UCPG hears updates on Costa Verde Revitalization and Coastal Rail Trail/Gilman Drive projects

At the September University City Planning Group (UCPG) meeting, two significant projects in the University City area were presented.

The revised Costa Verde Revitalization project was presented by John Murphy of Regency Centers. The proposed plan leaves the McDonald’s, the Chevron station, and car wash as is. The amount of retail space will be unchanged (rather than expanded, as in the previous plan) but completely renovated, along with the parking. A hotel is still part of the proposal. In a major change, Regency proposes to partner withAlexandria Real Estate, which will develop 400,000 square feet of office,R&D, and tech space on the property. A UCPG subcommittee will be formed at the October meeting to review the project in detail.

The city of San Diego’s Public Works Department presented the Coastal Rail Trail/Gilman Drive Capital Improvement project.This project consists of connecting the bike path at Gilman Drive andLa Jolla Colony Drive to an improved bike path along Gilman Drive. Protected bike lanes and sidewalks are to be added toGilman. The city will present the environmental documents to the UCPG in a few months. UCPG is expecting representatives from Caltrans to attend the meeting, as they control the intersection and on/off ramps to Interstate 5 at Gilman Drive.

The next UCPG meeting is at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 10300 Campus Point Drive.

UCPC ADOPTS AMENDED BYLAWS

The University City recreation councils (Doyle, Nobel, and Standley) have been taking steps to form a 501(c)(3) parks council to support all University City parks. The recreation councils engaged the services of Hoffman & Forde, Attorneys at Law, to facilitate the name change and amended bylaws for “University City Parks Council.” The Parks Council was expected to vote on the name change and amended bylaws. The Parks Council meets at 6 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of every month at Standley Recreation Center, 3585 Governor Drive. The Standley Park Recreation Advisory Group meets the same day at 7 p.m. Both meetings are open to the public and all who have interests or concerns about any University City parks are invited and encouraged to attend.

UCHS CLASS REUNIONS

Were you a member of the University City High School Class of ’83, ’84, or ’85? Then you’ll want to attend the UC80s Bash on Saturday, Oct. 19, at Tower23 in Pacific Beach. Festivities start at 5:30 p.m., and hotel discounts are available for overnight stays. The Class of 1983 was the first to graduate at UCHS, and all three UCHS classes of 1983, ‘84 and ‘85 are meeting up to celebrate 35-plus years of laughter and friendship (at that time there were only three years of high school). More than 150 grads have RSVP’d so far. Classmates will enjoy an amazing culinary adventure featuring award-winning coastal cuisine. After Champagne toasts and that famous San Diego sunset, guests will dance the night away under the stars to ‘80s classics. For information and tickets, go to uc80sbash.com

SENIOR WALKING GROUP

Local seniors are invited to participate in a newly formed South University City Senior Walking Group. Starting on Wednesday, Oct. 16, seniors will meet up in front of Swanson Pool at Standley Park at 9 a.m. For each Wednesday thereafter, the walking group will walk from 30 minutes to an hour around the neighborhood. The group will start the walks on flat surfaces, and will see how it goes from there. Seniors can use the walking time as an endorphin booster and a stress reducer. There will be no walking in the rain. For questions, contact Geri at 858-558-1888.

ROCKTOBERFEST SNEAK PEEK

Community members were able to get a sneak peek at the beer offerings for EdUCate’s Oktoberfest by attending “Pints with a Purpose” at Rock Bottom on Sept. 20. Fifteen percent of all sales were donated to EdUCate, as well as 25 cents from every pint order of Rocktoberfest — one of the beers to be served at EdUCate’s 11th annual Oktoberfest on Oct. 12, 1-6 p.m., at Standley Park. During Oktoberfest, there will be the famous beer and wine garden, a variety of food offerings, music, booths, loads of games for the kids and more. Donate to the Dollar-a-Day ($180 or more) campaign, and receive unlimited pours for two people of beer, wine and soda. EdUCate provides supplemental funds to all five University City public schools. For more info, go to uc-educate.org.