New housing development on horizon for South Bay
Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s MONDAY, August 18th>>>>
New housing is popping up near a South Bay trolley station
More on that next. But first... the headlines….
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SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL LEADERS ARE EXPRESSING FRUSTRATION AT HOW CLOSE FEDERAL IMMIGRATION OPERATIONS ARE GETTING TO ITS SCHOOLS.
THAT’S AFTER AGENTS DETAINED THE FATHER OF A LINDA VISTA ELEMENTARY STUDENT THURSDAY AFTERNOON.
SUPERINTENDENT FABIOLA BAGULA SAYS THE FATHER TOLD FEDERAL AGENTS HE WAS WORRIED ABOUT WHO WOULD PICK UP HIS CHILD. THEY NOTIFIED THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL WHO CONTACTED THE CHILD’S MOTHER.
BAGULA SAYS THE FAMILY’S EXPERIENCE HAS LEFT THE COMMUNITY WITH QUESTIONS AND FEAR.
SDUSDICE 2A :14
“This is this did just not happen to one household. It happened to an entire school community. It left children, families and staff with questions and fears that no one, especially our youngest learners, should have to carry.”
KPBS CONTACTED THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY ASKING ABOUT THE FATHER’S IDENTITY AND THE REASON FOR THE DETENTION.
DHS DID NOT IMMEDIATELY RESPOND.
THE PORT OF SAN DIEGO LAST WEEK APPROVED A 2.6 MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT TO STRUCTURALLY REINFORCE THE BURNHAM NAVY PIER’S EAST END
IT WILL BEGIN IN OCTOBER AND BE COMPLETED BY FEBRUARY 2026
THE PIER REINFORCEMENT IS PART OF THE FREEDOM PARK PROJECT
SPANNING NEARLY 10 ACRE’S, THE PARK WILL START AT NAVY PIER, WRAP AROUND THE U-S-S MIDWAY ALL THE WAY TO THE BOB HOPE MEMORIAL
FEATURES INCLUDE A NATURE GARDEN, MEMORIALS AND MONUMENTS
IT’S BEING TOUTED AS THE LARGEST VETERANS PARK ON THE WEST COAST AND WILL OPEN IN 2028
THE SPRECKLES ORGAN SOCIETY IS STILL ROLLING THROUGH WITH THEIR SUMMER CONCERT SERIES!
TONIGHT YOU’LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR ACCOMPANIMENTS BY ORGAN SOLOIST RAUL RAMIREZ, CONDUCTOR ALEJANDRO GUILLEN (PRONUN) AND CONCERT MASTER JEFF THAYER (PRONUN)
FEATURING SOUNDS FROM BACH AND OTHERS, THE SWEET SOUNDS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC WILL START AT 7:30 AND THERE IS NO ADMISSION CHARGE FOR ATTENDANCE
THE SUMMER-LONG SERIES IS CENTERED AROUND THE SPRECKLES ORGAN, THE LARGEST OUTDOOR PIPE ORGAN WITH OVER FIVE THOUSAND PIPES !
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
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San Diego has approved a new housing development across the street from a South Bay trolley station. Metro reporter Andrew Bowen says more than a quarter of the homes will be affordable.
OTAY 1 (ab)
AB: The Bella Mar Apartments project will feature 380 homes ranging from one to three bedrooms on a 14-acre site across from the Palm Avenue trolley station. The San Diego Planning Commission approved the project on Thursday. 100 of the homes will be affordable to low-income renters. Manny Rodriguez is executive director of the transit advocacy group RideSD. He says homes with easy access to transit make it easier to live without a car.
MR: This will help people just save money, both on rent and transportation, which is more money that can go to food on the table, to investing in their children and also just giving back to the local businesses in the community.
AB: The project has been in the works since at least 2019. It required approval from the City Council, Planning Commission and California Coastal Commission. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.
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FROM HOUSING PROJECTS TO PLANNING FOR HOUSING. EDUCATION REPORTER KATIE ANASTAS SAYS THE COMMUNITY PLAN FOR THE AREA AROUND S-D-S-U IS BEING UPDATED TO REFLECT THE NEED FOR MORE PLACES TO LIVE.
