The chair of  the committee of representatives from each of the 50 participating community planning groups had this to say about the much awaited new growth plan. " The plan has these wonderful platitudes but on every page you should be hitting the cash register", as quoted in the Union Tribune in a March article.

I am sure as a road map that the New Growth Plan will have much to like and maybe even some things to dislike depending on what your personal perspective might be. But one thing is certain, without a plan, most cities would flounder till there is one and the San Diego city council both now and the one that will be seated in the Fall, after the next election, at least will have a blue print for the possibilities that exist for San Diego.

Some of the main categories that will be addressed in the plan are:

Land Use and Community Planning -  this incorporates the "City of Villages" strategy and recognizes the 50 communities that make up San Diego. As a side note, the next time you are asked how many communities make up San Diego, at least you will know the answer to the riddle. Moving on,

Mobility - This part of the plan addresses all forms of transportation,even to include walking, its infrastructure goals and a plan that will ultimately enhance the land use.

Public Facilities - this addresses the deferred maintenance and upgrading of the capital improvements. As you might guess, this is an area that is going to require special new funding. We all understand the importance of this aspect of the plan. Just like in our homes, deferred maintenance can be costly and tends to depreciate our values, if we don't get a handle on it. Getting a handle on it can seem overwhelming and very costly but must be done. The city is likely going to be faced with targeting new taxes, special assessment districts and floating new longer term bond issues for funding.

Conservation - this will consist of a complex assortment of ideas and plans to cover areas like protecting open spaces, canyons, beaches and waterways. It should  not be surprising in light of the global warming fascination, that it  will also include creating new " green" standards for buildings, both commercial, public and residential.

Recreation - A plan to enhance and actually increase the amount of neighborhood parkland. It will also propose a city wide Master Plan for parkland, both for the improvements of existing parks and for future acquisitions of new designated parks. The sustaining of the beauty of the city with green space , play areas and parks is essential for the moniker of " Americas Finest City".

And last but not least,
Economic Prosperity - This part of the plan will include the recommendation for new citywide policies designed to preserve prime industrial lands for special industries that export services and technologies.These would necessarily include Biotechnology,Telecoms and Defense. There was a time when defense was our main export. After the last recession in the early 90's, we learned a valuable lesson and today San Diego has a much better mix of  industries that serve our employment base. That requires new allocation of lands to continually attract those industries to our city, providing employment.

The current planning commission chairman likely said it best that this new plan will play a key role in preserving the unique character of the many communities that make up San Diego. The plan further looks  to enhance the " quality of life" throughout San Diego. I couldn't agree more and anxiously await being able to report to you the specifics in hopes of capturing your imagination. With all the issues that San Diego has had to deal with the last few years, many feel its luster may have been tarnished. I say not and our new road map will certainly help to guarantee that America's finest city certainly remains so for the distant future.