As many of you know, after two years of visioning sessions through its Beautification and Long-Term Planning Committee and other efforts, the College Area Community Council (CACC) voted to move forward with a proposal to create a community-generated community plan update for the College Area, that would be submitted to the city in hopes that the end result would become a basis and integral part of the formal community plan update that the city was being urged to begin.
The beautification committee was put on hiatus and a steering committee took over the effort, focused on putting the plan together. The committee engaged several outside sources including the NewSchool of Architecture & Design and the urban planning department at San Diego State. A graduate-level studio class at SDSU took on the task of developing concepts and gathering data necessary for the basis of a plan update.
Their and the committee’s final report was presented to the full CACC board at its meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 13. Once approved by the board, it will be submitted to the city and made public. The city expects the report to serve as a framework for the planning process that they must follow. We encourage residents to attend meetings where the plan will be discussed and to continue to stay informed. We need input, feedback and community involvement in determining what the College Area will look like over the next 10, 20 or 30 years. One way to stay informed and involved is to join the CACC so you can be on our email notification list.
In January, date and location to be confirmed, we will be hosting a candidate forum where all candidates for political offices that represent our area will be invited to make their case and answer your questions. Obviously we won’t have presidential candidates but from congressional to mayoral, down to City Council, they will be here.
The CACC wants to engage the entire community to move us forward, whether it is through the new community plan update or tackling issues of concern. We are neighbors helping neighbors. But you know what? We don’t need to focus on problems, exclusively. We are a community and we need to focus on that. We need to enjoy who and what is here.
To that end, the CACC is planning a series of fun events for the community. First off is a family-friendly movie night at Hardy Elementary on Nov. 16, at 4 p.m. We want you to get involved in a positive way, the way neighbors do. Help when help is needed, but have fun when it’s time to enjoy.
Get involved. Join the CACC. You’ll get emails letting you know about what’s going on. We know that it is difficult to attend meetings on a regular basis, but the truth is, at least from my and some of my fellow council/planning board members’ experience, we have or had jobs and raised kids but make time to get involved. Tag-team parenting works. Stay informed, involved, and make a difference.
—Jose Reynoso is president of the College Area Community Council.
