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www.SDNEWS.com Volume 27, Number 15
THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013
San Diego Community Newspaper Group
Sports arena-area merchants facing turmoil over leases BY DAVE SCHWAB | THE BEACON Fears that the city may not renew or extend leases on several city-owned properties east of the sports arena have business owners there concerned about their future. The concerns surfaced during the North Bay Community Planning Group’s (NBCPG) July 17 meeting. The city owns not just the sports arena property but also the properties on either side of it. This would include the commercial strip where Red Lobster and Phil’s Barbecue are, the sports arena site, the commercial area where SOMA and Kobey’s Swap Meet’s corporate offices are, down to Dixieline and Pier One. NBCPG chairwoman Melanie Nickel said the issue currently is not the site of the Valley View Casino Center (formerly the San Diego Sports Arena) itself, because it has a long-term lease. Currently at stake are the fates of SOMA and Kobey’s corporate offices, as well as the site of the long-vacant Black Angus restaurant east of the sports arena. “These leases expired a year or two ago and the city refused to renew them,” Nickel said. “Those properties have all been on SEE LEASES, Page 5
Expert opinions continue to be divided in terms of how best to halt erosion at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park.
Photo by Jim Grant I The Beacon
Experts at odds on how to stave off Sunset Cliffs erosion BY DAVE SCHWAB | THE BEACON Environmental experts clashed over a proposed drainage system designed to reduce bluff erosion at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park at Peninsula Community Planning Board’s (PCPB’s) July 18 meeting. City engineer Ali Darvishi and environmental consultants Craig Barilotti and Cammie Ingram offered differing views on methods to improve drainage to resolve Sunset Cliffs’ longstanding erosion problem. The opinions were expressed during a presentation on the Sunset Cliffs Hillside Park Project.
The city is proposing a more traditional approach that would use piping along the cliffs with a series of drains installed at the base of the bluffs to intercept stormwater runoff. Barilotti and Ingram, on the other hand, argued that the city’s plan is costly and unnecessary. They insist more natural methods — like dirt berms and vegetative swale to remove silt and pollution from surface runoff water — should be used instead to stem cliff erosion. The hillside project calls for developing two 6-foot-wide trails on the hillside section of the park, which is the 50-acre portion south
of Ladera Street. A third trail available for disabled users would begin at one of the hillside’s parking lots. The trails are intended to enhance opportunities to view the ocean with five observation points, interpretive signs and several benches. Native plants and a temporary irrigation system will be installed on 10 feet of both sides of the trails. Shortcuts and secondary trails will be cut off and restored with native plants. A former ballpark used by Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) would be reconSEE EROSION, Page 5
Bike-sharing program beginning to gain traction BY DAVE SCHWAB | THE BEACON
The city has approved a $7.2 million bike-sharing program across the city. A survey is now taking Courtesy photo place to determine locations.
Now that the City Council has signed off on a new bike-sharing program that would allow residents of Ocean Beach and Point Loma — among other beach communities — to peddle between 180 or more bike stations with 1,800 bikes citywide, locals are being asked to chime in on the need and desirability of the program. On July 8, the council sanctioned a 10-year contract with DecoBike, which will pay the estimated $7.2 million cost of setting up infrastructure for the BikeShare program, which is expected to begin in spring 2014. “We support the idea of the bike-share program citywide and value the benefit it will provide in getting commuters to the beach area via alternative transportation,” said Sara Berns, executive director of Discover Pacific Beach. But Berns expressed concern that the new bike-share program might compete with existing bike-rental businesses in Pacific Beach that
serve tourists and locals. “We have been working with, and look forward to, continued efforts by the city to work with us and the community to best implement the program in PB with these small-business owners in mind,” Berns said, adding the San Diego BID Council will host an educational and input forum on the bike-share program in Pacific Beach in mid-September at a date and place to be determined. Officials from neighboring beach communities agree about the benefits, however. “It’s a great opportunity to help solve the problem of how people can get around without using the car,” said Joe LaCava, vice president of the La Jolla Community Planning Association, which makes land-use recommendations to the city. “I think it will be a real addition, not only in La Jolla, but in the rest of San Diego.” Colby Reese, chief marketing officer for SEE SHARE, Page 4
District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer and San Diego Police Department Assistant Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman are training for a 620-mile bicycle ride in October to benefit the Challenged Athletes Courtesy photo Foundation.
Councilman, asst. police chief prep for 620-mile cycling fundraiser District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer and San Diego Police Department Assistant Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman are gearing up for an arduous seven-day, 620-mile bicycle ride in October that event organizers hope will raise $1 million for the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). The Dodge Million Dollar Challenge, slated to take place from Oct. 12-18, will cover a route from San Francisco to San Diego. The proceeds from the bicycle ride and fundraising effort will help the San Diego-based nonprofit purchase sports equipment for challenged athletes. “This week-long bicycle journey will directly support veterans who have lost limbs in combat, first responders who have suffered traumatic injuries and all others who need help to SEE RIDE, Page 5