as well
as staff, including city staff, are participat-ing. When the plan
is complete, they will begin the implementation phase. This step by
step guide can then be used for other canyons. Guide components
include:• Guidelines and protocol for canyon en-hancement• Maps,
Directory of resources• Internship program• Existing conditions
Analysis & Opportu-nities Assessment• Youth and Nature
Opportunities• Assembling a Stakeholders Group• Enhancement
Opportunities Analysis• Stakeholder Action Plan• Building support
and enhancement ap-proval process
C3 members Vicki Estrada, Mike Stepner, Andy Spurlock, and John
Lomac serve on the Canyon Enhancement Planning Com-mittee. Without
their generous commit-ment of time, talent, and resources, this
ef-fort would not be possible. Please consider a contribution to
Canyonlands to help this dream become a reality!
(www.sdcanyon-lands.org) •
Canyonlands: Continued From Page 3
The San Diego Children and Nature Collaborative
The San Diego Children and Nature Collaborative (SDCaN) was
organized in January 2009, and is dedicated to provid-ing families
and schoolchildren greater access to nature experiences; informing
community-based organizations about
the health, develop-mental, and emotional benefits of outdoor
experiences in nature; and strengthening learning opportunities and
resource shar-ing among SDCaN participants. It brings the national
Children & Nature Network (CN&N) movement to San Diego,
inspired by “native son” col-
umnist and author Richard Louv with his 2005 book
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit
Disorder, and building on successful programs in more than 60
cities, states, and countries. In the first year, SDCaN has held
bi-monthly meetings with participants from more than 50
organizations, and monthly meetings of a Steering Group that has
drafted the mission, strategic goals, and current structure. Other
accomplish-ments include attracting seed money for marketing the
February 24 event and organizing meetings; declaring April as
“Children and Nature Awareness” month by the City and County of San
Diego; attending the national C&NN meeting in September; and
being awarded a grant of $100,000 from the Sempra Foundation for
pilot school, family nature groups, and communication
projects.Contact Anne Fege for more details
[email protected] •
Bridge at Penasquitos Canyon
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C3 Views- A Journal of Regional Planning Issues for San Diego
County
Page 10
Spring 2010
tee members, has almost completed a draft report with
recommendations to Mayor & Council. The next stage will be
estab-lishment of a public benefit 501(c)(3) and Board of
Directors. The Draft report and Notes from Task Force meetings is
posted at the BPTF web page now at:
http://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/general-info/bptf.shtml
Reconfiguration of the Plaza de Panama as a pedestrian plaza was
added to the Balboa Park CIP list in February. The goal is to have
restoration completed in time for celebration of the 2015 Centenary
of Panama-California Exposition. C-3 and others began expressing
support for removal of cars from the Prado area in the 1960s and
has testified to that position during preparation of numerous
Balboa Park planning documents.
DOWNTOWN PARKS/CCDC: The CCDC Board has recommended ap-proval of
an agreement with Spurlock Poirier Landscape Architects for a
Parks, Open Space and Recreation Implementa-tion Plan, to create a
detailed strategy for implementing parks and open space in downtown
San Diego.
•The proposed location for a new Char-gers Stadium downtown
would remove two CCDC- designated parks within the proposed
footprint. It’s important that CCDC and parks advocates begin
considering ways to compensate for these lost park areas if stadium
construction is approved.
MISSION BAY PARK: The newly-constituted Mission Bay Park
Committee will also serve as Oversight Committee for expenditures
of lease revenue funds as ap-proved by voters in Nov. 2008. The
amount for FY2011 will not be known until after the end of FY2010.
In the meantime, the Committee is considering By-Laws and
procedures for reviewing and approving
projects as laid out in the new Charter Section 55.2, beginning
with dredg-ing major areas to return Mission Bay channels to full
navigability. A separate project funded by Federal “Stimulus” money
began in mid-2009 as the Army Corps of Engineers rebuilt the North
Jetty, damaged by several severe storms during the past 2 decades;
the Mis-sion Bay Channel will be dredged from the ocean to the
Ventura (Glenn Rick) Bridge. These 2 projects are separate from the
City’s responsibilities within Mission Bay Park. •
C3 Spring Member News
C3 is proud of our members, and we want to make sure your
accomplishments are shared with the community. If you would like to
share your news with the mem-
bership, send an email to [email protected].
In the News
Cary Lowe and Michael Jenkins published an opinion-editorial
entitled “Solving Development Conflicts” in the San Diego
Union-Tribune on April 8, 2010, dealing
with the use of mediation in resolving disputes over land use
issues.
Congratulations
We would like to extend our congratulations to Paul Robinson,
who recently has been appointed by Mayor Sanders and the city
council to chair the newly formed
Mission Bay Park Committee and the Mission Bay Park Fund
Oversight Committee.
In the Community
Cary Lowe and Trish Butler presented a program entitled
“Achieving Consensus Among Commissioners” at the American Planning
Association’s 2010 National
Planning Conference in New Orleans. The program was based on
Trish’s experience as a member of the City of San Diego Planning
Commission and Cary’s experience as Chairman of the City of South
Pasadena Community Redevelopment Commis-
sion.
Parks: Continued From Page 8packet of 2/19/10 at
http://www.sdrp.org/jpaboard.htm
BALBOA PARK – The Balboa Park Task Force, including two C-3
Parks Commit-
Thank You
C3 would like to thank Vonn Marie May for her years of service
as editor of the C3 Views. It’s volunteers like Vonn who allow C3
to continue as an active presence in San Diego for nearly 50
years.
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C3 Views- A Journal of Regional Planning Issues for San Diego
County
C3 Committees
50th Anniversary GalaChair: C3 BoardContact:
[email protected]
Breakfast DialogueChair: Charles KaminskiContact:
[email protected]
Equity & Community PlanningChair: Susan TinskyContact:
[email protected]
Parks & Open SpaceChairs: John Lomac & Judy
SwinkContact: [email protected], [email protected]
SustainabilityChair: Dahvia LynchContact:
[email protected]
Water & EnergyChairs: Luisa Schultz & Don WoodContact:
[email protected], [email protected]
WaterfrontChair: Diane CoombsContact: [email protected]
Volunteer for a Committee We encourage our membership to get
involved in all of our committees. If you are interested, please
contact the desig-nated Chair.
C3 is also always looking for Volunteers to help out in the
Office and at events. Call or email the C3 office with your
availability if you would like to volunteer.
Page 11
Downtown San Diego Skyline
Spring 2010
Contact:For information. questions, or comments:5252 Balboa
AveSuite 207San Diego, CA 92117-7005(619)
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