20 San Diego Uptown News | Feb. 18-Mar. 3, 2011 HOME IMPROVEMENT/NEWS FROM PAGE 1 BRIDGE


Where Golden Hill residents must now go for mail services


Downtown San Diego post office, 2535 Midway Dr: 1.53 miles Logan Heights post office, 2777 Logan Ave: 1.55 miles Hillcrest post office, 3911 Cleveland Ave: 3.64 miles City Heights post office, 4193 University Ave: 4.49 miles Normal Heights post office, 3288 Adams Ave: 4.78 miles North Park post office, 3791 Grim Ave: 3.99 miles


FROM PAGE 1 MAIL


standards, cost savings, parking, customer access, cost of facility, utilities and maintenance and the long-term needs of the service dur- ing the review and evaluation pro- cess. After a review of these issues, the branch was slated for closure. Congressmember Susan Davis


fought to save the George Wash- ington Post Office, writing to the U.S. Postmaster General to make the case that it should remain open. She also organized a meet- ing with community leaders and the USPS’s San Diego district manager to provide residents the opportunity to discuss the poten- tial closure. In a recent statement to Up-


town News, Davis said, “It is very disappointing that the USPS will close the George Washington Post Office. Strapped for cash during a tough economic climate, the USPS has been forced to find ways to tighten its belt. Clos- ing postal facilities like George Washington is a permanent solu-


tion to a short-term problem.” Davis said that she made a


request when it was clear that the USPS was definitely closing the branch. She asked that the closure be pursued in a way that “maximizes customer awareness and ensures significant commu- nity input.” Greater Golden Hill Planning Committee member, Maureen Burke and community residents said during January’s GGHPC meeting that they were not noti- fied of the closure and only heard word-of-mouth. Pat Shields, board director, said residents should be- come aware via the posting inside the C Street post office facility and everyone should have received a notice in the mail. When asked what will happen


to the postal workers at the George Washington facility, Jackson said they have accepted positions at other local post offices but that the USPS is still in negotiations with the American Postal Workers’ Union. “With the continued high un- employment rate, I am pleased that the current employees at George Washington will be relo- cated to other postal facilities,” Davis said of the news. Councilmember and District 3


representative, Todd Gloria, was also disappointed with the closure and its connection to the USPS budget crisis. “Neighbors will miss the con-


venience it offered the commu- nity,” Gloria said. “We must be vigilant to guard against further attempts to reduce mail services in our neighborhood.”u


space, a gathering place for park visitors and a hub of the cultural ac- tivities in the heart of Balboa Park,” Sanders said, defending the park's pedestrian conversion. “As you can see, previous generations traded in that vision, and all they got in return was a few dozen parking spaces and the steady drone of automobiles searching for an empty spot.” Under Jacobs’ plan, once ve-


hicular traffic is permanently di- verted, the Plaza de Panama would be opened up for shade trees, benches, landscaping, fountains and other amenities, while the road from the Plaza to the Organ Pavilion would be replaced by a pe- destrian esplanade. Jacobs’ proposal also calls for a


new roofed parking structure with a landscaped garden approximately level with the Organ Pavilion to be created. The plans show the park- ing structure will more than make up for the spaces removed from the Plaza, with current plans netting an additional 250 spaces for park users. “Separating cars from pedestri-


ans will make the park safer and more enjoyable for both, and the needs of motorists will also be ad- dressed,” Jacobs has said. “The parking structure will not only make it easier for visitors to access the park, but will reduce the time and gasoline that is wasted each time we search for a place to park.” Since the Park’s proposal favor-


ing pedestrians over vehicles was unveiled nearly a year ago, stake- holders have been weighing in on the merits—and demerits—of the proposal, which is encountering stiff resistance from historical and preservationist groups. Speaking on behalf of The Committee of One Hundred, a nonprofit established in 1967 to preserve Balboa Park’s Spanish colonial architecture, Michael Kelly, in a position statement de- livered Feb. 4 to the Balboa Park Committee said, “construction of the proposed bypass bridge is not in keeping with the historic desig- nation of Balboa Park as a National Register Historic District. Pursuit of this bypass plan will result in protracted delays, excessive costs, and the likelihood the proposal will be rejected by the City’s Historical Resources Board, the State Office of Historic Preservation and the National Park Service.” Kelly said The Committee of


