Among other things, San Diegans will be electing a new president and electing or re-electing a mayor in 2016.
On the local scene, the Beach & Bay Press asked civic-minded folks in Pacific and Mission beaches to gaze into their crystal balls to see what lies ahead. Here’s what they had to say. Lorie Zapf
City aide Conrad Wear said his boss, Councilwoman Lorie Zapf, expects another busy year representing the residents of District 2.
“Policy priorities include a variety of issues facing the district, including continued dialogue regarding short-term vacation rentals, advocating for the retention of waypoint LOWMA by the FAA and continued preparation and public outreach for El Niño, especially in neighborhoods prone to flooding,” Wear said.
“On a proactive note, Councilmember Zapf looks to bring forth measures at her Smart Growth and Land Use Committee that would make housing more affordable for middle-class families and an update to the Mission Bay Park Master Plan.
“Finally, Councilwoman Zapf plans to support Mayor Faulconer with another fiscally responsible budget, including the repaving of over 1,000 miles of streets over the next several years. She will remain a strong supporter of Proposition B-Pension Reform, which is allowing the City to reinvest millions of tax dollars back into our neighborhoods.” Sara Berns
Sara Berns, executive director of Discover PB, the community’s business improvement district, agreed that 2016 “holds a lot of promise for Pacific Beach.”
“We continue to see more businesses and developers interested in our area as Pacific Beach continues to grow and mature,” Berns said. “This upcoming year, we anticipate a year of collaboration and planning as the future of Pacific Beach is molded. “With exciting opportunities such as the Mid-Coast Trolley and Climate Action Plan on the horizon, it is important that the community and the organizations that represent the neighborhood are at the forefront of planning and shaping the future of Pacific Beach.”
Berns added that Discover Pacific Beach “hopes to focus on the commercial corridor and advocating for a viable walking, biking and driving environment that will attract shoppers and customers for our businesses as they adjust to the future of transportation, parking and development.” Marcella Teran
Marcella Teran, a board member with Pacific Beach Town Council, talked about her community concerns for 2016.
“One of the biggest issues which negatively affects our single-family neighborhoods are the short-term vacation rentals,” Teran said. “They continue to grow, even though they are illegal in single-family neighborhoods. Also, the Deco Bike placements throughout our beaches: They take away business, parking and the beautiful view of our ocean in some areas.” Heather Worms On the school scene, Pacific Beach Elementary School parent Heather Worms said there are challenges to be met — and overcome — this year.
“PB schools is continuing its big push to bring local kids back to the schools here in PB,” Worms said. “Over the last handful of years, the enrollment at the schools has continued to rise … in part due to a higher percentage of families now living in the Pacific Beach area … [W]e are in the upswing of more families moving in and/or staying in the community. “You can see it with the increased registrations of local sports leagues such as Pacific Youth Soccer League (from 700 to over 1,000 in three years) and Mission Bay Youth Baseball. We have many more participants from the 92109 zip code than we did five or six years ago.” Karin Zirk
Karin Zirk, a volunteer with Friends of Rose Creek, an environmental watchdog group dedicated to preserving, restoring and interpreting the creek’s importance, expects 2016 to be a big year for her group and the coastal environment.
“Our vision is for lower Rose Creek to be an open-space park providing recreational and learning opportunities and a clean, healthy, aesthetically pleasing environment for residents, visitors, businesses and native plants and animals while serving as an accessible link for bicyclists and pedestrians to move between Rose Canyon Park, Marian Bear Park, Mission Bay Park and surrounding communities,” Zirk said. “The Friends of Rose Creek are excited to be part of all the amazing projects that are happening in and around Rose Creek in 2016 and beyond, including the De Anza Revitalization Plan, ReWild Mission Bay, the Rose Creek Bikeway, the Mid-Coast Trolley and the Balboa Avenue Station area specific plan.”
Zirk noted that Friends is “thrilled about the support from Mayor Faulconer’s office as we work towards creating Lower Rose Creek Park and look forward to making substantial progress this year. In 2016, we hope more of the Pacific Beach and Clairemont communities will spend time at the creek and enjoy bird watching, photography, nature painting, bike riding, walking and/or the Native Plant Garden behind the Rose Creek Cottage. We would love to see more police presence along the creek to encourage the public to enjoy this precious natural resource.”
Zirk also talked about what she’d not like to see happen with the creek in 2016.
“We do not want to see negative impacts to Rose Creek mitigated in far-flung parts of the county instead of within the Rose Creek Watershed,” she said. “What happens in the watershed needs to stay in the watershed. “We also don’t want the rail corridor projects to block heavily utilized informal crossing points along the railroad tracks that currently allow bicyclists to cross near the trestle below Jutland Street and at the I-5/Highway 52 juncture as people bike to between the beaches and the communities of Clairemont and University City.”
It’s also important to remember, said Zirk, that “We don’t want more trash in Rose Creek, which then ends up in Mission Bay Park and our oceans. We want to see an end to the trash and dumping problems along the creek. Between the lack of trash cans, dog walkers who don’t pick up after their pets, the mess made by folks living along the creek and people dumping furniture into the creek, we are tired of having to do the heavy lifting of trash removal.” Tony Franco
PB commercial real estate broker Tony Franco, president of Franco Realty Group, said that in order to understand where we are going in 2016, we have to see what has been accomplished in 2015.
“For the apartment sector, there were only 15 apartment buildings that sold in 92109 in 2015 compared to 25 apartments in 2014 and 25 in 2013,” Franco said. “For the retail/office sector, there were an outstanding 20 retail properties that sold in 2015 and only seven properties in 2014 and five properties in 2013.”
Franco noted interest rates were around 4 percent for commercial properties in 2015 and are expected to significantly rise in 2016. “Thus, prices are going to soften for commercial real estate,” Franco said, adding, “CAP rates (also known as return on investment) for apartments were around 4 percent in 2015 and will likely reach 4.5 percent to 5 percent in 2016. CAP rates for retail and office buildings were around 6 percent in 2015 and will likely reach 6.5 percent in 2016.” Brian Curry
Brian Curry, chair of Pacific Beach Planning Group, is enthused about the prospects for the beach community in 2016.
“There are some incredible things planned for PB,” Curry said, adding, “Most all of it is on paper right now, but the next few years will witness dramatic positive changes for our community. “We are currently in the public input stages for redevelopment of DeAnza Cove and the Balboa Transit Specific Plan between Interstate 5 and Rose Creek. We are also working with SANDAG on potential public transit options from the proposed Balboa Transit Station and the beach.”
Curry noted the YMCA is currently conducting a feasibility study for the proposed YMCA at the PB Middle School and that the planning group hopes to launch a fundraising campaign by yearend.
“A grant was funded to conduct a feasibility study for the PB Parks project west of Mission Boulevard between PB Drive and Grand Avenue,” Curry said. “We are continuing our efforts to have the DecoBikes stations relocated off of our boardwalk. “And a result of the initial recommendations of the Pacific Beach Planning Group, the San Diego City Council will be taking action to regulate and hopefully rein in the rapid expansion of short-term vacation rentals in our residential neighborhoods.
“Finally,” said Curry, “the EcoDistrict principals adopted by all of our community groups will continue to provide guidelines for implementing a sustainable community design and lifestyle for Pacific Beach residents.”