Seeking Suggestions for Health & Transportation/Built Environment Web Forum

The Public Health Institute www.phi.org is planning a Web Forum on the application of policy change strategies to the upcoming reauthorization of the Transportation Bill (SAFETEA-LU). The built environment is considered a key contributing factor to health and illness, particularly obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Public health advocates had some success with modifying provisions of the Farm Bill as a means of preventing obesity & chronic disease. This Web Forum, an activity of the California Health Strategies Collaborative, will focus on how lessons from the advocacy experience with the Farm Bill can be applied to the built environment. SAFETEA-LU offers an opportunity to address the epidemic of obesity and diabetes in our communities.

The Public Health Institute is seeking suggestions regarding outreach/advertising efforts in California for a Web Forum scheduled for late June/early July. We are eager to have a broad array of stakeholders in dialogue, particularly individuals who are not public health practitioners, sharing their viewpoints on how transportation policy/practice can support the goal of increasing physical activity. If you have suggestions or input regarding this matter, please contact Star Tiffany at the Public Health Institute.

Star Tiffany
Research Associate
California Health Strategies Collaborative
Public Health Institute
555 12th Street, 10th Floor
Oakland, CA 94607-4046.

Community Grant Needs Your Help

We need your help to identify worthy non-profit community organizations that are working on projects in San Diego County that may need financial support in order to plan or execute their projects. The past few years, we¹ve received fewer and fewer applications for ASLA's annual $5,000 Community Grant. We need your assistance to recommend organizations that are working on restoring their parks, streambeds, community gardens, beautifying their parkways or other improvement projects.

If you know of such an organization, please forward their information to us at ASLASD@sbcglobal.net and direct them to the 2008 grant application here. We will assist recommended organizations to understand the application process by coordinating a grant meeting sometime in late May. Recommendations will be appreciated by the end of April to set up the review meeting.

• City + Regional Standard Drawings
• City + Regional Supplements (will be up shortly)
• California MUTCD
• Document Adoption Memos

Landscape architects are invited to provide input. The City's Standards and Specification Engineer is an active member of the Greenbook Committee and the San Diego Regional Committee. Therefore, there is a way for staff to make suggestions and have some input for these very important design documents as well as City's own standards. The goal is to have high quality sets of standards that serve staff and eventually our customers best. The City just adopted the 2006 editions, and with that is kicking-off the update period for the 2009 editions.

If you would like to help, please contact Rob Streza. These drawings and standard specifications cannot be improved by one person. A greater involvement from people who actually use them is essential to the quality of the standards.




San Diego County Invasive Ornamental Plant Guide

This Guide is produced and distributed by the San Diego Chapter of the American Society of the Landscape Architects (SD/ASLA) and the San Diego Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) for the primary purpose of educating landscape professionals and the general-public regarding the cultivation, selection, use and management of non-native and/or invasive flora in San Diego regional landscapes.

It is understood that this Guide is of special importance in the "urban interface": areas where natural vegetation and man-made landscapes come into close contact. It is not the intent of the authors to add unnecessary constraints or to discourage the planting of a broad selection of native and non-native species where it is unlikely that their presence would have any effect upon indigenous plant populations or habitat. This Guide is provided solely as a reference document and is not intended for regulatory purposes.

To download the Plant Matrix, click here.

For additional information on invasive plants, please view the following links:

• The Nature Conservancy: http://nature.org/initiatives/invasivespecies/
• California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC): www.caleppc.org
• Invasive Plants of California¹s Wildlands (publication), by Randall & Hoshovsky: http://groups.ucanr.org/

• 100 Shcools
• Community Design Workshop
• Community Grant

The role of the Planning Commission is to strike a balance between private benefit and public good and lead the community in defining the land use goals and objectives for the future. The Commission is the decision maker on many land use projects or serves as an advisory board to the City Council on the remainder. Typical projects that are under consideration by the Planning Commission at this time are land use proposals in Mission Bay Park and Balboa park, developments in Carmel Valley or infill projects throughout the city.

The Planning commission is also taking the proactive role in leading the update of the City's General Plan, and is currently formulating the Strategic Framework Element for City Council presentation on November 21. The Planning commission meets every Thursday in the Council Chambers of City Hall, all meetings are open to the public and noticed.