One Hundred believes there is a better way to achieve those same goals without changes to the Ca- brillo Bridge, the canyons, or the historic views of San Diego. “The City of San Diego should


close the Cabrillo Bridge to traffic, adding it to the reclaimed public space,” he said. “Returning the Ca- brillo Bridge to pedestrians will re- move any need for a bypass bridge; vehicular traffic will enter and leave the Central Mesa from the east side. Traffic turnarounds for pas- senger drop-off and frequent tram service across the bridge will make it easier than it is now to get to the theatre, museums and events from the west.” Bruce Coons, executive director


of Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO), a nonprofit and the oldest continually operating historic pres- ervation organization in California, said the Jacobs’ park pedestrian proposal as presently construed is unworkable and unacceptable. “The idea of removing cars,


we’re not against,” Coons said. “But the plan he’s come up with is inef- ficient and would create a debacle on the bridge itself, having cars turn left and right across pedestri- an traffic. Nobody’s suggested this


trian bridge proposal, said public input is being welcomed in adapt- ing the project to fit that section of Balboa Park. But he added the proj- ect’s fundamental objective will not be compromised. “We are very open to other


ideas, but not open to ideas that do not meet the goal, which is to make that a carless plaza … restore the plaza to its original intent,” John- son said. “The city has been unable to achieve that goal for 100 years. That’s why this private leadership has come forward to try and get that done.” A nonprofit, Plaza de Panama Committee is now overseeing fun- draising efforts for the project to convert the bridge for pedestrian use. It's currently estimated to cost about $33 million. The committee is comprised of civic leaders all active in the arts and philanthropic com- munities. Johnson said Jacobs’ plan is novel


because it’s a privately funded proj- ect, in a very important public place, to be paid for by a self-supporting bond and private donations. “We have a group of private in-


Courtesy of SOHO


destructive a proposal for the south side of the bridge before in history. It [bridge bypass] would destroy the entire character of the fortified hilltop town.” Coons said SOHO believes a


better idea for traffic management would be for the bridge to be closed to vehicular traffic for a portion of the day, say 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. “It’s the simplest, cheapest,


quickest, most reasonable way to take cars out of Plaza de Panama,” he said, adding he also believes there needs to be more “give” in Jacobs’ side’s position. “He and his team have basically


threatened to take his toys and go home,” Coons said. “He wants a bond issue for a parking garage based on paid parking. I don’t think anybody’s thrilled at that.” Mark Johnson, principal design-


er and team engineer with Civitas, which is designing Jacobs’ pedes-


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dividuals who want to make a gen- erous gift to the city and their goal is to remove cars from the Plaza,” Johnson said. “That’s the reason they want to make the gift. People are saying this is not a public pro- cess. There have been 63 years of the public debating this process. We’re not asking the public how they think private donors should spend their money. People are ask- ing us to leave the cars in the Plaza as a compromise: We are not will- ing to do that. If there are cars in the Plaza … there will not be any [donors] gift. Our client is only in- terested in permanently removing cars from the Plaza.” Kelly said the Committee of


One Hundred supports the pro- posed three-level parking struc- ture, topped with green space at ground level, as a satisfactory solu- tion for closed-in parking, adding the group also believes innovative public transportation choices for getting people to-and-from Balboa Park will reduce the need for park- ing spaces. “A well-designed, well-man-


aged tram system is critical to the success of any plan to remove traffic and parking lots from the public spaces that we hope to re- claim,” Kelly said. “Reliable and convenient trams to and from their destinations will make pe- ripheral parking practical for em- ployees, volunteers and park visi- tors. Funds not used for a bypass bridge could be redirected to ex- tend the new tram system to bus stops and parking lots. All this can be completed for the 2015 Centen- nial celebration.”u


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