Reacting to the draft EIR for the new Balboa Avenue Transit Center, Pacific Beach Planning Group supported increased density for the mixed-use trolley stop providing mobility improvements and proper infrastructure are assured.
The citizen’s advisory group responded in a recent letter to the draft EIR sent to the City reviewing numerous environmental concerns. Those included mobility and traffic congestion and mitigation, as well as proposed zoning changes to create higher residential zoning onsite.
The Balboa Avenue Trolley Stop is one of nine planned for the Mid-Coast Trolley under development to extend trolley service from Sante Fe Depot downtown to University City. The extension will end at UTC and serve major activity centers including Old Town and UC San Diego.
Among PBPG’s environmental recommendations:
n The draft plan must emphasize creating employment opportunities/job growth via office and live/work space.
n Only allow building height to top 30 feet if it does not impact views.
n Prioritize an expedited timeline for funding improvements on Garnet Avenue and the pedestrian/bicycle connection over/under Interstate 5.
n Proposed Garnet Avenue Class 3 (shared) bike lanes are dangerous and unacceptable. A safe bicycle route needs to be provided from the Balboa Avenue Station to bike routes west of Rose Creek and north of Garnet.
Pacific Beach is becoming certified as an eco-district, with the goal of attaining “sustainable development” while reducing the ecological footprint and impact of community projects.
PBPG’s letter to the city in the trolley stop draft EIR reflects the community’s emphasis on project sustainability.
“The City should require all development and/or redevelopment to be compatible with EcoDistrict principles and adhere to the most current project design checklist from the PBPG website,” said the group in its draft EIR letter. “Rose Creek must be dedicated as parkland and be funded by the city for park services. New development of Rose Creek  must celebrate the creek, not turn its back on it. Do not allow walling off of the creek frontage like recent construction behind Sonic Drive-In.”
Friends of Rose Creek, an environmental nonprofit, also weighed-in the Balboa Trolley environmental review.
“Rose Creek is the heart of this community and we feel very strongly that by creating a project that recognizes the central role the creek serves in creating our community character, we can enhance the neighborhood for existing and future residents,” said Friends’ spokesperson Karin Zirk.
“Unfortunately the plan, as presently written, does not do enough for the creek. We feel very strongly that protections for Rose Creek need to be in place before any zoning changes are approved. Make additional density contingent on pedestrian improvements by assessing developer fees for any density increase, and requiring the pedestrian improvements to be made prior to completion of any new projects.”
The Balboa Avenue project is to establish a “specific plan” that would increase residential density by re-designating and rezoning lands to allow for transit-oriented public and private development adjacent to the trolley station. 
The plan provides recommendations and guidelines for new mixed-use development and improvements to the public right-of-way to develop access to the station on Balboa Avenue, and to capitalize on the new regional transit connection.
The plan promotes increasing transportation choices, decreasing dependence on single-occupancy vehicles, and reducing traffic congestion at local intersections and roadways. It would re-designate approximately 51 acres of commercial land uses to the “community village” land use designation within Pacific Beach. The community village land use designation would allow for the development of high-density multifamily housing in a mixed-use setting along with commercial, service and civic uses.
The plan would also identify multi-modal improvements to increase bicycle, pedestrian, and transit access to the trolley station.”