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Uptown

December 13, 2012 Planning Commission Workshop – Status of Community Plan Updates Report:

The City of San Diego is embarking on an update to the 1988 Uptown Community Plan concurrently with updates to the community plans for Golden Hill and North Park. The City’s community plans are long range planning documents established as essential components of the General Plan. The community plan update process will develop the community-specific detail, relevant policies, and implementation strategies necessary to fulfill General Plan objectives. The General Plan sets out a long-range vision and policy framework to guide future development, provide public services, and maintain the qualities that define San Diego over the next 20+ years. The recent update to the General Plan shifts focus from how to develop vacant land to how to design infill development and reinvest in existing communities. This focus is reflected throughout the Plan, including such topics as sustainable development, urban design, the provision of public services & facilities, mobility and historic preservation.

News and Updates

Updated April 11, 2013

Schedule

Note: There are no monthly meetings of the Community Plan Update Advisory Committee as City staff is currently drafting the update to the community plan.  Staff will continue to provide status reports at the Uptown Community Planning Committee meetings.  Agendas for these meetings are located on the Agendas page.

Uptown Park and Recreation Ideas

On April 2, 2013, Park Planning Staff presented a park site evaluation and suitability analysis of all the park ideas that were provided by the community during the community plan update charrette.  The Uptown Planners are scheduled to provide their input and recommendations on the park ideas at their May 2013 meeting.  The following are documents provided at the last meeting:

The following summaries, presentation, and  comment letters from neighborhood organizations provide a general description of the various land use proposals that have been forwarded to City and to the Uptown Planners to inform their review of the Uptown Community Plan Update DRAFT Proposed Land Use Map.  The Uptown Planners are scheduled to conclude their recommendations on the proposed land use map at their April 2, 2013 meeting.

Uptown Building Height Proposal

City staff has developed a height proposal for the mixed-use corridor areas based upon input at the charrette as well as an assessment of neighborhood characteristics. The proposal was presented to Uptown Planners at their September meeting for feedback and possible action at their October meeting. Heights for adjacent residential areas are anticipated to more closely follow adopted zone requirements and will be provided when that analysis is completed. Agendas page.

Uptown Draft Open Space Maps

City staff requests that the Uptown Planners, along with other neighborhood organizations, closely evaluate the changes proposed on the draft Open Space maps along with the adopted Open Space language and Appendices to determine if the current community plan open space and hillside development policies are still relevant and if they should be incorporated into the future Urban Design Element of the draft community plan.

The areas of proposed changes on the maps are illustrated in the blue hatching. The legends at the bottom of each map describe the features included in the maps. City staff requests that the Uptown Planners submit proposed changes no later than January 11, 2013.

For more information on reviewing the draft Open Space maps please click on the Memorandum to the Uptown Planners (PDF)

Attachment A – (the links below can also be found here: http://www.sandiego.gov/planning/community/profiles/uptown/plan.shtml)

Open Space Appendices
Bankers Hill/Park West
Hillcrest
Medical Complex
Middletown
Mission Hills
University Heights

Uptown Community Plan Update - DRAFT Proposed Land Use Map

The draft proposed land use map is available for public review and comment. The map constitutes revisions to Figure 33 of the 1988 Uptown Community Plan and also contains revisions to a previous version presented at the June 5th Uptown Planners meeting. The revisions address meeting comments for a more user-friendly format including provision of companion maps for each of Uptown’s neighborhoods. Staff has also re-evaluated several land use designations and incorporated additional revisions as a result of this review. The draft land use map will be presented for discussion at the Uptown Planners meeting Tuesday July 17th at 6pm (Agenda)

Bankers Hill/Park West
Hillcrest
Medical Complex
Middletown
Mission Hills
University Heights
Proposals by Neighborhood Associations
  • Mission Hills Heritage Map (PDF) Summary (PDF)
  • University Heights planning Committee Map (PDF) Summary (PDF)

Park and Recreation Needs Assessment Survey

A park and recreation needs assessment survey was conducted in the Uptown, North Park, and Greater Golden Hill Community Plan Update efforts to assess overall parks and recreation useage, attitudes, opinions, and preferences.  The final report can be viewed at following link:

Presentation given in the Bankers Hill/Park West community – March 30, 2011

7th CPUAC Meeting – March 23, 2011

A preliminary height analysis was formulated in order to see if existing community plan densities could be achieved with alternative maximum building height limits.  This information is preliminary and the City welcomes any input from the pubic as well as the architecture and developer community, on how to refine the assumptions and methodology used.

Conceptual ideas for the Normal Street Median in Hillcrest can be found at the following link. These images represent a potential vision and are not plans for construction.

Historic Resources Survey and Conservation Areas Open House - Saturday, March 19th

9:00am to 1:30pm
Balboa Park Club – Santa Fe Room

6th CPUAC Meeting – January 26, 2011

Uptown Charrette

Please join the effort to develop the vision for the Uptown community. The City of San Diego is holding a 3-day charrette process to develop plan alternatives for the Uptown Community Plan Update. All meetings are open to the public.

DAY 3 - Closing Day – Saturday, October 23

Topics and activities will include a presentation of the Uptown historic survey effort and the identification of conservation areas by the community, as well as the presentation of outcomes and strategies from the DAY 1 and DAY 2 work efforts.

DAY 2 – Mid-week Session – Tuesday, September 21

Topics and activities will include prioritizing modes of transportation for various transportation corridors and refining the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space strategy.

A visual survey exercise was used during the DAY 2 session as another form of garnering input regarding mobility and park and open space issues and to provide City staff with a sense of what the community’s priorities and preferences are. The results of the survey are not meant to be a final determination on planning topics as there will be other opportunities to discuss these topics further in the plan update process. Results of the survey exercise can be viewed at the following link:

DAY 1 – Opening Day Session – Saturday, September 11

Topics and activities will deal with the development of guiding principles as a foundation for creating new plan update policies, Areas of Stability and Transition outcomes, land use validation, and a workshop activity on building height.

