{"id":244191,"date":"2011-02-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-02-21T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/bridging-controversy-in-balboa\/"},"modified":"2011-02-21T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2011-02-21T08:00:00","slug":"bridging-controversy-in-balboa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/bridging-controversy-in-balboa\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridging controversy in Balboa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Por David Schwab | Reportero SDUN<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Bridging<\/a>
The proposed bypass bridge would look like this architectural rendering shown above. The new bridge would lead motorist around the park to the Organ Pavilion where a three-story parking garage is being proposed. (Courtesy of SOHO) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Last year, civic leaders led by mayor Jerry Sanders\u00a0and Qualcomm founder Dr. Irwin Jacobs launched an\u00a0effort to reclaim the Plaza de Panama and adjacent areas\u00a0for pedestrian use in time for the 2015 Centennial\u00a0celebration of the Panama-California Exposition.\u00a0That is to be accomplished via a plan known as the\u00a0Ballboa Park Plaza de Panama, Circulation and Parking\u00a0Structure Project, which proposes construction of\u00a0a bypass bridge.<\/p>\n

Under a schematic presented by Dr. Jacobs, cars entering\u00a0the park from the west would be diverted, once\u00a0they\u2019ve crossed the Laurel Street Bridge, to an elevated<\/p>\n

roadway behind the Alcazar Garden, leading to the\u00a0Alcazar parking lot. There, visitors could drop off passengers,\u00a0use valet parking or continue on to a two-story<\/p>\n

parking structure to be built behind the Organ Pavilion.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe plaza was designed as a grand ceremonial\u00a0space, a gathering place for park\u00a0visitors and a hub of the cultural activities\u00a0in the heart of Balboa Park,\u201d<\/p>\n

Sanders said, defending the park’s\u00a0pedestrian conversion. \u201cAs you can\u00a0see, previous generations traded in\u00a0that vision, and all they got in return\u00a0was a few dozen parking spaces and\u00a0the steady drone of automobiles\u00a0searching for an empty spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under Jacobs\u2019 plan, once vehicular\u00a0traffic is permanently diverted,\u00a0the Plaza de Panama would\u00a0be opened up for shade trees,\u00a0benches, landscaping, fountains<\/p>\n

and other amenities, while the\u00a0road from the Plaza to the Organ\u00a0Pavilion would be replaced by a pedestrian\u00a0esplanade.\u00a0Jacobs\u2019 proposal also calls for a\u00a0new roofed parking structure with\u00a0landscaped garden approximately\u00a0level with the Organ Pavilion to be\u00a0created. The plans show the parking\u00a0structure will more than make\u00a0up for the spaces removed from the\u00a0Plaza, with current plans netting an\u00a0additional 250 spaces for park users.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeparating cars from pedestrians\u00a0will make the park safer and\u00a0more enjoyable for both, and the\u00a0needs of motorists will also be addressed,\u201d\u00a0Jacobs has said. \u201cThe\u00a0parking structure will not only\u00a0make it easier for visitors to access\u00a0the park, but will reduce the time\u00a0and gasoline that is wasted each\u00a0time we search for a place to park.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the Park\u2019s proposal favoring\u00a0pedestrians over vehicles was\u00a0unveiled nearly a year ago, stakeholders\u00a0have been weighing in on\u00a0the merits\u2014and demerits\u2014of the\u00a0proposal, which is encountering\u00a0stiff resistance from historical and\u00a0preservationist groups.\u00a0Speaking on behalf of The\u00a0Committee of One Hundred, a<\/p>\n

nonprofit established in 1967 to\u00a0preserve Balboa Park\u2019s Spanish\u00a0colonial architecture, Michael\u00a0Kelly, in a position statement delivered\u00a0Feb. 4 to the Balboa Park\u00a0Committee said, \u201cconstruction of\u00a0the proposed bypass bridge is not\u00a0in keeping with the historic designation\u00a0of Balboa Park as a National\u00a0Register Historic District. Pursuit\u00a0of this bypass plan will result in\u00a0protracted delays, excessive costs,and the likelihood the proposal will\u00a0be rejected by the City\u2019s Historical\u00a0Resources Board, the State Office\u00a0of Historic Preservation and the\u00a0National Park Service.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelly said The Committee of\u00a0One Hundred believes there is a\u00a0better way to achieve those same\u00a0goals without changes to the Cabrillo\u00a0Bridge, the canyons, or the<\/p>\n

