{"id":249278,"date":"2015-10-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-09T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/letters-to-the-editor-oct-9\/"},"modified":"2015-10-09T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-10-09T07:00:00","slug":"letters-to-the-editor-oct-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/letters-to-the-editor-oct-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Letters to the editor \u2013 Oct. 9"},"content":{"rendered":"

Responding to columnist Eric Domeier<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

Re: The Craftsman awaits his wake [Volume 7, Issue 20 or bit.ly\/1KOwFxh<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s hear it for Eric Domeier and his article \u201cThe Craftsman awaits his wake.\u201d I live in a Craftsman house that was mentioned in Don Covington\u2019s book as being built 100 years ago this year. After living here for 18 years and raising two daughters, I can agree that a 100-year-old Craftsman is not the best place to do so.<\/p>\n

\u2014John Molin of North Park, via email<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to\u00a0get through Eric Domeier\u2019s rant regarding Craftman style architecture and the implications of the neighborhoods that embrace them.\u00a0He makes the most ridiculous statements, such as \u201cthe city makes even the smallest modification \u2026 Craftsman home exceedingly painful.\u201d\u00a0 Not so \u2014 not even close.\u00a0 And \u201cThe dogmatic preservation of our historical buildings is contrary to common sense.\u201d\u00a0This truly is nonsensical.<\/p>\n

Every town has its roots, its history and the architecture to go with it.\u00a0Apparently he\u2019d like San Diego to look like Tomorrowland, and he\u2019d raze Gaslamp. I would bet that Domeier is a millennial hipster, with no children, a cat, lives with Ikea furniture and likes ultra sleek furnishings \u2014 no garden, no garage, no shade trees, not a sports fan, and lives for the brew fest in his neighborhood, where he wants to hang out on the sidewalk to be seen and get out of his sustainable, emotional refuge.<\/p>\n

He can\u2019t imagine that families want to live in homes with backyards and maybe a swimming pool?\u00a0His last paragraph seems to plea for what he thinks is non-existent in San Diego, when, in fact, the \u201chomes and communities that are in our image of the here and now\u201d go up by the hundreds \u2014 have been for the last decade \u2014 can\u2019t stop \u2018em. Maybe he can\u2019t see the forest for the high-rise there in North Park.\u00a0 As to \u201crestor[ing] the culture of urban design\u201d \u2014 what does that even mean? I think he should go back to wherever he came from and try his shtick there.\u00a0And he wants these larger structures to be on small lots to be \u201caffordable\u201d \u2014 in San Diego.\u00a0He whines: \u201cWe must regain our membership status in our own culture.\u201d\u00a0Again \u2014 going up by the HUNDREDS.<\/p>\n

\u2014Cindi L. of South Park, via email<\/em><\/p>\n

Eric sounds like a very shortsighted individual, even philistine in his attitudes. I\u2019m glad he isn\u2019t in charge of creating the vision for community development. Perhaps he should practice his business in locations where there is no cultural heritage to speak of. There\u2019s plenty of raw real estate to go around, I\u2019m sure. Just not in my neighborhood.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014Russ Hamm, via Facebook<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh great. Here we go again. Another self-serving \u201carchitect\u201d who thinks he knows better than the community. Mr. Domeier wants to tear down your house and build his vision of what people want. And he doesn\u2019t want any historic concerns to get in his way. As a landlord in Hillcrest and North Park, I see it over and over, the kids from the suburbs streaming into the older more genteel neighborhoods. These are the people the author wants to save from themselves. Because obviously, they don\u2019t know what they want.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the author should think about tearing down Santee or RB since those are the neighborhoods being rejected by the young. Of course, I suspect the residents of those communities wouldn\u2019t care for the author\u2019s outrageous notions either.<\/p>\n

\u2014Bob Martynec, via Facebook<\/em><\/p>\n

Has this person ever been inside a Craftsman house? Mine has an open living room, kitchen and dining room. The floors are beautiful hardwood and the kitchen is modernized with stainless appliances and granite countertops. The bedrooms are large, separated from the rest of the house, and have glass doors that open out to the pool area. My heating and a\/c bills are minimal. It\u2019s already been built, so you can\u2019t get more sustainable than that. What else would anybody want from a house?<\/p>\n