For additional information, visit the web site.

The Design Review Board serves as the Planning Commission for all projects within, and policies or regulations which impact the Village Redevelopment Area. Many of the issues addressed are reviewed within the context of enhancing the pedestrian experience for the residents of Carlsbad and the visitors who frequent the area. Issues include:

a. What constitutes compatible redevelopment;
b. Urban design;
c. Streetscape design;
d. Street trees;
e. Signage design and programs;
f. Community themes;
g. Parking design and requirements;
h. Historic preservation;
i. Development compatibility;
j. Mixed-use development concepts;
k. Transit / transportation systems and programs

The Southeastern Economic Development Corporation is the development corporation that represents the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Diego for planning and implementing redevelopment in Southeastern San Diego. Its jurisdiction stretches over seven square miles from Sherman Heights to Encanto south of the Martin Luther King Freeway (94) within the City of San Diego.

The Development corporation uses a twin-pillar strategy: redevelopment and economic development as intricately linked and simultaneous activities designed to produce a wider array of opportunities for the residents and business owners in southeastern San Diego. Using tax increment financing, developer participation and other funding sources, the Development Corporation is charged with both housing and economic revitalization, and is balancing quality jobs with new housing.

It has just adopted a multifamily Housing Guideline strategy to assist in the good design of multifamily housing within the neighborhoods, helping to eliminate the fear of density and support affordable housing. Its Board of Directors is made up of local and community leaders and professional expertise with a dedication to redevelopment.

For additional information, visit http://www.sannet.gov

The City has established a Design Review Board to review projects within the Old Town Planned District Ordinance to enforce the directions of the ordinance and the design controls of private property development, so that the ambiance of Old Town is maintained in its pre-1873 character. Within the one-square mile area, the Board has advisory capacity of all development except those within State property (Old Town State Park and CalTrans property). The Board is made up of community interests and design professionals.

For additional information, visit http://www.sannet.gov

The Port of San Diego Public Art Committee meets monthly to review proposals for public art projects as well as memorials.

For additional information, visit the web site.

Citizens Coordinate for Century 3 also known as C3 is San Diego's oldest non-profit, non-partisan civic organization dedicated to issues of the environment and urban form. C3 was originally formed as a grass-roots organization and has evolved into a well-respected activist group offering positions relating to the urban and natural environments and the political and physical forces that come to bear on them.

The Board of Directors meets monthly to review pending issues and projects as well as sponsoring community educational forums regarding design and the environment. C3 is serving as a watchdog to the various development activities taking place within the region as well as both the City's and County's general Plan updates. It authored the model for accommodating our region's population with its publication of "Towards Permanent Paradise" in 1999, as a follow-up to the seminal text "Temporary Paradise" by lynch & Appleyard in the 70's.

To become involved with C3, breakfast meetings are held on the third Thursday of every month. Membership is $50/year. For additional information, contact the Citizens Coordinate for Century 3, P.O. Box 121028, San Diego, CA 92112-1028 or call (619) 232-7196 for a membership application and information.

The Town Council's purpose is to promote the civic, educational, cultural and commercial activities, as well as the general welfare of the community of Clairemont. The objective of the Council is to advocate on behalf of the community, facilitate discussion of community issues, take a stand as authorized by the membership, communicate those views to the appropriate organizations, and sponsor programs which benefit Clairemont.

The Citizen's Advisory Board was established in March 1999 and meets every-other month. Other members of the Board include representatives from: San Diego Association of Realtors, San Diego County Apartment Association, San Diego Chamber of Commerce, Building Industry Association San Diego, San Diego Taxpayers Association, League of Women Voters, and the Sierra Club, among others. The Board is charged with representing the best interests of the citizens and water ratepayers of the City of San Diego. The Advisory Board reviews planned expenditures, department organization, service delivery methods, and the implementation of the $773 million dollar Capital Improvement Program to ensure that the funds are expended in a responsible manner, and quality water service continues to be provided to City residents.

Recently, the Advisory Board has been reviewing water resource planning issues relating to the update of the Strategic Plan for Water Supply for San Diego. In addition, the Strategic Plan has targeted an aggressive program for increasing water conservation efforts. City staff and consultants are collecting information from the Advisory Panel as well as interested groups such as the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) in developing strategies for increasing water conservation over the next several years.

