Green spaces, affordable housing, public transit are leading concerns

By SDCNN Staff

Residents in South Park and North Park want city planners to preserve and create urban green spaces, increase access to public transportation, expand the supply of affordable housing and disperse it around San Diego, and increase bike lanes, according to survey results.

The SoNo Neighborhood Alliance — a nonprofit that informs and engages residents of South Park and North Park — compiled 275 survey responses received between November 2016 and January 2017.

The top issues identified in the survey will be addressed in a series of public forums hosted by the Alliance. The first forum will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17, at the Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd. in North Park.

Launched in October 2015 at a public forum that featured a keynote address by former San Diego City Councilwoman Donna Frye, the SoNo Neighborhood Alliance plans to use the survey results to open a new dialogue designed to empower residents to actively engage in finding solutions that ensure the South Park and North Park neighborhoods are livable, equitable and safe.

“We believe that all voices must be included in plans for change,” SoNo member Vernita Gutierrez said. “We want to give residents a platform so they can make their voices heard and work together with businesses, city planners and developers to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to participate as equal partners at every level of decision-making and that we all benefit from the changes occurring in our neighborhoods.”

Results from the survey include:

• 97 percent of respondents support preservation of parks, community gardens, and other urban green spaces and 71 percent said that there are too few publicly accessible urban green spaces.

• 87 percent support increased access to public transportation, and 84 percent feel there is a lack of efficient public transportation.

• 80 percent agree there is a lack of affordable housing and rental units, and 78 percent support dispersing affordable housing throughout the city.

• 77 percent said that a lack of bike lanes on roadways is problematic, and 76 percent cited too much vehicle traffic as an issue of concern.

• 73 percent felt that there is too little representation from residents when decisions are made that affect their neighborhoods.

Complete survey results, including comments, are listed on SoNo’s website at sonoalliance.org.