Why this matters
Community planning groups have provided input on city projects, from housing developments to infrastructure upgrades, for more than 50 years. San Diego has said the groups “are integral components of the planning process, and are highly regarded by the City Council and by staff.”
San Diego’s Uptown will soon have a new set of volunteers to help advise the city on local planning decisions.
The group known as Vibrant Uptown will hold its first election since it gained formal recognition from the San Diego City Council in May. That means it will now be the official community planning group for the Hillcrest, Mission Hills, Bankers Hill/Park West, University Heights, Middletown and Medical Complex neighborhoods.
For over 50 years, dozens of community planning groups made up of everyday citizens across San Diego are seen as “integral components of the planning process, and are highly regarded by the City Council and by staff,” according to the city’s website.
A power struggle to represent Uptown erupted after the city began requiring community planning groups to apply for official recognition in an attempt to make the groups more representative of their communities. Before the council’s vote, another group known as the Uptown Planners had served as the area’s community planning group.
Members of Vibrant Uptown had argued that Uptown Planners was older and had a larger share of homeowners than the area’s demographics.
The election to seat members of Vibrant Uptown began online Thursday and will run until Tuesday, Aug. 20. An in-person voting option will also be open from 6-8 p.m. on Aug. 20. Voters must prove they reside in Uptown.
This story came from notes taken by Thomas Vedder, a San Diego Documenter, at a community planning group in Uptown this month. The Documenters program trains and pays community members to document what happens at public meetings. Read more about the program here.
Type of Content
News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
