Great weather and friends...
Want to join us for a friendly game
of croquet in Balboa Park?
Interactive “Giant Worlds” exhibition opens
Balboa Park’s Fleet Science Center has opened a new exhibit to celebrate the Internation Year of Astronomy. Making its West Coast debut, the national traveling show invites visitors to explore the amazing wonders of our solar system and its enormous giant planets.
Consisting of 20 individual exhibits filled with interactive experiences and spectacular murals that reveal the grandeur of these amazing planets, visitors can learn about gravity in a simulation that assigns a mass to the visitor’s shadow and demonstrates how particles, such as those in Saturn’s spectacular ring system, interact with the shadow. They can also design and launch a virtual probe into Jupiter’s crushing atmosphere and see how far their probe gets before it is destroyed. This great exhibit will be featured at the Science Center thru May 3. Don’t miss it.
Did you see SDPD in Hillcrest today?
Horses are a unique sight in 92103 these days. Strange enough that we looped around to get photos to share. Here’s the scoop...the front rider is on a “horse in training” and the police wanted to see how it would do with a little more noise than their mostly sedate gig in Balboa Park. As they crossed the Robinson exit for northbound 163, an ambulance came right up behind the riders and blasted the siren.
The noble steed passed with flying colors. The only unanswered question was...who cleans up the poop? Is that another city service that the HBIA will have to pick up?
Wednesday evening the City of San Diego Planning and Community Investment Director Bill Anderson (right) led a discussion to inform neighbors from Uptown, North Park and Golden Hill about the beginning of the Community Plan updates for their respective neighborhoods. (Hillcrest is part of the Uptown
Community Plan.) Tonight’s meeting
at the Balboa Park Club kicked-off with a welcome from Mayor Jerry
Sanders followed by councilmembers Faulconer, Gloria and Hueso
welcoming their respective communities and introducing their staff. The
plan update will extend over a two-year period beginning with the
selection of a committee to represent each community. The mayor
explained that the city will save money by updating the three community
plans concurrently and that it makes sense because issues often cross
community boundaries for these older neighborhoods circling Balboa
Park. The existing plans are over 20 years old and in many cases no longer reflect the needs of the community. New plans need to be governed by the General Plan and guided by 10 principles of the plan. The city staff will manage the project, draft the plans and liaison with the planning groups and the public. Community planning groups will gather public input and advise city staff and decision makers. Consultants will provide technical support as an extension of staff. The anticipated framework is a subcommittee of each community planning group focused on plan updates; a separate group focused on larger issues; and ad hoc volunteer opportunities. The multi-year project is budgeted to cost $1.7 million.
Hillcrest has an opportunity and a challenge to make certain that community aspects which we cherish most are preserved, including historical homes, buildings and other resources. Help ensure that community charm and character is not obliterated by new projects, and assure that new development harmonizes with our existing community. If you are interested in participating in the process, please attend the Uptown Planners meetings on the first Tuesdays of each month at 6pm in the Joyce Beers Community Center. Their next meeting will be this coming Tuesday.
An open letter from Dionne Carlson re: yesterday’s City Council meeting...
Dear neighbors of BeHi,The hearing to support our appeal of OLP’s expansion plan was continued to March 3rd.
What
Happened? 1) Todd Gloria really
stepped up to the plate and went to bat for our neighborhood and for
historic preservation in general. Todd proposed a motion to uphold our
appeal (denying OLP’s project) but allowing them a CUP amendment to keep their 750 students, (but not unlimited
events, etc. which they were requesting) and keep the off-site parking
requirement in place. His purpose (from my understanding) in this was
to get OLP and us (BeHi) to work together on a new plan that would
allow OLP modernization while saving the historic homes. Todd showed
that he clearly understood all the concerns of our neighborhood and of OLP. 2) Todd received strong
support from fellow council members Donna Frye, Tony Young & Sherri
Lightner. As well as support from council members Kevin Faulconer &
Carl DeMaio. (Marti Emerald was absent) 3) City staff and the
City Attorney’s Office raised questions about the legality of such a
motion, as the old CUP is still subject to judicial enforcement.
Councilwoman Donna Frye worked quite hard with Todd to overcome these
legal objections and to find a way to allow his motion to proceed...to
no avail. 4) City Council
President Ben Hueso would not support Todd’s motion (even though it had
a second) and instead proposed a substitute motion for a continuance until March 3rd which gained
unanimous support. What do we do now? We will be contacting Councilman Todd Gloria’s office and ask for his help in brokering talks with Our Lady of Peace towards a workable solution that both saves our community’s character with these historic homes...and meets OLP’s modernization and educational needs. We plan to show our councilman that his faith in us is not misplaced, and we are genuinely willing to work with OLP towards a better solution to our issues.
7th edition of HillQuest underway
Do you have a suggestion for a story? An interest in being a contributor in 2009-2010’s HillQuest? Or know of someone who needs a part or full time job to earn some extra money over the next couple of months? (See below.)The next edition of HillQuest, an Urban Guide to 92103+ will begin distribution the end of June at advertiser locations...and it’s gonna be the best book ever. Many of the top spots in the upcoming guide have been reserved, but we’re in the process of building HQ7 and would love to have you involved in this great community publication. Businesses have until March 31st to place an ad, but since advertisers are welcome to choose their positions in the book...the earlier you purchase, the more options available. Also, each new advertiser will immediately be posted to this website’s dining, services, community churches, lodging or shopping pages.
Interested in earning some extra ca$h? San Diego’s most popular urban guide is outreaching for self-motivated people to expand our ad sales team. For over six years we’ve been recognized as the best advertising value in town — for as little as $350 (less than a dollar a day) receive 12-months of on-street promotion throughout the Uptown area. This year’s ad sales will close the end of March, a short window for making lots of contacts to new businesses. Let us know if you’d enjoy helping us outreach for new ads in our seventh edition.
The 2009 “Neighbors” chapter will focus on North Park which will generate more sales opportunities for the right person. Enthusiasm a must. Sales experience is a plus, but definitely not necessary. Hours will be flexible, and your income will be commission-based. Interested? Please send your resume asap. Call (619) 260-1929 with questions.
Need a great haircut?
Celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama and our country’s new beginning by receiving a discount on your next haircut from Michael Eller’s Salon. This Bankers Hill stylist is extending a discount (of up to 40%) to clients referred by HillQuest. This means high-end haircuts are only $29.99 (reg. $55 & up) with men’s styling only $19.99 (reg. $30 & up).
All cuts by master stylists! The offer is available through April 15, 2009. Pay for experience, not business overhead. Enjoy a relaxed, casual, yet highly professional approach. We love what we do, and want to make Uptowners look and feel their best, too. Ask about color, because they ROCK with it. Be cool at any age! Remember to mention HillQuest when you make your appointment at (619) 297-2100 or 297-8962.
New parking meters installed on Fourth Avenue
On Monday the City of San Diego began a four-month pilot program for new credit-card friendly, single-head meters that will take MasterCard and Visa credit cards (in addition to coins and pre-paid parking cards). The new meters were installed in downtown and Hillcrest (on Fourth Avenue between Robinson & University avenues). To use a credit card: Insert and remove card; select time using + and - buttons. When desired time is displayed, press the “OK” button. It’s possible to cancel the transaction by pressing “cancel” within one minute. Note: only parking cards will allow you to retrieve unused time when you are ready to leave. This isn’t an option with credit cards or coins.
For more info contact Uptown Partnership at (619) 298-2541.
