At their March 11 meeting, the College Area Community Planning Board and the city of San Diego took the first step to initiate the College Area’s community plan update. This is the creation of a community committee that will work with the city, its consultants, the community and all stakeholders to begin drafting the plan that will serve as the guide for the future of the College Area. 

Nathen Causman, the community planner assigned to guide the creation of the formal document/guide, outlined the process and timeline for the creation of the formal document that will be submitted to the City Council and mayor for formal approval. Assisting him will be his colleague Shannon Mulderig.

The process, outlined by Mr. Causman, was the standard three-year process followed by the city. He added that the community plan update report, prepared by the CACC’s steering committee, would be used as the framework for the compilation of the formal, legal document and as such, should shorten the timeline for securing formal approval from the city, according to Causman and the Planning Department.

With some minor adjustments in terms of membership, the steering committee that created the report circulating within the community was approved as the formal Community Plan Update Committee. This will assure that the visions that are contained in the report will be incorporated into the final document, to the greatest extent possible. Obviously, the city and region have specific goals for future growth in our area but with the input of the committee and the community, all stakeholder goals will be incorporated into the guide that will drive the future of our community.

After some preliminary operating benchmarks are finalized, the first step will be to hold a community forum to present the process, goals and visions compiled to date. This will probably take place in May or June. Please follow updates in this publication, social media and other communication vehicles to stay informed and get involved.

The draft report prepared by the CACC’s steering committee is available at the College-Rolando library and on the CACC’s website at collegearea.org, under the “Community Plan Update” tab. Please read it, get informed and participate in the process. 

This is our/your home. Let’s work together to shape it the way we want it to be for the next 10, 20, 30 years. Get involved for yourself, your kids and grandkids. We need to make our community an option for our heirs to be a part of. Stay tuned for the community forum and numerous other community outreach opportunities. We’re neighbors helping neighbors so let’s work together toward a common goal.

—Jose Reynoso is chair of the College Area Community Council.