September 23,
2006
Hillcrest’s most popular restaurant bar has been transformed. The crazy-packed Hamburger Mary’s is now Urban Mo’s. Longtime businesssmen Chris Shaw and Doug Snyder opened the franchise in 1992 at the fomer site of the Mandolin Wind (’70s-’80s). Co-owner Matt Ramon who’s been a part of Mary’s success since the beginning gets credit for the name change (first used on Will & Grace). The boyz also seized the opportunity to create a new decor and menu. Dinners now feature steaks, fish and a yummy barbecued meatloaf.
• Across the street 301 University has gotten the ‘go ahead,’ but last week’s GLT readers’ poll showed 59% against the 12-story tower. HillQuest’s poll continues to run over 56% against. What’s next? Within the next week, Save Hillcrest will need to make a major decision whether to exercise a legal obligation or to allow the City Council vote to stand. Will they find the funding needed?
• Sumptin exciting is coming to Hillcrest (and it’s only one story). PB’s James Brennan (who created Gaslamp’s Stingaree) is moving forward with plans for Universal on the northeast corner of University and Vermont. A hip supper club and lounge has been designed for the building that has been a x-rated movie house and an F Street video business for decades. The upscale Universal will be a great asset to the neighborhood.
• We were sad to see Sue Palmer, San Diego’s Queen of Boogie Woogie, recently end her great run at Martinis Above Fourth, but in her place Dale, Chaz and Johnny have launched Date Night every Thursday thru October. Sue and Candye are off to entertain Europeans at the end of the month.
• Hash House owners Craig “Andy” Beardslee and Johnny Rivera have secured the former location of Rice Jones on Fifth Avenue just south of Pennsylvania for their new eatery which is expected to open the first week of October. The Tractor Room, across the street from the construction work on the new Atlas Hillcrest condos, will feature late night dining and cocktails.
• Have you seen the new hot dog cart under the Hillcrest sign? Grab a vegi-dog! We hear a new gelato storefront will be opening nearby on Fifth Avenue quite soon.
September 22,
2006
Letter to the UT: Not enough study on Hillcrest project
Regarding “Hillcrest project to add parking” (Local, Sept. 13)While it is a positive move by the City Council to approve a project that will add 121 public parking spaces in Hillcrest, one has to wonder how the public is going to get to, and from, the additional parking. The streets that surround the project are congested much of the time now. Emergency vehicles have difficulty traversing the area.
What will the situation be like after the 12-story building with 96 residential, plus retail, and a total of 322 off-street parking spaces are added? The City Council had an opportunity to require the developer to do an extensive environmental impact report on traffic in the area. Instead, it chose to accept a computer-generated conclusion and adopt a “Mitigated Negative Declaration” without requiring mitigation measures that would ensure a smooth flow of traffic.
There are things the city could do to alleviate the congestion: (1) Make Robinson and University avenues one-way streets from First to Fifth Avenue; (2) Make Third Avenue a one-way street (Fourth is already one-way); (3) Remove all on-street parking on University from First to Fifth, thereby making University a four-lane street; (4) Stop all cross-traffic ingress and egress on University and Robinson avenues from First to Fifth except at controlled intersections.
In making the motion to approve the project as presented, Councilwoman Toni Atkins, who represents the Hillcrest area, expressed concerns about the height and traffic. I believe she was just giving lip service to those who opposed the project. In fact, the only council member who felt there needed to be more study and input was Donna Frye. The other council members could take a lesson on the “right thing to do” from her.
September 21,
2006
HQ Open Forum...
I am writing to let you all know why I voted with the City Council majority on September 12 to approve the development at 301 University Avenue.
This was a very difficult decision for me and I am sorry that in approving this project I may have disappointed some of you. As I pledged to both opponents and supporters of the project, I remained open to the discussion and didn’t make a firm decision until the hearing last week. I also reviewed the numerous letters, phone calls and e-mails I received on the issue. In the end, I concluded that the benefits of the project outweighed the downside. Following are benefits this project will bring to the community:
1) Revitalization 301 University will replace an abandoned building with a residential and commercial center that will be pedestrian-friendly and bring new life to one of our most treasured neighborhoods. The vitality of the Hillcrest commercial core is important to both the merchants and their customers, many of whom are local residents.
2) Housing Equally important, this project will provide a total of 96 much-needed housing units, 4 of which will be affordable rental units. The developer will also pay a fee to the city’s affordable housing fund.
3) Parking Increasing the availability of parking in an area that desperately needs it is another highlight of the 301 project. The 121 public parking spaces represent a private investment of over $7.5 million for the public’s benefit.
4) Traffic Traffic continues to be a concern for me. A study of Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth avenues is currently underway and I will urge that a similar study be conducted on the east-west corridors of Washington Street, University and Robinson avenues. My hope is that through innovative approaches we can ensure easy access to the area.
I know that many community members are very concerned about the scale of the project. Early on, the developer responded to these concerns by reducing the height from 14 stories to 12. Although that may still seem too tall to many, the project is actually 25% shorter than the maximum allowed by the area’s Community Plan.
I did not make this decision lightly. In fact, it would have been much easier simply to vote “NO” and not address the question of how we accommodate population growth in our communities. I am a strong advocate for protecting single family neighborhoods. I do not want to lose historic structures that define our community’s character. For this reason, how and where we place density becomes a very real issue and not just an academic discussion.
During this process, it
has become clear to me that there is much misinformation and many
concerns about the current Uptown Community Plan. That is why
Councilmember Kevin Faulconer and I are sponsoring a forum where we can
exchange information with the community. I invite you to attend this
community workshop to discuss your views about the plan and how you
might want to seek to change it. The workshop is scheduled for Saturday,
October 14, from 9am to noon, at the Recital
Hall in Balboa Park.
I hope you will keep an open mind as you review my reasons for supporting this project and that you’ll come prepared in October to have a real discussion about how we balance all these concerns and issues within our community plan.
Toni Atkins, Councilmember, Third District City of San Diego
September 20,
2006
Would you like to be involved in planning Hillcrest’s future?
Next month councilmembers Kevin Faulconer and Toni Atkins are hosting an open forum in Balboa Park to take input on the current Uptown Community Plan and accept ideas for the future of our neighborhoods. Approved by the City Council in 1988, the Uptown Plan has never been updated. The city workshop has been scheduled for Saturday, October 14th from 9am-noon in the Recital Hall (near the Auto museum). The Uptown Community Planning Area is bounded on the north by the steep hillsides of Mission Valley, on the east by Park Boulevard and Balboa Park, and on the west and south by Old San Diego and Interstate 5. The plan area has been divided into six sub-areas: Mission Hills, Middletown, Hillcrest, the Medical Complex, University Heights and Park West neighborhoods.
If you care about our community’s future, please be present and be a part of the dialogue with our councilmembers, city planners, mayor’s representative, community activists and others. Bring your thoughts to Balboa Park’s Recital Hall and share them! For more information contact Melissa Devine at mdevine@sandiego.gov or at (619) 235-5201.
Take Uptown Planners online survey (before Sept 30) re: An Interim Ordinance for Height Limits in Uptown. The group meets the first Tuesday of each month at the Joyce Beers Community Center.
September 19,
2006
September 18,
2006
September 17,
2006
Together Everyone Achieves More
The Hillcrest Clean T.E.A.M. spent two hours this morning again sweeping the sidewalks and gutters of our neighborhood. Thanks to everyone for helping Hillcrest look better! Our next volunteer effort will be held on Sunday, October 1st. The Clean TEAM was formed in November of 2005, and has committed to the clean-ups twice a month (first & third Sundays) through the end of this year.