\u2014Tim Gahagan via Facebook<\/em><\/p>\n

I, too, was surprised by this article. While the conclusions seem to serve an evolved sense of entitlement and ego, the evidence presented to support them do not meet the \u201creality test.\u201d<\/p>\n

At their best, Craftsman design homes provide a synthesis of backward and forward vision. Gustav Stickley, \u201cthe Craftsman,\u201d explicitly acknowledged this as his goal.<\/p>\n

Dr. Robert Winter (\u201cBungalow Bob\u201d), one of the premier authorities of our time on the topic, suggests that these homes were the first time in history when \u201cArchitecture,\u201d with a capital \u201cA,\u201d was available to anyone other than the privileged classes.<\/p>\n

And they certainly do celebrate a sheltering domesticity, which seems a virtue appropriate to our homes.<\/p>\n

Mr. Domeier states \u201cthe first room one walks into off of the street is usually one of the most private rooms of the house, creating an alienating juxtaposition \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, the \u201cfirst room\u201d is an outdoor room, a porch designed for living, and a transition between the public and private spheres, and a link to neighborhood and community.<\/p>\n

Next, open the welcoming front door, and step into the \u201cliving room,\u201d where guests are hosted; hardly \u201cthe most private room of the house.\u201d<\/p>\n

These designs actively engage the community, while providing an ordered, rational and zoned transition from public to private spaces.<\/p>\n

I have never seen bungalow front doors opening into bathrooms or bed chambers, which would get my vote for \u201cmost private\u201d spaces, and wonder how the author judges issues of intimacy, or engagement with community.<\/p>\n

The domestic design paradigm of our recent past is to front the home with a garage, the sleeping room for the most important member of our family, the automobile, and to place the \u201cliving room(s)\u201d back away from the street, insulated from any interaction with community.<\/p>\n

While many planners and designers do view this as a problem, the solution is one that remains often elusive.<\/p>\n

The Craftsman homes, nestled in their streetcar suburbs, provide a middle path, providing moderate density, near the urban core, served by transit (now too often dismantled), and set in walkable engaging communities.<\/p>\n

I vote we \u201credevelop\u201d Eastlake before we attack South Park, Sherman Heights, Golden Hill, North Park, Mission Hills, Logan Heights and our other vintage livable neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

\u2014David Swarens, via Facebook<\/em><\/p>\n

If you want modern living buy a f***ing condo.<\/p>\n

\u2014Gregory May, via Facebook<\/em><\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t disagree with the author of this article more. Interesting is it not that he lives on \u201cGrim Ave.\u201d?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014Luke Terpstra of Hillcrest, via Facebook<\/em><\/p>\n

The author of this article has a huge misunderstanding of the origins of Craftsman style.<\/p>\n

\u2014David Gleason, via Facebook<\/em><\/p>\n

This article is seriously flawed. Please learn the differences between an old house, a historically designated house, and a house which is qualified to receive a property tax reduction under the Mills Act. I do not expect an exceptionally nuanced grasp of San Diego history and culture from a paper which calls itself Uptown News and yet tries to include the entirety of greater San Diego in its realm, but this was really just embarrassing.<\/p>\n

\u2014Justine, via Facebook<\/em><\/p>\n

[Editor\u2019s note: San Diego Uptown News covers the Old Town, Mission Hills, Bankers Hill, Hillcrest, University Heights, Normal Heights, North Park, South Park, Golden Hill, Kensington and Talmadge neighborhoods. The newspaper does not \u201cinclude the entirety of greater San Diego in its realm,\u201d as the writer claims. Please understand that Eric Domeier\u2019s column series states his opinion, and this newspaper is open to hearing all sorts of different voices in our communities. We regularly feature columns devoted to our historical homes and neighborhoods, such as House Calls, which can be found on Page 20 in this issue. And just for the record, your editor lives in a house in North Park that was built in 1932 and he would describe it as an \u201cold house\u201d with lots of character.]<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

About that #ExploreNorthPark article<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Re: Explore North Park campaign targets tourists [Volume 7, Issue 20 or read at bit.ly\/1jqQJPD<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n

