On Valentine’s Day, Midway Community Planning Group nixed proposed relocation of a recycling center into their neighborhood, while questioning numerous items in an inches-thick environmental report for Midway’s Community Plan update.
On Feb. 10, a rally was held at Stump’s Family Marketplace in Point Loma opposing Prince Recycling center being there, advocating the recycler move to Midway District behind Big Lots off Rosecrans Street. State law requires recycling centers to be located within a convenience zone, typically a half-mile radius circle with the center point originating at a supermarket.
“There is a movement to remove the recycling center from Stump’s because of the homeless/criminal issues they’re having, and their solution is to dump it in Midway,” said MCPG chair Cathy Kenton. “That’s nimbyism at its worst.”
Kenton was miffed Peninsulans suggested moving the center to Midway “without asking for any comment from us, just arbitrarily picking a location which is outside their required (half mile) radius.”
Peninsula Community Planning Board liaison Jim Hare pointed out Prince Recycling Center at Stump’s “has never been an agenda item.”
Kenton noted proponents of moving the recycling center are lobbying Assemblyman Todd Gloria to expand the radius of convenience center recycling to allow Prince’s Recycling at Stump’s to be moved.
Kenton asked for the board’s approval to write a letter to the Peninsula Community Planning Board to “let them know we’re not in favor of this. We’re not a dumping ground.”
MCPG board member Judy Holiday asked, “Is there anyone on the board who feels this would be a good thing for our community?”
No board members responded, after which the city advisory group unanimously voted to oppose moving Prince Recycling near Stump’s from Point Loma to Midway.
The second half of the Midway planner’s meeting was devoted to vetting the draft environmental impact report released for the community’s ongoing community plan update, scheduled to go to the City Council for final review and approval this summer.
“We appreciate the opportunity to provide input on the environmental effects of a plan for our community and recognize this unique opportunity to help shape the future of our planning area,” said MCPG in a letter to the city. “Our comments have two primary objectives: to comment on the adequacy of environmental analysis; and equally important, to point out issues we’ve identified.”
Points MCPG made about the environmental document included: questioning whether it meets city objectives to improve the environment; expressing concern that a redevelopment plan for the Sports Arena, a critical component of the plan update, “has not come forward yet”; questioning the validity of the EIR’s impact analysis, when traffic counts associated with it were done six years ago, prior to commercial development at Liberty Station; challenging proposed creation of new street segments that would be below acceptable operating standards; failure to factor in the new trolley line and potential traffic reductions as a result; asking why bus routes and other alternatives are not being implemented until 2035; questioning why MCRD is now being included in Midway’s plan area when it wasn’t before; asking why a dedicated dog park has not been proposed for Midway; and questioning if the La Playa Trail should be more predominantly identified in the plan and the EIR. In other action:
• In March board elections, Midway planners George Diaz, Judy Holiday, Tod Howarth, Cathy Kenton, Dawn Reilly, Kurt Sullivan and Mike Swanston are all up for re-election. There is also one open vacate seat available.