The Famosa pump track is a no go.
Following a meeting between Point Loma bicycling advocates, the City and the San Diego Housing Commission, cyclists were told their makeshift public track has to be closed.
The on-again, off-again pump track on vacant property at the corner of Nimitz and Famosa boulevards, has been a sore spot for Peninsulan cycling enthusiasts for years.
Point Loman Darren Miller, and others who created the track mostly to serve their children’s cycling needs, wanted to see the property, owned by the Housing Commission, kept as a track. Miller himself even stood in front of earth-moving equipment recently to plead against the track’s being demolished.
That confrontation led to an impromptu “truce” being called, until the parties could meet to discuss the situation. At that meeting, Miller said the Housing Commission was adamant that the track could not be kept because of liability issues, and because of its plans to develop the site for 78 affordable housing units.
Noting the commission has “a large number of hurdles to clear to develop there,” Miller added, “They were not willing to work with us in any way for a temporary or long-term bike park of any kind at that location.”
However, Miller said the good news is is the mayor’s office, and District 2 Councilmember Lorie Zapf’s office are “eager to explore the possibility of creating a bike park at another location in the OB/Point Loma area. We’ve definitely started a conversation, and are looking at some options in terms of what else we can do, and where else we can do it.”