Hillcrest: The Neighborhood of the Future?

By Benjamin Nicholls, Executive Director of the Hillcrest Business Improvement Association

What will Hillcrest look like in 10 years? Twenty years? Thirty years? Will it continue to be one of America’s greatest neighborhoods? What if you could go back in time to 1989 and plant the seeds that could transform our neighborhood today?

Most people don’t realize it, but over the next two years the city of San Diego will be rewriting the plans for Hillcrest (and all of Uptown). Through this process, business owners and residents have the opportunity to plant the seeds that will shape the neighborhood for decades to come. You might just have an opportunity to help create the future of Hillcrest.

As part of this process, the Hillcrest Business Association is organizing a series of workshops to develop the future of one of San Diego’s most beloved neighborhoods. The workshops, titled Hillcrest 2.0, will occur quarterly over the next two years and will focus on a variety of subjects. We will be inviting folks to come to the workshops, get educated, and then contribute their ideas.

When thinking about this effort, committee chair and business owner Glen Younger said: “Imagine if you could get together with a bunch of really bright folks over cocktails, invite the foremost experts in the field, and plan the future of Hillcrest. Well, that’s what we’re planning on doing.” Bob Grinchuk, neighborhood business owner, will also be chairing the effort.

Starting in October, and each quarter after that, a community workshop will be held on a different topic. Experts will be invited into the neighborhood to educate the conversation on the latest thinking in urban planning. Guests will be engaged with our members in participatory activities. Topics will include parking, transportation, density, design, crime prevention, economic development, zoning and infrastructure.

In 2007 Hillcrest was named by the American Planning Association as one of America’s 10 great urban neighborhoods. It falls to us, today, to make sure that in 2027 Hillcrest continues to retain that title. If you’d like to be part of this effort or participate in a workshop, please contact the Hillcrest Business Association at (619) 299-3330 or e-mail us at [email protected].