The virtues of environmental sustainability were extolled at a March 12 meeting highlighting progress in advancing Pacific Beach’s evolving eco-district.
The community meeting at Broken Yolk Cafe was sponsored by beautifulPB, a nonprofit comprised of PB residents, businesses and property owners. The nonprofit, along with partners PB Planning Group, Pacific Beach Town Council and others, are collaborating on numerous environmentally sustainable community-improvement projects.
“It was to introduce the eco-district certification process — and celebrate it,” said Kristen Victor, beautifulPB co-founder, about the purpose of the meeting.
Eco-district is an urban planning term denoting the objective of attaining “sustainable development” while reducing the ecological footprint and impact of community projects.
Launched in 2016, EcoDistricts Certification is a new, process-based urban development standard for neighborhood-scale projects. It promotes both environmental sustainability and climate protection.
Victor noted PB is taking the next notable steps in “growing” its eco-district, formed about three years ago, following consultation between community residents and environmental and community planners during public workshops.
Eco-district certification involves four steps: committing to the process; formation of the eco-district; creating a “road map” guiding project development; and tracking and measuring eco-district performance over time.
“Where we are right now is preparing for submittal for eco-district certification: That’s what we’ve been working on the last three years,” said Victor.
A slideshow narrated by PB community planners outlined the principles — and projects — of the beach community’s new eco-district.
“Our goal is to create safer streets and improve the mobility elements — walkability, likability, ADA access,” said beautifulPB president Matt Winters.
“We’re really de-emphasizing the automobile for travel corridors in and out of PB,” said former PB Planning Group president Brian Curry, who predicted the eco-district will reshape the community. “Right now you have old car dealerships, an old hospital and older residential,” he said. “We see that as evolving into higher-density residential and a new employment base, all geared around a transit stop (Balboa Avenue now under construction).”
District 2 Councilmember Lorie Zapf said she was all-in on the PB eco-district effort.
“It is transformative,” Zapf said while praising PB for being “the little engine that could. Only a handful of people are actually making it happen. I support absolutely everything about it, and I’m happy to keep it going.”
The meeting concluded with guests visiting various stations setup discussing ongoing eco-district projects including a new beautifulPB community garden, a PB Parks Project improving coastal green space and a PB Pathways project to improve pedestrian-cycling routes throughout the community.
