Por Ken Williams | Editor

Drivers speeding down India Street looking for the Interstate 5 entrance ramp. Tourists confused and lost. Pedestrians running for their lives just to cross the street.

That’s what Middletown neighborhood residents say they have observed since Jan. 20, 2016, when the consolidated Rental Car Center opened at San Diego International Airport.

For months, residents as well as business and property owners have noticed a major increase in traffic and speeding along India Street as tourists try to find their way in and out of the Rental Car Center, located at 3355 Admiral Boland Way. The center is west of India Street, I-5, Kettner Boulevard and Pacific Highway.

Concerned about safety for local motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, children and the elderly, Middletown residents for months have appealed for help from the Airport Authority, the City Council, the Five Points business group, and even the Uptown Planners, a local planning committee composed of volunteers who act as advisers to city planners.

On July 5, the Uptown Planners brought together almost 100 Middletown residents with several airport officials, including Keith Wilschetz, director of airport planning and noise mitigation for the Airport Authority.

Dozens of people — many giving emotional testimony — pleaded with airport officials to work with them to improve the traffic situation along India Street.

Matt Ramon, a 10-year resident of Middletown who is general manager of Urban Mo’s in Hillcrest, said the speed limit is 35 mph on India Street but motorists treat it as an extension of the I-5 freeway and drive 50 mph or more. Ramon produced a large chart that documented accidents which have occurred along India Street since the Rental Car Center opened in January.

A key complaint of residents is that traffic signs, Rental Car Center directions and Global Positioning System (GPS) devices all direct motorists to use India Street to access the Rental Car Center via Sassafras Street.

As a result, India Street is impacted from the I-5 North off-ramp at Laurel Street to Sassafras Street because of returning rental cars. But India Street is also affected by rental cars leaving the center, sent via Sassafras Street to India Street to reach the I-5 North on-ramp at Washington Street.

Here are some of the issues raised either at the meeting or on an Change.org petition found at chn.ge/29yZ6JS.

• Speeding and increased traffic have created safety issues for those who use the pedestrian bridge at Palm Street at India Street.
• The train and trolley tracks pose a danger to tourists who are unfamiliar with the local terrain.
• Tourists illegally stop at the Sassafras/Kettner intersection, trying to figure which direction to go, impeding traffic.

County Supervisor Ron Roberts, who has lived in the area for 50 years, urged the addition of traffic signals on India Street at Palm and Redwood — but got blowback from some audience members who wanted stop signs instead.

“There needs to be long-term and short-term solutions,” Roberts said. “The Airport Authority’s excuse that they can’t do anything outside their property is a bogus argument. They need to be held responsible for this problem. In the long term, we need a flyover to connect to the freeway. In the short term, signalize Palm and Redwood.”

Wallied Shirzoi, who created the Change.org petition, and other residents said the simple solution would be to reroute traffic from the Rental Car Center to Pacific Highway and to the Washington Street entrance to I-5.

For returning rental cars, Middletown residents want drivers to exit at Hawthorne Street or Washington Street to Pacific Highway.

Several speakers questioned why the Airport Authority hasn’t been pushing for public transportation connections to the Rental Car Center as well as the airport. Bob Bolton, director of airport design and construction, had earlier in the meeting made a presentation to the Uptown Planners about plans for the Terminal 2 Parking Plaza. The close-in parking structure would provide almost 3,000 spots for vehicles in a three-story structure covering 1 million square feet.

“Why build a garage and not look at mass transit?” one man asked, getting loud applause from the audience.

After hearing from residents, Wilschetz from the Airport Authority responded to the various issues that were raised.

“I understand your point,” he said. “When we started thinking about the facility, we wanted to get traffic off city streets. It addressed traffic issues on the other side of the airport. [The audience exploded, yelling that it created traffic issues on their side of the airport. Uptown Planners chair Leo Wilson told the audience to quiet down and let the speaker have his say.]

“We’ve never had issues on the north side of the airport,” Wilschetz continued. “The facility was designed not to awaken a sleeping giant.

“We didn’t expect this. We knew there would be some unexpected problems … like no left turn on Sassafras at Pacific Highway. We agree with just about everything said tonight,” he said.

Wilschetz promised to work with residents to fix the problems and to change the directions for accessing the Rental Car Center.