Great way to show off all the great things that North Park has become!<\/p>\n

\u2014Benny Cartwright, via Facebook<\/em><\/p>\n

Having just read your article, I feel compelled to respond thereto.<\/p>\n

First of all, I take umbrage at your unfounded statement that \u201c(a)s long as a decade ago, a running joke was that you might get \u2018caught dead\u2019 in North Park\u201d because this neighborhood was allegedly \u201cso run-down and crime-ridden that businesses and people were moving out in droves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just what proof do you have to substantiate that statement? If you were looking at so-called crime statistics, your inquiry should have delved a little deeper \u2014 those areas that may have seen an uptick in crime were probably those in which single-family residences had been replaced with apartment and condo complexes, attracting a transient population, as well as unregulated and unpatrolled park areas which became hangouts for unsavory characters. And, who is to blame for getting rid of single-family residences? \u2014 developers and City Council members who care little about preserving the ambience of a neighborhood.<\/p>\n

Secondly, I sincerely doubt that you are old enough to know what North Park was like decades ago, when it was comprised mainly of single-family homes and small businesses. I am 81 years of age and have lived in North Park for more than seven decades. I grant you that every<\/p>\n

neighborhood has its great areas and not-so-great areas, but it is simplistic and erroneous to lump everything into one description or definition. When my father bought our house near Morley Field<\/p>\n

in 1941, North Park was a wonderful, quiet and upscale area where families felt safe in bringing up their children. Even after the malls were built in Mission Valley, North Park retained a lot of small businesses \u2014 dress and jewelry shops, small restaurants, banks, drugstores, bakeries, corner groceries, a movie house, shoe stores, etc. My father owned a restaurant, the Fox Caf\u00e9, on University Avenue by 30th Street. I believe that the athletic store on University Avenue, Schloss, has been here for 70 years and is currently still being run by the original owner\u2019s sons.<\/p>\n

Never has North Park, in general or as a whole, become \u201crun-down\u201d or \u201ccrime-ridden.\u201d<\/p>\n

The real estate values bear this out, particularly in those areas that are still largely comprised of single-family homes. As a matter of fact, I would venture to guess that the large influx of breweries and bars will lead to an increase in crime. Perhaps you haven\u2019t talked with people who live near these places and who complain about persons urinating or throwing up on lawns, about finding used condoms, about raucous behavior in front of their homes when the bars close, about fights in the middle of the street, and so forth. And what about drunk drivers \u2014 two of our cars in front of our house were sideswiped one night, presumably by a drunk driver. I suppose it\u2019s easy to applaud the presence of an ever-increasing number of bars and pubs when one doesn\u2019t live near them.<\/p>\n

This so-called wonderful influx of \u201crestaurants, bars, brew pubs and boutiques\u201d that you rave about in your article has also resulted in a tremendous increase in traffic, noise and trash. Have you even considered the fact that the increased number of bars and brew pubs may also attract what may rightfully be called \u201clow-life\u201d characters?<\/p>\n

And, let\u2019s not forget the newest trend of the [Airbnb] rentals which, again, is fueled by the desire to make money, regardless of the result it may have in a neighborhood \u2014 strangers coming and going at all hours of the day and night, inability to park in front of one\u2019s own home, increased noise by \u201cguests\u201d who are here to party. There are, unfortunately, many recent and younger homeowners in North Park who believe that they are \u201centitled\u201d to engage in this business, regardless of whether it interferes with neighbors\u2019 quiet enjoyment of their properties.<\/p>\n

You see, everything you wrote in your article seems to revolve around bringing more tourists to North Park \u2014 in other words, bringing in more money to the bars, boutiques, \u201ctrendy\u201d restaurants, and craft breweries. As politicians, I\u2019m sure that Toni Atkins and Todd Gloria, who are cited in your article, are happy to see businesses making money. But, is that what defines a neighborhood? Reference to North Park\u2019s reputation as a \u201chipster neighborhood\u201d and the \u201csuds capital\u201d is directed\u00a0solely to the businesses, not to the single-family homes, the playgrounds, the schools and the parks.<\/p>\n

Perhaps you should have talked with longtime residents of North Park (not business people and politicians) prior to writing your article. Like myself, I\u2019m sure that there are many others who are not enamored with the presence of more bars and craft breweries, resulting in increased traffic and noise.<\/p>\n

\u2014Nikki Nicholas of North Park, via email<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