COLLEGEAREA 1 trt: 1:20 SOQ
San Diego’s community plans guide future development.
The College Area Community Plan hasn’t been updated since 1989. A lot has changed since then.
“There is a trolley line there.”
Heidi Vonblum [von-BLUMM] is the city’s planning director.
“And the university, which did exist there in 1989, has really transitioned from a largely commuter school to a very vibrant residential campus.”
San Diego State is embracing that change. One new dorm is under construction and another is coming soon.
Private developers are also building apartments for students. And the city is planning for even more growth.
A draft community plan would allow for 18,000 new homes in the College Area. They’d mostly be along major roads like El Cajon Blvd. Building those homes would be up to property owners. But the plan outlines the zoning and other policies that would make it possible.
A state assessment found that San Diego as a whole has to build 108,000 units by 2029 to meet its housing needs. Vonblum says they’re about halfway there.
“College Area is one of several communities where we are looking at opportunities to accommodate that additional growth.”
The city is hosting a Q&A session on the College Area plan on Aug. 21. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.
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ADULT SPORTS LEAGUES IN SAN DIEGO ARE FACING A STEEP HIKE IN FEES. AND THAT’S UPSETTING PLAYERS WHO SAY THE LEAGUES ARE GREAT FOR EVERYTHING FROM EXERCISE TO BUILDING COMMUNITY. REPORTER MIKA (MEE-KAH) ELLISON LOOKED INTO WHAT’S HAPPENING.
SPORTSFEES (me) TRT (2:41) SOQ: *volleyball nats* "good shot... great call"
Every Tuesday night, volleyball nets are set up at Mariner’s Point Park in Mission Bay. People flock to the beach, catching up with old friends and meeting new people while joining pickup games and drills. Some have been playing volleyball for more than 40 years. Others just started that week. Here, they all have a chance to play.
Life’s a Beach Volleyball’s drop-in volleyball skills clinic is donation based, so players pay what they can. Zander Caufield is one of the coaches.
“They're very accessible to people from all walks of life. You don't have to be able to spend maybe hundreds of dollars every couple of weeks or something to do these clinics.”
That accessibility might be in danger. On July 1, for-profit adult sports leagues in San Diego saw a huge jump in team fees—sometimes by more than $200. And that cost will likely be passed on to players.
At a city council meeting in March, the Parks and Recreation Department recommended a gradual increase in team fees over one year.
But the City Council decided against that. The sudden increase in fees has left leagues reeling and players like Danica Collins nervous.
“The fee increase, I think, is going to really impact participation because a lot of people come by themselves. They're like, Okay, it's a low fee. I can do this…if it gets shut down or if the increase comes up, I can maybe only come once a week.”
Councilmember Joe LaCava says the fee increase is needed to help balance the city’s budget. He acknowledged the impact will be uneven..
“Certainly we've heard from some of the smaller outputs that they make just enough to make it worth their effort. They're doing as much for the passion as they are for the minimal amount of net proceeds that they achieve there.”
LaCava wants to explore other options for commercial adult rec leagues in the future, including a possible model where the city gets a portion of the league's revenue, or different fee scales based on a business’ size.
But that won’t come in time for league leaders this season. Some said the increase will make it much more difficult for people to participate in recreational activities after work.
Ducote Contreras was the managing director of Volo San Diego until this April and said the prices are untenable for community members. He said Volo couldn’t find a way to keep players’ fees the same and still provide their service.
“It's just something we can't do. It would have people paying upwards of almost $200 to play kickball, and that just doesn't make any sense. We're in the business of creating community and getting people together.”
Daniel Palenchar is the founder of Life’s a Beach. For now, he and other league leaders will have to find ways to keep the nets up and the field lights on.
“It takes a lot of work to do this, a lot of effort. There's basically no money in this, to be honest… It's for the people. It's for the community. It's run by locals. People should be able to play sports. It's that simple.”
He says recreation is crucial to people’s health and wellbeing. And that those benefits are still important, even after people stop being kids.
Mika Ellison KPBS News
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That's it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Lawrence K. Jackson. Thanks for listening and subscribing by doing so you’re supporting public media and I thank you for that. Have a great day!