“We agree on the ramps,” he said. “We are working with SANDAG and Caltrans on that for the future. As far as [redirecting traffic to] Pacific Highway, that can’t happen immediately.”

The audience again groaned loudly and collectively.

The chair then allowed members of the Uptown Planners to weigh in on the matter. Jennifer Pesqueira, the Middletown representative, said street stamps might help direct drivers how to move left to get to the freeway.

Bob Daniel, who represents Western Slopes and Middletown, called all the suggestions made by residents as “viable.” “We want to remove facility traffic from India Street,” he said.

Wilschetz said the GPS devices are a “big problem” and wondered how difficult it would be to get GPS makers to change the software to fix those directions. He also noted that improvements would be needed at the intersection of Washington and Pacific Highway, and that would take time.

The crowd again exploded verbally.

Other planners echoed audience members, calling for immediate solutions. Tom Mullaney suggested creating a task force of stakeholders to deal with the issues.

Several planners wondered whether the proposed parking structure is necessary. Amie Hayes questioned whether that was the right way to go. Dana Hook said she was a supporter of mass transit, too. Roy Dahl said he would be happy to take an Express Bus to the airport, but slyly noted that wasn’t possible because none exist.

Gary Bonner said the short-term solution is to slow down traffic on India Street, the medium-term solution is to divert traffic to Washington Street and Pacific Highway, and the long-range solution is to build an airport/freeway ramp.

Uptown Planners then approved a motion to urge stakeholders to work with the Airport Authority, SANDAG, Caltrans and city officials to find short-term and long-term solutions.

Debating ‘conflict of interest’

Not only did the Rental Car Center issue generate a lot of heated commentary, but so did the discussion of a recommendation by Mullaney to approve members to the Uptown Community Plan Review Committee.

Mullaney chairs the committee, which includes Bonner, Dah, Daniel and Mat Wahlstrom. He recommended adding Bill Ellig and Cindy Thorsen to fill out the panel.

Maya Rosas had volunteered to serve on the committee, but Mullaney was opposed and did not recommend her. Uptown News reported in the June 17 – 30 issue about how Rosas had been accused of having a conflict of interest because she is an associate land use consultant for Atlantis Group Land Use Consultants. Atlantis Group has a vested interest in future development in Hillcrest, being involved in The Uptown Gateway Council comprised of property owners and developers who are in favor of increased density in the community. To date, the Uptown Planners has not seen any project related to either group and Rosas has not faced any potential conflict-of-interest situations.

Michael Brennan said he quit the committee because Rosas was excluded.

After Mullaney made his recommendations to the full board, several audience members angrily challenged him. A man named Alexander accused Mullaney of molding the committee to his liking. Mission Hills resident Sharon Gehl said Rosas knows the Environmental Impact Report process better than any other board member and noted that the city planner Marlon Pangilinan had ruled that there was no conflict of interest. “Tom only has people on his committee who agree with him,” Gehl said.

A woman named Diedra said Rosas should not be on the committee because she has a financial interest through her employer. Nancy Moors also leveled a charge of conflict of interest.

Marlon repeated his ruling. “We believe Maya does not represent a conflict of interest; we’ve had no projects in front of us” involving her employer. He said the Community Plan update covers the broad picture, the entire Uptown area, not just Hillcrest.

The board members then chimed in, indicating a split opinion. Mullaney accused Rosas of “trying to serve two masters.” But Brennan, Hook and Soheil Nakshab spoke on her behalf, saying that she has “incredible technical knowledge” and would be an asset on the committee.

Rosas defended herself again. “I do not have a conflict of interest,” she said. “Anyone who owns a home or business would be in the same boat with me. There is a difference between having an opinion and having a conflict of interest.”

A preliminary motion — to include Rosas on the committee recommendations — got seven “yes” votes, seven “no” votes, and three board members abstained. That forced Wilson, the chair, to break the tie. Wilson said he was voting to include Rosas because of Pangilinan’s opinion.

The new motion to approve the updated committee membership recommendations, which included Rosas, passed 8-3-3.

—Ken Williams is a contributing editor of Gay San Diego and can be reached at [email protected] or at 619-961-1952. Follow him on Twitter at @KenSanDiego, Instagram at @KenSD or Facebook at KenWilliamsSanDiego.