Residents are still asking questions, even after the city has committed to a first-of-its-kind revamping of University Avenue. The city of San Diego is gearing up to spend $5.8 million to rebuild the one mile stretch through North Park's business district — adding new crosswalks and a median and creating a new bus lane that can also be used by cyclists.
"University Avenue is actually the most dangerous corridors in the city of San Diego,” said Kathleen Ferrier, director of advocacy for Circulate San Diego.
The group looked at the 15 years of pedestrian collisions, and found that almost 20 percent of the accidents in San Diego happen along University Avenue around the North Park neighborhood, Ferrier said.
The city has revamped smaller corridors, while they repaved the roads. This is the first time the city will redesign a one mile corridor to make it more friendly for bikes, buses and pedestrians. There will be a bus corridor and a series of medians and improved cross walks for pedestrians. To make room, the city will move nearly 100 parking spaces from University Avenue and relocate them to side streets.
It is that part of the plan that has some business owners nervous.
"Right now parking is very tight and from what I understand they're taking away some of the parking on University, but they're going to be adding around the corners on the side streets, which, I don't know if that will help or hurt me," said Ken Gabbara of Paras News.
The project has been in the works for more than a decade — longer than many of the businesses in the up and coming neighborhood. A similar proposal stalled in adjoining Hillcrest when some business owners objected. A separate bike plan has also faced opposition around concerns that parking will be lost.
The San Diego City Council approved spending $5.8 million at its July 27 meeting. The project is scheduled to run from Florida Street to Boundary Street, near Interstate 805. Construction isn’t scheduled to start until late next year.
In the next several weeks, Ferrier said advocates are planning a neighborhood meeting to get all of the new residents up to speed.
