SANDAG Regional Plan, ‘San Diego Forward’

The San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG, released ‘San Diego Forward: The Regional Plan’ for public comment last week. The plan incorporates transportation planning, strategies for sustainability for communities, and a full regional blueprint for the San Diego region’s future.

In a news release, SANDAG representatives say that the plan “combines the big-picture vision for how our region will grow over the next 35 years with an implementation program to help make that vision a reality.”

Jack Dale is the SANDAG Board Chair. Dale explains, “Over the last two and a half years, we have worked with community members, stakeholders, and local agencies to develop San Diego Forward: The Regional Plan. The resulting Plan encourages the development of vibrant, healthy communities that are connected by a range of transportation choices, including public transit, walking and biking facilities, and roads.”

As part of the development plan more than $200 billion will be invested in the regional transportation network between now and 2050 to provide more transit services, expand our active transportation network. This will also include building more express lanes to support transit operations and carpooling, which we all know are needed to ease congestion on the roadways.

One interesting facet of the proposal is that it aims to increase open spaces by increasing the number of multi-family homes. By 2050 it is expected that 50% of homes will be single-family and 50% will be multi-family dwellings. By making these changes, the goal is to create more compact, sustainable communities, helping the region meet greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets and become healthier overall.

The Plan will reportedly directly support the regional economy, with every dollar invested in the Plan resulting in nearly two dollars of economic benefit.

If you would like to learn more about the San Diego Forward plan, the SANDAG Board of Directors have scheduled a series of workshops on to provide information and accept public comment. The workshops are scheduled as follows:

• May 12, 6 to 8:30 p.m. – Escondido City Hall, Mitchell Room, 201 North Broadway, Escondido, 92025
• May 13, 6 to 8:30 p.m. – La Mesa Community Center, Arbor View Room, 4975 Memorial Drive, La Mesa, 91942
• May 14, 1 to 3:30 p.m. – Caltrans, District 11, Garcia Room, 4050 Taylor Street, San Diego, 92110 (Streaming live on sdforward.com.)
• May 20, 6 to 8:30 p.m. – Oceanside City Hall Community Rooms, 300 N. Coast Highway, Oceanside, 92054
• May 21, 6 to 8:30 p.m. – Casa Familiar Civic Center, 212 W. Park Avenue, San Ysidro, 92173 (To be conducted in Spanish with English translation; Streaming live on sdforward.com.)
• May 27, 6 to 8:30 p.m. – Jacobs Center Community Room, 404 Euclid Avenue, San Diego, 92114 (Streaming live on sdforward.com.)
• May 28, 6 to 8:30 p.m. – UTC Forum Hall Community Room, 4545 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite E-25, San Diego, 92122

In addition to the workshops above, SANDAG will hold two public hearings in June. Comments also may be submitted via sdforward.com, directly through email at sdforward@sandag.org; via telephone at (619) 699-1934, toll free (877) 277-5736, via fax at (619) 699-1905, and through the mail to ATTN: Regional Plan, 401 B Street, Suite 800, San Diego CA, 92101; and in person by dropping off written comments at SANDAG’s offices at the address above. Public comments on the Draft Regional Plan will be accepted for a period of 55 days after distribution of the Plan’s Draft Environmental Impact Report, anticipated for mid-May.

The Draft Plan is available for full review at at sdforward.com.