Supes back privately funded Balboa Park makeover (San Diego)

[bananas]

http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/kswb-supes-back-privately-funded-balboa-park-makeover-20120508,0,7442297.story?track=rss

Supes back privately funded Balboa Park makeover

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday endorsed a privately funded $40 million plan to makeover Balboa Park to eliminate cars from 6.3 acres.

The San Diego City Council is expected to discuss the proposal in July.

<snip>

The Plaza de Panama Committee would divert the some 7,000 vehicles that pass through the park each day -- from the Cabrillo Bridge to the proposed Centennial Bridge, through the Alcazar parking lot, then to a 785-space underground garage near the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.

<snip>

Some preservationists and community activists were not so happy.

Bruce Coons, executive director of the Save Our Heritage Organisation, said the park would look "like a business park in North County, not like the Balboa Park we all love.''

<snip>

They should just extend the trolley into the park and to the zoo.
Christmas on the Prado is a parking nightmare, this plan won't help.

[bananas]

1. union-trib article with environmental impact report

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/may/03/plaza-de-panama-plan-endorsed-balboa-park-committe/

Plaza de Panama plan endorsed by Balboa Park Committee
Clearing cars out of center, adding bypass bridge now go to Park and Recreation Board

(Updated with link to final environmental impact report.)

The Balboa Park Committee voted 7-4 Thursday to approve the $40 million Plaza de Panama plan to remove cars and parking from the middle of the park.

The committee acted after a nearly three-hour meeting, during which supporters and opponents were almost evenly divided over many details, particularly the idea of adding a bypass bridge off the Cabrillo Bridge on the western side to divert traffic toward an 800-car garage south of the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.

The plan now goes to the Historic Resources Board, Park and Recreation Board and Planning Commission before final action by the City Council in July. The commission had held a workshop on the plan earlier Thursday but took no action.

Thefinal environmental impact report is expected to be posted at 5 p.m. Friday (May 4) on the Historic Resources Board's web site for consideration at its next meeting, scheduled May 18.

<snip>

[bananas]

2. The comments in the UT article say there was lots of opposition to it

Here's one of many:

Allen Hazard · Top Commenter · San Diego, California

"Generally divided"? I was at last night's meeting, about 150 individuals who opposed the Jacobs' Folly, about a dozen hired professionals representing the Jacobs/Sanders team and about 5 people who supported the project. Only 3 who spoke for the project were private citizens (one nice lady from Bonita said that she is a volunteer and she can afford the $5 parking fee at the new garage. She didn't mention the visitors who can't afford that, which will be much much higher than $5).

Looked to me to be about 90% to 10% against the Jacobs' Folly - "generally divided"?

Interesting how the Jacobs/Sanders team and the BP Committee did not discuss how the Jacobs' Folly fails to follow the Interior Guidelines for Historic Structures, which is why the National Trust, the State Office for Historic Preservation and Save Our Heritage Organisation have all strongly opposed it - the State Officer, Wayne Donaldson has even warned that the Folly would likely cause Balboa Park to be delisted from the National Register (a loss of federal funding).

Chicago's Solider Field was "remodeled" with an expansion looking like an alien spaceship landed on top of it, Solider Field lost its National Register status and most locals now call it the "Toilet Bowl" - I wonder what we will call the Jacobs' Folly IF this happens...

Shame on the Balboa Park Committee for not listening to the concerns of national, state, local preservation experts and many many groups (including Caltrans, the Woman's League of Voters, the Committee of 100, most community planning groups and the vast majority of citizens).

Apparently, Dr. Jacobs and Mayor Sanders have very powerful connections as the deck appears to be stacked for the few and rich...For shame...

Reply · 10 · · May 4 at 7:42am

[bananas]

6. Here's the link to all the official reports

http://www.sandiego.gov/planning/programs/historical/agendas/board2012.shtml

[Arctic Dave]

3. Don't ruin balboa park!

I love that place!

[frylock]

4. i don't think the trolley would be capable of making the ascent from C st to the park..

it's a pretty steep hill.

[bananas]

5. MTS is already studying a proposal to run it up Park Blvd.

The hill shouldn't be a problem, trolleys have been used on steep hills in San Francisco and other cities.

San Diego is already studying a proposal to extend the trolley to the Park and Zoo,
as well as other extensions in the long term:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_Trolley#Balboa_Park_Streetcar_Line

Balboa Park Streetcar Line

MTS began work in March 2011 on a study to evaluate the feasibility of reconnecting Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo and Downtown San Diego through a fixed-guideway, electrified streetcar line.[16] The project study corridor runs between the City College Trolley Station area, and Balboa Park, in the vicinity of the San Diego Zoo;[17] An alignment similar to the proposed one was last served by a streetcar system in 1949 on lines 7 Park Boulevard-University Avenue to East San Diego & 11 Park Boulevard-Adams Avenue to Kensington.[18] The Committee is also evaluating what types of streetcars to use, the possible options include the future 57 Ultra Short 2011 S70s in the "Modern Streetcar" category, and the Restored PCC Streetcars from the Downtown Silver Line in the "Vintage Streetcar" category.[19][20]
See also: Silver Line (San Diego Trolley)#Balboa Park Streetcar Line

2050 Regional Transportation Plan

The San Diego Association of Governments released a draft of its 2050 Regional Transportation Plan in April 2011, which was approved in October 28, 2011.[21] Significant expansion of 156 new miles of Trolley service is proposed in the 2050 RTP, including a north-south Trolley corridor along the I-805 corridor that would connect University City, Kearny Mesa, Mission Valley, Mid-City, and southeastern San Diego, National City, and Chula Vista. Intersecting this I-805 Trolley corridor would be three new east-west Trolley lines between University City and Mira Mesa; from Pacific Beach to East County via Kearny Mesa and Mission Valley; from downtown San Diego to SDSU via the mid-city communities, and a tunnel system in the downtown area.[22]

Here's an interesting article about the Park and Zoo extension: http://sduptownnews.com/trolley-madness-from-uptown-to-downtown-trolley-fever-is-spreading-but-getting-the-project-from-concept-to-tracks-is-another-story/

The Park and Zoo extension reports are here:
http://www.sdmts.com/streetcarstudy.asp