We need your help at the upcoming California Coastal Commission meeting this Friday morning, April 16, at 9 a.m.
To speak in support of our ReWild concerns, you’ll need to fill out a speaker form and submit it by the close of business today (Thursday) at 5 p.m. Please be aware, because we need you to comment on an item in the middle of the agenda, your opportunity to speak may not come up until well into the meeting. Patience will be required.
Our concern is regarding item 16-B on Friday’s coastal commission agenda regarding the new Balboa Ave. station at Morena Blvd., part of the Mid-Coast Trolley extension to UCSD. The agenda item is titled City of San Diego LCP Amendment No. LCP-6-SAN-19-0165-3 (Balboa Avenue Station Specific Plan).
We believe the city and the coastal commission should highlight this area as the access point to the Wildest wetland restoration area in Mission Bay Park, and support the proximity and potential for tidal wetland restoration along Rose Creek.
Though the Balboa Avenue Station Specific Plan ends at the banks of Rose Creek and the ReWild area of interest, we’d like you to tell the Coastal Commission that you cannot support the plan unless it addresses the unique position of the Balboa Ave. Specific Plan area to support future access to the ReWild area of Mission Bay, uses of restored tidal wetlands, and conservation measures in Rose Creek.
Ideally, the ReWild Coalition would like the Rose Creek area through Pacific Beach to become a city park in order to:
- Better manage and restore the area’s native species and ecology.
- Facilitate appropriate human use and enjoyment of the creek.
- Enhance the Rose Creek bike path through the creek area (intended to be major point of entry into the Balboa Ave. station).
- Restore the creek ahead of the planned construction boom that will build and add thousands of new units in the area over the next 10 years.
Regrettably, the city doesn’t analyze the potential impact of increased human activity within Rose Creek’s salt marsh habitat, and fails to consider or analyze the viability of the Rose Creek Bicycle Path to support increased usage and safety for users – something that park consideration and the Local Coastal Program (LCP) should address.
For the full California Coastal Commission report on the matter, click here. For the item’s exhibits, please click here or follow this link and select the April 16 meeting data, then scroll down to Item 16-B.
Again, we could use your voices at the coastal commission meeting this Friday morning, but to speak at the hearing you must first fill out a speaker request form with the California Coastal Commission by 5 p.m. this Thursday, April 15, i.e. tomorrow.
For more on how the process will transpire you can click here for procedures, and thank you in advance for joining us on Friday for this important ReWild Mission Bay matter.