[Editor\u2019s note: I first heard the joke in 2005 from a local Realtor who was showing me around North Park, South Park and Hillcrest. He discouraged me from moving to North Park at that time, and I heeded his advice. But after living in suburbia for a couple of years, I moved to North Park in 2009 because I wanted to live in a walkable neighborhood that was close to everything. North Park may not be perfect, but it offers exactly what I want and expect from a livable and thriving community. I can walk, I can bike and I can take public transit. But this article was not about the problems of North Park, it was about the hashtag #ExploreNorthPark tourist campaign by North Park Main Street. Keep reading San Diego Uptown News because we do cover all these issues that you raise.]<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy to see the businesses packed with bicyclists \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

And yet the area remains a dangerous place to ride, with motorists threatening cyclists and no bike lanes on University or 30th, which both need them desperately.<\/p>\n

\u2014Robert, via Facebook<\/em><\/p>\n

Where is the affordable housing?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I have been following the density issues in Uptown. There is one aspect of the problem that I have not see discussed.<\/p>\n

What happens to the people who have lived in rental units that were what they could afford when they moved in 20 years ago but the old structures are purchased, renovated and replaced with expensive housing?<\/p>\n

Where do those people go who can only afford the rents they have been paying for many, many years? Social Security income does not allow them to afford to live in the new units that are replacing the old units. Where do those people go who have spent the last 20 years in Uptown?<\/p>\n

It seems this situation could create a whole new group of homeless. When escrow closes on a property the tenant may have up to two months to go somewhere else. Where do they go?\u00a0Where is the affordable housing in Uptown?<\/p>\n

\u2014Carol Emerick, via email<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

About TargetExpress in South Park<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Re: TargetExpress in South Park to open Oct. 7 [Volume 7, Issue 20 or at bit.ly\/1GflOL4<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n

Of course we will visit the new Target in spite of all the idiot naysayers!<\/p>\n

\u2014Chris Salem, via Facebook<\/em><\/p>\n

Very much looking forward to this!<\/p>\n

\u2014Benny Cartwright, via Facebook<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s about time \u2026 And I\u2019m sure everyone who opposed this store will secretly be shopping there, too. Hypocrites.<\/p>\n

\u2014Justin G., via Facebook<\/em><\/p>\n

More on those bicycling lanes<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Re: Groups urge SANDAG to support city\u2019s Climate Action Plan [Volume 7, Issue 20 or at bit.ly\/1FGxtHC<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n

One way to help achieve the 18 percent bike mode share in Uptown would be to restore SANDAG\u2019s planned protected bike lane on University Avenue. This was removed from the Uptown Bike Corridor after successful lobbying of SANDAG by the Hillcrest Business Association.<\/p>\n

The HBA is now lobbying SANDAG to also remove planned protected bike lanes on Fourth and Fifth avenues, which would completely gut this $40 million dollar TransNet sales tax investment in Uptown. The HBA\u2019s actions contradict the city\u2019s Climate Action Plan goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and ignore the potential impacts of climate change.<\/p>\n

\u2014Paul Jamason, via Facebook<\/em><\/p>\n

Hillcrest Town Council report<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Re: Hillcrest Town Council update [Volume 7, Issue 20 or at bit.ly\/1Wwpql8<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n

Thank you Benny for that thorough report. Looks like you had interesting presentations from both hospitals that continue to serve not only our community but the entire region in a very professional way.<\/p>\n

\u2014Luke Terpstra, chair of the Hillcrest Town Council, via Facebook<\/em><\/p>\n

I hope many Hillcrest residents come and join us for our next meeting, Oct. 13, where we will talk about parking! There are two proposals on the table, angled parking in some areas, and residential permit parking. What do you think about that? What ideas do you have to make parking easier in the neighborhood? Please join us to speak up and make your voice heard!<\/p>\n

\u2014Benny Cartwright, via Faceboook<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Responding to columnist Eric Domeier\u00a0 Re: The Craftsman awaits his wake [Volume 7, Issue 20 or bit.ly\/1KOwFxh] Let\u2019s hear it for Eric Domeier and his article \u201cThe Craftsman awaits his wake.\u201d I live in a Craftsman house that was mentioned in Don Covington\u2019s book as being built 100 years ago this year.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":247820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"Letters to the editor \u2013 Oct. 9","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11551,11593,11552,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-249278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-no-images","category-opinion","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249278","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\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249278\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}