Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Chula Vistans discuss SANDAG’s rapid-transit plans

Cost, practicality, and bridge discussed

Chula Vista residents attended a breakfast meeting to discuss the plans
Chula Vista residents attended a breakfast meeting to discuss the plans

Chula Vista residents continue to seek alternatives to SANDAG’s plan to run a 21-mile rapid-transit bus line from the Otay border crossing down east Palomar Street and into downtown San Diego.

At councilmember Pat Aguilar’s monthly breakfast on April 18, SANDAG senior transportation planner Jennifer Williamson gave a presentation on three alternate routes for the bus-transit system, originally planned as a light-rail system.

Neighborhood opposition to plans 1A & 1B, both of which put a bus route and bridge through the center of a community, was first aired on KUSI’s “Turko Files” in March. Residents interviewed by reporter Michael Turko pointed out that the proposed transit system included a bridge up to 26 feet high that would run down the thin green belt strip on east Palomar Street and pass within eight feet of some residents’ homes.

Sponsored
Sponsored

At the breakfast meeting, Aguilar affirmed that everyone in attendance was in favor of a rapid-transit system but that resident opposition came from the choice of routes. SANDAG alternative 2 bypasses the eastern Chula Vista condo community and proceeds down Olympic Parkway, a four-lane highway already in existence.

According to Williamson, the alternatives that include a bridge cost about $12 million; the third alternative that goes around the community is about $5 million.

A critic at the breakfast suggested that the first two alternatives were more costly and negatively impact the community to shave only two minutes off the commute.

Williamson responded that the point of the system was reliability and consistent travel time and that the Olympic Parkway alternative would have variables that might interfere with the transit time.

The rapid-transit bus plan is an integral part of Chula Vista’s continued eastward build-out. According to SANDAG’s South Bay Rapid Transit documents:

“The dedication of right-of-way and/or easements to accommodate the proposed Project has been incorporated into development intensity decisions, mitigation findings and conditions of approval for traffic and circulation elements of the Otay Ranch GDP/SRP and related development projects including Villages 1, 5, and 6 and the Freeway Commercial portion of Planning Area 12 – ORTC, and the proposed Eastern Urban Center project.

“Decisions regarding implementation of the proposed Project must consider consistency with previous plans, conditions of approval, mitigation measures, and agreements to ensure the proposed Project will provide traffic relief as incorporated within development agreements approved by the City of Chula Vista.”

Mayor Cheryl Cox and county supervisor Greg Cox sit on SANDAG’s transportation committee. SANDAG’s preferred project is alternate 1A, the two-lane bridge through the community.

Aguilar said the decision was SANDAG’s, not the city council’s. However, in response to further questioning, Aguilar noted that if three members or a majority of the council supported an alternate route, the council would be able to “request, advise, or direct the mayor to take a different position.”

In a recent “Turko Files” update, councilmember Rudy Ramirez called the bridge a “faux pas” and said he opposed it. Councilmember Salas said the “neighborhood concerns are really valid” and that an alternate plan should be considered.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Dating Sites For Little People: Best Platforms & Tips

Chula Vista residents attended a breakfast meeting to discuss the plans
Chula Vista residents attended a breakfast meeting to discuss the plans

Chula Vista residents continue to seek alternatives to SANDAG’s plan to run a 21-mile rapid-transit bus line from the Otay border crossing down east Palomar Street and into downtown San Diego.

At councilmember Pat Aguilar’s monthly breakfast on April 18, SANDAG senior transportation planner Jennifer Williamson gave a presentation on three alternate routes for the bus-transit system, originally planned as a light-rail system.

Neighborhood opposition to plans 1A & 1B, both of which put a bus route and bridge through the center of a community, was first aired on KUSI’s “Turko Files” in March. Residents interviewed by reporter Michael Turko pointed out that the proposed transit system included a bridge up to 26 feet high that would run down the thin green belt strip on east Palomar Street and pass within eight feet of some residents’ homes.

Sponsored
Sponsored

At the breakfast meeting, Aguilar affirmed that everyone in attendance was in favor of a rapid-transit system but that resident opposition came from the choice of routes. SANDAG alternative 2 bypasses the eastern Chula Vista condo community and proceeds down Olympic Parkway, a four-lane highway already in existence.

According to Williamson, the alternatives that include a bridge cost about $12 million; the third alternative that goes around the community is about $5 million.

A critic at the breakfast suggested that the first two alternatives were more costly and negatively impact the community to shave only two minutes off the commute.

Williamson responded that the point of the system was reliability and consistent travel time and that the Olympic Parkway alternative would have variables that might interfere with the transit time.

The rapid-transit bus plan is an integral part of Chula Vista’s continued eastward build-out. According to SANDAG’s South Bay Rapid Transit documents:

“The dedication of right-of-way and/or easements to accommodate the proposed Project has been incorporated into development intensity decisions, mitigation findings and conditions of approval for traffic and circulation elements of the Otay Ranch GDP/SRP and related development projects including Villages 1, 5, and 6 and the Freeway Commercial portion of Planning Area 12 – ORTC, and the proposed Eastern Urban Center project.

“Decisions regarding implementation of the proposed Project must consider consistency with previous plans, conditions of approval, mitigation measures, and agreements to ensure the proposed Project will provide traffic relief as incorporated within development agreements approved by the City of Chula Vista.”

Mayor Cheryl Cox and county supervisor Greg Cox sit on SANDAG’s transportation committee. SANDAG’s preferred project is alternate 1A, the two-lane bridge through the community.

Aguilar said the decision was SANDAG’s, not the city council’s. However, in response to further questioning, Aguilar noted that if three members or a majority of the council supported an alternate route, the council would be able to “request, advise, or direct the mayor to take a different position.”

In a recent “Turko Files” update, councilmember Rudy Ramirez called the bridge a “faux pas” and said he opposed it. Councilmember Salas said the “neighborhood concerns are really valid” and that an alternate plan should be considered.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Looking back at race relations in Coronado

A former football player recalls the good and the bad
Next Article

Coyote tracks in frail San Diego avocado grove

Second place winner in Reader neighborhood writing contest
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.