City to Consider Development Proposals for Midway Area
City Seeks Community Feedback at March 2nd Meeting

SAN DIEGO – Residents in the Midway area of the City of San Diego will have the opportunity to have their voices heard at a public meeting as the community considers a number of redevelopment proposals designed to revitalize the area.  One such potential residential project, located near the Interstate 5 exit and Camino Del Rio, is the first of a number of proposals expected to be submitted in the North Bay Redevelopment Project Area. 

Once the proposals have been received, the Redevelopment Agency will solicit community input to help determine if these projects are appropriate or beneficial to the area.  The public meeting will be held Wednesday, March 2, 2005, from 7:30-9:30 am at the Peninsula Community Service Center (3740 Sports Arena Blvd.). 

Agency staff received a redevelopment proposal from a local property owner who owns land on Kurtz Street between Riley and Sherman Streets.  The proposal calls for 120 market-rate condominiums near the corner of Camino del Rio and Kurtz Street.  After receiving the proposal, Agency staff sent a letter to inform the property owners potentially affected by the proposal to provide their comments and invite them to submit an alternate proposal if they wished to develop their own property.  Four property owners indicated that they wished to submit a proposal, and the Agency set a February 22, 2005 deadline for other proposal submissions.

After the proposals are received, Agency staff will present them at the public meeting to solicit input from the community.  After receiving public input, the proposals will also be examined by a group of city staff specializing in planning, zoning, real estate and other disciplines.  Public comments, along with the analysis of city staff, will then be forwarded to the City Council, which also serves as the Redevelopment Agency Board. 

“We’re excited to begin the proposal review process and we’re looking forward to working with the community to develop desired projects that will revitalize the Midway area,” said Alex Greenwood, project manager for the North Bay Redevelopment Project Area.  “It is important to note that no decisions will be made without first receiving community feedback.  The Agency is committed to working with the people who will be most affected by any new projects in the community, and is going through the information-gathering process so that a range of options can be presented to the Agency Board for consideration.”

“We’re excited to begin the proposal review process and we’re looking forward to working with the community to develop desired projects that will revitalize the Midway area,” said Alex Greenwood, project manager for the North Bay Redevelopment Project Area.  “It is important to note that no decisions will be made without first receiving community feedback.  The Agency is committed to working with the people who will be most affected by any new projects in the community, and is going through the information-gathering process so that a range of options can be presented to the Agency Board for consideration.”

In considering all proposals, the Agency follows established procedures set forth when the North Bay Redevelopment Area was created in May 1998.  As part of the creation of the redevelopment area, the City established "Owner Participation Rules" for North Bay, to ensure that local property owners are informed about new proposals and given a chance to respond and submit their own approval if desired. 

For more information about the North Bay Redevelopment Project Area, contact Alex Greenwood, Redevelopment Project Manager at (619) 533-5458 or agreenwood@sandiego.gov, or contact the Redevelopment Agency, Community and Economic Development Department at (619) 533-4233 or visit the City’s web site at www.sandiego.gov/ced.

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The City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency eliminates blight from designated areas, as well as achieves the goals of development, reconstruction and rehabilitation of residential, commercial, industrial, and retail districts.  Redevelopment is one of the most effective ways to breathe new life into deteriorated areas plagued by social, physical, environmental or economic conditions that act as a barrier to new investment by private enterprise.  The City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency consists of three divisions: the City Redevelopment Division (which provides overall agency management and is housed in the City of San Diego Communityand Economic Development Department), the Centre City Development Corporation and the Southeastern Economic Development Corporation.