The City of San Diego Park & Recreation Design Review Committee's main concerns and issues have been equally divided between functional concerns and aesthetic issues. Recent hearings have addressed the following:

1. Fire and brush management and fire safety, and their direct impacts on the designs;
2. Erosion control and site drainage and their impacts on adjacent sites and downstream environments;
3. Basic aesthetics relative to human scale and people places; the creation of "neighborhoods"; and developing sense of place.

Members were prepared for the subject as a result of previously receiving a 03 October memo from Mike Stepner and Nick DeLorenzo including the following documents:

• It's a Zoo Out There, C3 President's Column by Tom Anglewicz
• Draft Position Paper by Terry Barker
• Report to Zoo Working Group on the 12 August Charrette by Steve Estrada

Terry Barker provided background information about the Position Paper. The writing was based on the premise that all options are valid but a pro/con listing is desired to establish a conclusion. A proposed Design Council listing of recommendations concludes the Paper.

Comments by those in attendance:

• Balboa Park is one of the jewels of San Diego and, therefore, the final report must offer a bold vision statement about its destiny. In the meantime, the Design Council should generate and publish policy statements and graphics to help guide the direction of Zoo expansion, Balboa Park and greater Downtown. Principles and strategies need to be identified. Some could be lifted from the Charrette. Graphics are often more powerful than text to explain an idea.
• Parking is an issue that occurs on every project. The volume required to serve the Zoo is huge, but it should be located for all Park users.
• Transit is needed to tie all the projects and districts. This could be an effective means of shuttling people through the Park in lieu of everyone driving. A transit spline along Park Boulevard could be extended to the Bay.
• A Committee was formed to establish the Design Council position consisting of Tom Anglewicz, Terry Barker, Jack Carpenter, Joyce Cutler-Shaw and Geraldine Forbes-Isais. They will work independently of the Zoo Working Group.
  
  MAYOR'S CONFERENCE
  This conference is scheduled for 29/30/31 November and the Design Council is needed to hold Downtown tours. The format is to ask mayors from different parts of the country to discuss ongoing projects that are not working properly.
  
  CITY OF SAN DIEGO TRAFFIC CALMING POLICY
  A 1996 Design Council letter offered the City help in formulating a Traffic Calming Policy as an extension of the Street Design Manual. Current City policy does not encourage calming. A policy needs to be oriented toward pedestrians. Some calming devices are particularly difficult for the disabled. A Roger Showley article in the Union-Tribune discussing streets and sidewalks versus pedestrians was distributed.
  
  TWELVE GAMING HALLS
  Jack Carpenter recommended that the Indian Tribes and their spokesman, Richard Ledford, be asked to discuss the effect of the proposed gaming halls on the environment. Of particular concern is the traffic impact on existing roads, the use of the land adjacent to the Indian Reservation and the change to the character of the backcountry. Consolidation of the halls would relieve some problems. A County of San Diego report on the subject is being developed.
  
  MIDWAY AIRCRAFT CARRIER MUSEUM
  Jack Carpenter also reported that the Design Council Committee set up to review the carrier subject came to a draw on every critical issue, i.e. -- location, parking and size. The committee consisted of Bill Chopyk, Victoria Hamilton, Linda Moreland and Jack Carpenter.
  
  Comments today included:
  
  
  • They Navy represents a large part of San Diego's history and could add to tourism as part of a "clean industry."
  • The ship could focus the role of women in industry during World War II as "Rosie the Riveter."
  • Interesting idea but is the Downtown waterfront location appropriate for a large ship?
  • A prominent position is needed in order to obtain a volume of paying visitors to support ship maintenance.
  • This issue is scheduled to be heard by the Coastal Commission in November.

MTDB UPDATE
The staff is in the final stage of a two-year study with four different scenarios; one of which, will be selected by the MTDB Board for further study.

CITY OF SAN DIEGO
A recent presentation dealt with the funding sources of public utilities that are involved in long range planning.

COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO
Presentations are scheduled for the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors between now and January which will show less density and population between the old and new General Plans.