Progress Update - All aboard!
There has been some good forward progress on our efforts to return streetcar service to the neighborhoods surrounding Balboa Park. All of the community conversations we have had have both raised good questions for later in the planning process as well as generated significant support for the concept of building our this dedicated transit option to connect the businesses and resident in our communities.
We will be briefing the Golden Hill community planning group in November. We dropped in on a previous meeting and let them know what was happening through a quick public comment and flyer drop. We have since been invited to give a formal presentation, now targeting November due to vacations on our team.
We initiated a letter writing click to send email page that has resulted in a number of emails sent to CM Whitburn requesting the $500K needed to move SANDAG planning forward be allocated from parking revenues, as these funds must be used to create or offset parking and related transportation projects. If you haven’t, please consider dropping an email! https://www.vibrantuptown.org/streetcar-updates/you-can-help-move-streetcars-forward
We had a second conversation with the Uptown Community Planning Group to request they support the allocation of parking money to jumpstart the SANDAG planning process. The board approved the request and the letter should be sent to stakeholder groups soon. This has also resulted in an offer to collaborate with their Public Facilities subcommittee.
We have been invited to present to the University Heights Community Association and are working to get this scheduled. The North Park CPG folks facilitated a connection to MTS that we are following up on as well. If anyone has contacts with other potentially impacted groups we’d be happy to update them!
This is truly a community driven projet and we welcome volunteers and support. While we haven’t had a lot of opportunity to activate our volunteers, once the planning process gets underway we expect to need plenty of folks to assist with getting folks engaged!
Since many of the Vibrant Uptown folks are traveling this month, I hope this quick update helps you see that we are still working hard to drive this forward.
