By Ken Williams | Editor

How citizens can have a say about Mission Valley’s future

Within the next 10 to 15 years, Mission Valley’s population is estimated to more than double in size. That means more housing, more roads, more traffic congestion and more challenges for planners and residents.

The Mission Valley Planning Group (MVPG) has been tasked by the City Council to update the Mission Valley Community Plan, a major undertaking to modernize the long-range land-use plan for the sprawling neighborhood that is home to numerous hotels, major shopping centers and the aging Qualcomm Stadium. The City Council will eventually have the final say on the updated plan.

In January, Dottie Surdi, chair of the MVPG, appointed the 12 members from the planning group who will serve on the Community Plan Update Committee. John Nugent will be the committee’s chair, and Andrew Michajlenko and Elizabeth Leventhal will serve as vice chairs. Other members will be Deborah Bossmeyer, Paul Brown, Perry Dealy, Alan Grant, Rob Huntsel, Karen Ruggels, Marco Sessa, Surdi and Josh Wiselberg.

Now it is time to pick the remaining 11 members from the Mission Valley community who wish to give input about the long-term goals of the Community Plan. To qualify, Surdi says, members must either be a resident of Mission Valley or own a business there.

The Mission Valley Community Plan kickoff meeting has been scheduled from 6 – 8 p.m. June 30 at the Scottish Rite Event Center (1895 Camino del Rio South, Mission Valley).

Nancy Graham, a senior planner in the city’s Planning Department, told the Mission Valley News that the subcommittee would have an initial meeting on July 10 at 3 p.m. in the Community Room at the Mission Valley Public Library on Fenton Parkway. The full panel will not be seated by the time, however.

Applications to serve on the subcommittee will be available at the June 30 and July 10 meetings, or candidates can sign up on the “interest list” at tiny.cc/w0d8yx. Deadline to submit an application is July 24.

The remaining 11 members of the subcommittee will be selected by lottery on Aug. 5 at the MVPG monthly meeting at the library’s Community Room.

The first official meeting of the subcommittee will be at 3 p.m. Aug. 14 at the library.

Graham estimated that work on the update plan probably won’t be finished until 2018, so candidates should be prepared for the long haul.

—Ken Williams is editor of Mission Valley News and San Diego Uptown News and can be reached at [email protected] or at 619-961-1952.