Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

SANDAG to consider design modifications to Alvarado Creek

Vote comes on the heels of heavy flooding in the area

View of Grantville and the trolley station
View of Grantville and the trolley station

Today the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) board will consider whether to approve the City of San Diego's application for a $400,000 Smart-Growth grant to be used for design modifications to Alvarado Creek north of westbound Interstate 8. According to the agenda, the creek "in its current condition is a barrier to smart growth in Grantville" because "it limits connectivity to the Grantville Trolley Station. The creek is highly channelized, subject to regular flooding, and often used as a storage yard. However, an injection of grant funds into the area can speed up the recovery of the creek by transforming it into an amenity that serves as a catalyst project to spark redevelopment."

The vote on the “Grantville Trolley Station/Alvarado Creek Enhancement Program” application comes nearly a week after heavy rains on July 18 and 19 caused flooding in the area targeted for transit-oriented development. Mixed-use development is planned near the station that opened in 2005.

Lots of plans for Grantville

That designation is in the Grantville Focused Plan Amendment that the city council approved on June 9. Modifications in the Navajo Community Plan amendment include changing the primarily industrial/commercial use to zoning of 44 to 109 dwelling units per acre. Boundaries for that zoning include Mission Gorge Road between Alvarado Canyon Road and Mission Gorge Place. Also in this area is a portion of Alvarado Canyon Road that parallels I-8. The transit center is located there; so is the creek that recently flooded Mission Gorge Road property owned by Dan Smith.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Smith owns El Dorado Properties, Inc., a real estate/property management firm. He's also a member of Navajo Community Planners, Inc., and has long cautioned his colleagues that the flood-control issue must be resolved before development is allowed. (The planning group's February 11 support of the amendment environmental impact-report included a letter stating that the flood-control improvements will "allow full development.")

Flooding in a Grantville gym

On July 19, a tenant notified El Dorado about the flooding, chief operating officer Danielle Smith said in a July 22 interview. "We started calling tenants," and people including friends. Thirteen people began the clean-up of "multiple" tenant businesses. Danielle provided images from July 19 that included a video of water surging through a parking lot and the interior picture of people cleaning up a gym. "We're still in the process" of cleaning up," she said.

Dan Smith said, "It's been very frustrating" to deal with the flooding. Frustrations include gallons of water harming small businesses and the effect of flooding on plans for a trolley hub. He said the growth of bamboo restricts the flow of water, and the ability to clean out the storm channel is limited by "the birds and bees" (environmental regulations). However, dealing with regulations might require help from 53rd Congressional District Representative Susan Davis or Governor Jerry Brown, he said.

The SANDAG agenda showed a recommendation that the board approve the grant. The city would match it with $100,000 for a total of $500,000. That grant would take the project to the 30-percent design phase, and the city would apply for additional grants for project construction, Navajo Planners vice chair Jay Wilson said on July 22.

Video:

Flooding of Alvarado Creek

Furthermore, funding to dredge Alvarado Creek has been approved, said Jeff Powell, District 7 councilman Scott Sherman's communications director. "We are waiting for the Regional Water Control Board to approve our permit," Powell said in a July 21 email.

Dredging would probably begin in late October or early November, he said. Powell was asked how much money approved, but had not responded by press time.

Flooding is a pre-existing condition, so it's not covered in the focused-plan amendment, said Powell.

"However, the plan does include Supplemental Design Regulations for properties near Alvarado Creek." Regulations include the requirement that developments along the creek provide a 10-foot wide multi-use trail directly adjacent to the cheek.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Eating dinner while little kids mock-mosh at Golden Island

“The tot absorbs the punk rock shot with the skill of experience”
Next Article

Escondido planners nix office building switch to apartments

Not enough open space, not enough closets for Hickory Street plans
View of Grantville and the trolley station
View of Grantville and the trolley station

Today the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) board will consider whether to approve the City of San Diego's application for a $400,000 Smart-Growth grant to be used for design modifications to Alvarado Creek north of westbound Interstate 8. According to the agenda, the creek "in its current condition is a barrier to smart growth in Grantville" because "it limits connectivity to the Grantville Trolley Station. The creek is highly channelized, subject to regular flooding, and often used as a storage yard. However, an injection of grant funds into the area can speed up the recovery of the creek by transforming it into an amenity that serves as a catalyst project to spark redevelopment."

The vote on the “Grantville Trolley Station/Alvarado Creek Enhancement Program” application comes nearly a week after heavy rains on July 18 and 19 caused flooding in the area targeted for transit-oriented development. Mixed-use development is planned near the station that opened in 2005.

Lots of plans for Grantville

That designation is in the Grantville Focused Plan Amendment that the city council approved on June 9. Modifications in the Navajo Community Plan amendment include changing the primarily industrial/commercial use to zoning of 44 to 109 dwelling units per acre. Boundaries for that zoning include Mission Gorge Road between Alvarado Canyon Road and Mission Gorge Place. Also in this area is a portion of Alvarado Canyon Road that parallels I-8. The transit center is located there; so is the creek that recently flooded Mission Gorge Road property owned by Dan Smith.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Smith owns El Dorado Properties, Inc., a real estate/property management firm. He's also a member of Navajo Community Planners, Inc., and has long cautioned his colleagues that the flood-control issue must be resolved before development is allowed. (The planning group's February 11 support of the amendment environmental impact-report included a letter stating that the flood-control improvements will "allow full development.")

Flooding in a Grantville gym

On July 19, a tenant notified El Dorado about the flooding, chief operating officer Danielle Smith said in a July 22 interview. "We started calling tenants," and people including friends. Thirteen people began the clean-up of "multiple" tenant businesses. Danielle provided images from July 19 that included a video of water surging through a parking lot and the interior picture of people cleaning up a gym. "We're still in the process" of cleaning up," she said.

Dan Smith said, "It's been very frustrating" to deal with the flooding. Frustrations include gallons of water harming small businesses and the effect of flooding on plans for a trolley hub. He said the growth of bamboo restricts the flow of water, and the ability to clean out the storm channel is limited by "the birds and bees" (environmental regulations). However, dealing with regulations might require help from 53rd Congressional District Representative Susan Davis or Governor Jerry Brown, he said.

The SANDAG agenda showed a recommendation that the board approve the grant. The city would match it with $100,000 for a total of $500,000. That grant would take the project to the 30-percent design phase, and the city would apply for additional grants for project construction, Navajo Planners vice chair Jay Wilson said on July 22.

Video:

Flooding of Alvarado Creek

Furthermore, funding to dredge Alvarado Creek has been approved, said Jeff Powell, District 7 councilman Scott Sherman's communications director. "We are waiting for the Regional Water Control Board to approve our permit," Powell said in a July 21 email.

Dredging would probably begin in late October or early November, he said. Powell was asked how much money approved, but had not responded by press time.

Flooding is a pre-existing condition, so it's not covered in the focused-plan amendment, said Powell.

"However, the plan does include Supplemental Design Regulations for properties near Alvarado Creek." Regulations include the requirement that developments along the creek provide a 10-foot wide multi-use trail directly adjacent to the cheek.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Tigers In Cairo owes its existence to Craigslist

But it owes its name to a Cure tune and a tattoo
Next Article

NORTH COUNTY’S BEST PERSONAL TRAINER: NICOLE HANSULT HELPING YOU FEEL STRONG, CONFIDENT, AND VIBRANT AT ANY AGE

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader