An important step has been taken to secure $380,000 in state funding for developing a system of trails and restoring native vegetation in Sunset Cliffs Natural Park. The Peninsula Community Planning Board (PCPB) voted 10-1 in support of the Sunset Cliffs Hillside Park project during its July meeting. The board’s OK keeps the project on schedule to meet a March 2012 deadline to secure a grant from the California Coastal Conservancy, said Joe Esposito of Estrada Land Planning, the city’s consultant for the project. The project calls for developing two six-foot-wide trails on the Hillside section of the park, which is the 50-acre portion south of Ladera Street. A third trail available for disabled users will begin at one of the hillside’s parking lots, Esposito said. The trails will enhance opportunities to view the ocean with five observation points, interpretive signs and several benches, Esposito said. Native plants and a temporary irrigation system will be installed on 10 feet of both sides of the trails. Shortcuts and secondary trails will be cut off and restored with native plants. A former ballpark used by Point Loma Nazarene University will be contoured to a more natural state and planted in the first phase of the project, Esposito said. Later phases will include removal of eucalyptus trees and other exotic plants. The plan features some erosion controls like vegetative swale to collect water on rainy days. But Ali Darvishi, a senior engineer for the city, stressed that the plan does not address stormwater that enters the park from the east. A concurrent effort to upgrade the stormwater collection system is being headed up by the city’s Park and Recreation Department. The university is also developing a plan to deal with stormwater that leaves its campus, Darvishi said. Some board members expressed concerns that the three plans should be better coordinated. But Darvishi said by the time funding has been secured for the Hillside Park project, the other plans should be in place. “We’re not working in a vacuum,” Darvisi said. Members of the Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Recreation Council (SCNPRC) applauded the progress. “We are excited to be moving forward with implementing the (park’s) master plan,” said SCNPRC chairwoman Ann Swanson. The plan is available for viewing online at www.sunsetcliffs.info.
In other PCPB news: • A new window mural with images from the local Portuguese Historical Center should help the Starbucks at 1221 Rosecrans St. get out of hot water with the city’s Code Enforcement Division. The coffee shop received a complaint 18 months ago for running afoul of a requirement to keep windows transparent that face Rosecrans. Starbucks covered the windows with whiteout film because the management didn’t want to show back-of-the-house areas, said John Albert, a design manager for the company. Starbucks ruled out redesigning the store because of cost, he said. The board approved the plan 10-1. • Anthony Reed of the Rock Church, 2277 Rosecrans St., has been appointed to the planning board’s Traffic and Transportation Committee. Reed serves as the church’s traffic and community relations director. He said he’s eager to work on related issues in the area.