C I T Y L I G H T S
Maple Canyon
continued from page 3
eventually turned the small parcel of land into a park. The potential sale of the
property on Laurel Street has residents committed to a fight. “Given the large defi- cit of open space in Bankers Hill, the high cost of land in the area, and the fact that the neighborhood is almost fully developed, how can we ever hope to acquire the open space called for in the com- munity plan?” says Bank- ers Hill resident Doug Scott. “This is an excellent oppor- tunity to make up some of that deficit.” But what about the 1200
acres called Balboa Park, which borders several com- munities in Uptown? Isn’t that enough open space for residents? In the past, the city’s planning division has tried to sell that argument to Uptown residents. Residents are not buying it. “The problem is, Bal-
boa Park is both a citywide park and a tourist attrac- tion that just happens to border part of Uptown. It can’t be the only place avail- able for all 36,000 residents of Uptown to be outdoors,” says Uptown planning group member Mat Wahlstrom. “In the Uptown Commu-
nity Plan, drafted in 1988, the city called for six new park sites ‘to provide half- mile-radius access to all residents.’ None were built,” adds Wahlstrom. “Almost 30 years later, the city hasn’t acquired any new land for parks and recreation, except for the one small parcel on Olive Street. So it doesn’t make any sense to get rid of what land it does own.” The decision does not
only impact residents of Bankers Hill but all Uptown neighborhoods, adds Wahlstrom. “The city is drafting the
community plans for North Park and Golden Hill at the same time as Uptown. So it is double- and triple-counting areas in Balboa Park as meet-
C I T Y L I G H T S
ing the open space needs of all three communities.” Keach says councilmem-
ber Gloria has heard the concerns. “[He] is aware of this and will consider all of
C I T Y L I G H T S
staff ’s input and the public before making a decision. He understands that Planning Department staff is not in favor of preserving the parcel as park land or open space.”
C I T Y L I G H T S Residents, however,
remain unconvinced. “This property is key to establish- ing [access] into Maple Can- yon,” writes Bankers Hill resi- dent Jim Frost. “At the very
least the city should pull the property from potential sale until all alternatives are fully explored and evaluated. What would be the harm in this considered approach com-
H E A L T H A N D B E A U T Y
C I T Y L I G H T S
pared to blindly plunging ahead with a sale that will forever remove any possi- bility of creating a complete and sustainable open space in Bankers Hill?”
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San Diego Reader January 7, 2016 35
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