Midway-Pacific Highway Community Planning Group in November grappled with what to leave in – and take out – of a prioritized list of projects to be funded in the future by a Midway developer impact fee study.
Angela Abeyta from the City participated in a discussion and Q&A on a study being done on developer impact fees in Midway, and what potential infrastructure improvements could be undertaken with that money. She passed out a long list of possible infrastructure projects that could be funded to board members.
“You don’t have to include every project, maybe just the top 10,” Abeyta told the board.
“The way things are broken out, these are things that can be done,” said City planner Vickie White of the list of projects provided for the impact fee study.
“Developers will pay for those improvements for roads around here,” noted board member Mike Swanston.
Once the plan group makes its prioritized recommendations for future projects to benefit from developer impact fee funds, Abeyta said those projects will be turned over to the City’s Facilities Financing Department for further review. “That department will issue a report showing what funding is available,” she said.
Chair Cathy Kenton said one of her priorities was median construction. “I want medians to be constructed in such a way that they’re not attractive to panhandlers,” she said.
The plan group also heard protests from a handful of business operators objecting to a u-turn/left-turn pocket change at Camino del Rio South and Hancock Street. The merchants said they were uninformed of the road diet change, which has made it more difficult for their customers to access their properties.
“We made a recommendation to the city based on a report from a community member who had witnessed several accidents and said that was a dangerous intersection, and took an action to support the closure,” said Kenton. “We didn’t know you (merchants) would be impacted.”
City staffer Bruce Williams from Councilmember Lorie Zapf’s office said Mariana Sadek, associate traffic engineer for the City, was the contact person to review the road menu change at Camino del Rio South/Hancock.
Kenton discussed hosting a special meeting Dec. 5 to continue discussion of prioritized projects to be funded by future developer impact fees. She added she would invite Sadek to come out to the group’s January meeting to discuss prioritized projects and the process for getting them funded. In other action:
– MPHCPG board heard a brief presentation from Panera Bread, which has plans to move into 3711 Sports Arena Drive creating a sit-down restaurant in a spot previously inhabited by Santa Fe Grille & Bar, following a remodel.
– The plan group is dark in December and its next regular meeting will be Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 3 p.m. at San Diego Urban Corps, 3127 Jefferson St.