Mobility Open House – July 28th, 2010

Open Mic Presentations Event #3 Presentations – July 19, 2010

Historic Resources Survey Open House – June 30, 2010

5th CPUAC Meeting – May 26, 2010

Community members were asked to initially identify areas that they currently use for recreation as well as areas where potential park opportunities exist. The following maps illustrate this input:

4th CPUAC Meeting – April 28, 2010

Community members were asked to initially identify areas of stability and transition within the Uptown Community. Participants were asked to consider these areas based on demographics, built form, economics, cultural, and other factors. The following maps illustrate this input:

"Open Mic" Presentations – April 26, 2010

Cluster Meeting & Workshop Presentation: The following presentation was given at the March 20, 2010 Cluster Meeting & Workshop.  The presentation outlined the general project schedule of the community plan updates, the historic survey work program for all three communities, and existing conditions & best practices related to urban design.  The overall presentation has been divided into its different sections for manageability.

At the Cluster Meeting/Workshop, community members were asked to identify shared issues as part of the existing conditions effort for the Uptown, North Park, and Greater Golden Hill plan updates.  These issues have been depicted on maps by community participants and can be viewed at the following links:

General Project Scheduled presented at the March 20, 2010, Cluster Meeting (printer friendly version)

Cluster Update Meeting/Workshop: Uptown, North Park, and Greater Golden Hill community members, please mark your calendars to attend the upcoming "Cluster Meeting" where we will be discussing shared issues as they relate to the topics of Urban Design and Historic Preservation among the three communities.  Under these topics we will be addressing existing conditions, design strategies, and the historic survey work program.  This meeting is open to the public.

The meeting will be held at:

The Hall of Champions in Balboa Park
Saturday, March 20 th, 2010
From 9:00am to 2:00pm

Continental breakfast will be served at 8:30am and lunch will be provided.

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The January 2010 meeting of the Uptown Community Plan Update Advisory Committee (CPUAC) will be held on Wednesday, January 27 th at the Balboa Park Club – Santa Fe Room from 6:00 pm to 8:00pm.

The Uptown community is invited to take a self guided tour to consider various sites/issues in the community.  This assignment builds upon the previous issues identification efforts conducted with the Uptown CPUAC and participating members of the community.  Included in the tour are some questions about these sites/issues that we would like you to consider and discuss at the next CPUAC meeting. A photo presentation of several of the key sites and issues is also included.  Community members are encouraged to complete the tour prior to the next CPUAC meeting to be held on Wednesday, January 27 th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Balboa Park Club – Santa Fe Room.

The November 2009 meeting of the Uptown Community Plan Update Advisory Committee (CPUAC) will be held on Tuesday, November 17 th at the Balboa Park Club – Santa Fe Room from 6:00 pm to 8:00pm. Draft meeting notes from the 1 st CPUAC meeting are attached. Please forward any suggested revisions to the Uptown Community Planner.

The first Uptown Community Plan Update Advisory Committee (CPUAC) meeting to convene the public discussion on the Uptown Community Plan Update will take place on Thursday, October 29, 2009, at the Balboa Park Club Santa Fe Room from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. This is a public meeting.  Please see the following link for the agenda:

The Consultant Agreements to provide professional urban design services for the Uptown-North Park-Golden Hill Community Plan Updates will be presented at the Land Use & Housing Committee on Wednesday, June 3.

The Consultant Agreements to provide professional services in public outreach and urban design for the Uptown-North Park-Golden Hill Community Plan Updates will be discussed at Land Use and Housing Committee on Wednesday, May 20, 2009.

January 28, 2009 Initial Public Meeting to discuss the plan update process with City staff

Community Plan Update Advisory Committee membership: The Uptown Planners are forming a subcommittee for the plan update by March or April, 2009. The subcommittee will consist of community planning group members plus non-members. To ensure diverse membership, seats will be identified categorically by interest (e.g. resident, business, institution, non-profit /community organization). An interest list is being formed to survey possible membership categories.

There is also an interest form to be a volunteer for the historic resources survey:

The Uptown Community lies just north of the Centre City area. It is bounded on the north by the steep hillsides of Mission Valley, on the east by Park Boulevard and on the west and south by Old San Diego and Interstate 5.

The Uptown Community is located on a level mesa that is divided by numerous canyons and bordered by two major parks, Presidio and Balboa. The Uptown community contains some of the oldest neighborhoods in San Diego exhibiting a variety of historic architectural types and a heavily traveled pedestrian mixed-use retail commercial area. The area also features a wide range of residential opportunities and a diverse mixture of people within a distinctly urban setting. The area includes the neighborhoods of Mission Hills, Middletown, Hillcrest, the Medical Complex, University Heights, and Park West. Located in Hillcrest is the nationally recognized Uptown District, a model of mixed-use infill development that includes housing, a retail core, offices, live-work spaces and a community center.

The Uptown District is a pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use retail center and residential development. The redevelopment of a 14 acre site known as the "Sears site" was completed in 1990, following a complex planning process with extensive community involvement. The project has attracted national attention as a model for the redevelopment of low-density, obsolete commercial sites for new housing and community uses. Its significance lies in its success in repairing an older city fabric that was damaged by 1950s commercial development. Uptown District has greatly spurred development in the surrounding Hillcrest neighborhood, especially adjacent to the site along University Avenue, which is the main arterial road, according to the San Diego Daily Transcript. The National Association of Home Builders named Uptown District the Project of the Year in October 1991. It was awarded the Urban Design Award by the California Council of the American Institute of Architects the following month.