By Ken Williams | Editor

Eleven people have been chosen by lottery to fill the remaining seats on a subcommittee that will help shape Mission Valley’s future for the next 25 years.

The Community Plan Update Subcommittee will have its first meeting from 3 – 4:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14 in the Community Room at the Mission Valley Library. The inaugural topic will focus on traffic concerns, subcommittee chair John Nugent said.

In the next 10 to 15 years, Mission Valley’s population is expected to more than double in size. The Mission Valley Planning Group has been tasked by the City Council to update the Mission Valley Community Plan, a major undertaking to modernize the long-range land-use plan for the sprawling neighborhood that is home to numerous hotels, major shopping centers and the aging Qualcomm Stadium. The City Council will eventually have the final say on the updated plan.

The lottery was held Aug. 5 in the library’s Community Room during the monthly meeting of the planning group, which acts as an advisory board to city planners.

Dottie Surdi, chair of the Mission Valley Planning Group, picked the names from a container held by Nancy Graham, a senior planner with the city’s Planning Department who is assigned to the Mission Valley community. Some candidates were chosen by categories that need to be filled, and then a total of seven at-large seats were picked. Graham said a total of 14 people applied for the 11 seats.

The remaining seats went to:

— Rebecca Sappenfield, resident tenant.
— David Norvell, property owner.
— John Schneidmiller of Scottish Rite of San Diego, business owner or representative.
— Ryan Holborn of Preferred Employees Insurance Co., employee.
— Terrance Fox (property owner), at large.
— Michael Richter (South Land Law), at large.
— Phillip Saenkov (property owner), at large.
— Stephen Fluhr (Westfield), at large.
— Patrick Pierce (resident tenant), at large.
— Richard Ledford (Riverwalk Property) at large.
— Karen Tournaire (property owner) at large.

— Alternatives: Karen Ruggels (H.G. Fenton Co.) and Rebecca Ritsema (property owner).

In January, Dottie Surdi, chair of the MVPG, appointed the 12 members from the planning group who will serve on the Community Plan Update Subcommittee. Besides the subcommittee’s chair John Nugent, Andrew Michajlenko and Elizabeth Leventhal will serve as vice chairs. Other members appointed were Deborah Bossmeyer, Paul Brown, Perry Dealy, Alan Grant, Rob Huntsel, Ruggels, Marco Sessa, Surdi and Josh Wiselberg.

During the lottery, Surdi announced that Ruggels would no longer be on the subcommittee as a member of the planning group. In her place, Surdi appointed Derek Hulse from the planning group. Ruggels, however, was chosen as an alternative.

—Ken Williams is editor of Mission Valley News and San Diego Uptown News and can be reached at [email protected] or at 619-961-1952.