historic views of San Diego.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe City of San Diego should\u00a0close the Cabrillo Bridge to traffic,\u00a0adding it to the reclaimed public\u00a0space,\u201d he said. \u201cReturning the Cabrillo\u00a0Bridge to pedestrians will remove\u00a0any need for a bypass bridge;\u00a0vehicular traffic will enter and leave\u00a0the Central Mesa from the east\u00a0side. Traffic turnarounds for passenger\u00a0drop-off and frequent tram\u00a0service across the bridge will make\u00a0it easier than it is now to get to the\u00a0theatre, museums and events from\u00a0the west.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bruce Coons, executive director\u00a0of Save Our Heritage Organisation\u00a0(SOHO), a nonprofit and the oldest\u00a0continually operating historic preservation\u00a0organization in California,\u00a0said the Jacobs\u2019 park pedestrian\u00a0proposal as presently construed is\u00a0unworkable and unacceptable.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea of removing cars,\u00a0we\u2019re not against,\u201d Coons said. \u201cBut\u00a0the plan he\u2019s come up with is inefficient\u00a0and would create a debacle\u00a0on the bridge itself, having cars\u00a0turn left and right across pedestrian\u00a0traffic. Nobody\u2019s suggested this\u00a0destructive a proposal for the south\u00a0side of the bridge before in history.\u00a0It [bridge bypass] would destroy\u00a0the entire character of the fortified\u00a0hilltop town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coons said SOHO believes a\u00a0better idea for traffic management\u00a0would be for the bridge to be closed\u00a0to vehicular traffic for a portion of\u00a0the day, say 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the simplest, cheapest,\u00a0quickest, most reasonable way to\u00a0take cars out of Plaza de Panama,\u201d\u00a0he said, adding he also believes\u00a0there needs to be more \u201cgive\u201d in\u00a0Jacobs\u2019 side\u2019s position.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe and his team have basically\u00a0threatened to take his toys and go\u00a0home,\u201d Coons said. \u201cHe wants a\u00a0bond issue for a parking garage\u00a0based on paid parking. I don\u2019t think\u00a0anybody\u2019s thrilled at that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark Johnson, principal designer\u00a0and team engineer with Civitas,\u00a0which is designing Jacobs\u2019 pedestrian\u00a0bridge proposal, said public\u00a0input is being welcomed in adapting\u00a0the project to fit that section of\u00a0Balboa Park. But he added the project\u2019s\u00a0fundamental objective will not\u00a0be compromised.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very open to other\u00a0ideas, but not open to ideas that do\u00a0not meet the goal, which is to make\u00a0that a carless plaza \u2026 restore the\u00a0plaza to its original intent,\u201d Johnson\u00a0said. \u201cThe city has been unable\u00a0to achieve that goal for 100 years.\u00a0That\u2019s why this private leadership\u00a0has come forward to try and get\u00a0that done.\u201d<\/p>\n

A nonprofit, Plaza de Panama\u00a0Committee is now overseeing fundraising\u00a0efforts for the project to\u00a0convert the bridge for pedestrian\u00a0use. It’s currently estimated to cost\u00a0about $33 million. The committee is\u00a0comprised of civic leaders all active\u00a0in the arts and philanthropic communities.<\/p>\n

Johnson said Jacobs\u2019 plan is novel\u00a0because it\u2019s a privately funded project,\u00a0in a very important public place,\u00a0to be paid for by a self-supporting\u00a0bond and private donations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a group of private individuals\u00a0who want to make a generous\u00a0gift to the city and their goal\u00a0is to remove cars from the Plaza,\u201d\u00a0Johnson said. \u201cThat\u2019s the reason\u00a0they want to make the gift. People\u00a0are saying this is not a public process.\u00a0There have been 63 years of\u00a0the public debating this process.\u00a0We\u2019re not asking the public how\u00a0they think private donors should\u00a0spend their money. People are asking\u00a0us to leave the cars in the Plaza\u00a0as a compromise: We are not willing\u00a0to do that. If there are cars in\u00a0the Plaza \u2026 there will not be any\u00a0[donors] gift. Our client is only interested\u00a0in permanently removing\u00a0cars from the Plaza.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelly said the Committee of\u00a0One Hundred supports the proposed\u00a0three-level parking structure,\u00a0topped with green space at\u00a0ground level, as a satisfactory solution<\/p>\n

for closed-in parking, adding\u00a0the group also believes innovative\u00a0public transportation choices for\u00a0getting people to-and-from Balboa\u00a0Park will reduce the need for parking\u00a0spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cA well-designed, well-managed\u00a0tram system is critical to\u00a0the success of any plan to remove\u00a0traffic and parking lots from the\u00a0public spaces that we hope to reclaim,\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelly said. \u201cReliable and\u00a0convenient trams to and from\u00a0their destinations will make peripheral\u00a0parking practical for employees,\u00a0volunteers and park visitors.\u00a0Funds not used for a bypass\u00a0bridge could be redirected to extend\u00a0the new tram system to bus\u00a0stops and parking lots. All this can\u00a0be completed for the 2015 Centennial\u00a0celebration.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Dave Schwab | SDUN Reporter Last year, civic leaders led by mayor Jerry Sanders\u00a0and Qualcomm founder Dr. Irwin Jacobs launched an\u00a0effort to reclaim the Plaza de Panama and adjacent areas\u00a0for pedestrian use in time for the 2015 Centennial\u00a0celebration of the Panama-California Exposition.\u00a0That is to be accomplished via a plan known as the\u00a0Ballboa Park Plaza […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":840,"featured_media":244192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"Bridging controversy in Balboa","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11551,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-244191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/840"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244191"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244191\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}