por Jay Wilson

The next Del Cerro Action Council meeting is Thursday, July 23 at 7 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El, 6299 Capri Drive.

Two important items are impacting Del Cerro: First, the homeless and their encampments in the canyon adjacent to Lake Murray and below the dam; and second, the proposed development of approximately 26 homes on the land below the Chevron station and east of College Avenue.

Fortunately, as soon as the crime situation was brought to the attention of Councilmember Scott Sherman and the San Diego Police Department, immediate action was taken. Liz Saidkhanian, our representative in Sherman’s office, working with Adam McElroy, our SDPD community relations officer, and the City’s Code Compliance Department, went to work. At least seven homeless encampments have been removed from the canyon, seven arrests have been made and a SDPD police unit has been assigned to work the area. Some of the arrested individuals have admitted to some of the crimes in the area. Police Capt. Bernie Colon and Lt. Michael Swanson stressed that the best eyes and ears of any community are its residents.

“If you see something unusual, let us know,” they said. “If it is a non-emergency situation, call 619-531-2000; and if it is an emergency, call 911.”

On July 6, Saidkhanian and a couple of residents coordinated a community meeting held at the intersection of Linfield Avenue and Wesley Place. Approximately 85 residents attended along with Capt. Colon, Lt. Swanson, Officer McElroy, nine other officers, Saidkhanian and Barrett Tetlow, Sherman’s chief of staff.

Attendees at the meeting discussed the possibility that some of the adverse activity is coming from La Mesa since there are several houses on either side of the city line that are vacant, and one occupied house may be a source of some negative activity. SDPD and La Mesa police are now working together, so there is definitely a concerted effort to address the problem.

Saidkhanian pointed out that Sherman’s staff does not have access to the Navajo Area NextDoor.com message boards because they are not residents. If you have a concern, please call Sherman’s office at 619-236-6677.

Officer McElroy will have an update for us on this matter at the DCAC meeting on July 23.

The second item impacting Del Cerro is the proposed development of approximately 26 homes south of the Chevron Station and east of Del Cerro Boulevard. Tony Pauker, vice president of acquisitions for COLRICH, Inc., made an informational presentation that outlined the basics of the proposed project at the July 8 meeting of Navajo Community Planners, Inc.

“We have a long process to go through and will probably be back to NCPI two or three times,” he said. “We will be making a presentation to the DCAC on Thursday, July 23, where we will have some updated drawings and additional information.”

The proposed homes will be between 1,800 and 2,200 square feet on lots that must be at least 5,000 square feet. The proposed ingress/egress will be from College Avenue, close to the Chevron Station. There will be a deceleration/acceleration lane on the property. The right turn lane from College to eastbound Del Cerro Boulevard will actually be lengthened.

A concern raised by several residents at the NCPI meeting was over the “No U-turn” sign on College Avenue at Del Cerro Boulevard. Traffic leaving the new development will encounter this “No U-turn” sign when they want to go south; cars exiting the gas station now make that illegal U-turn.

Pauker said he will have updated traffic engineering information and updated drawings of the project at the DCAC meeting. I have asked him to have his traffic engineer attend as well.

Finally, a message from DCAC chair Mark Rawlins: “It is a busy summer for Del Cerro. Join us on July 23 at 7 p.m. for our quarterly DCAC meeting, and stay informed. If we are proactive, we can express our opinions and concerns when it counts. I look forward to seeing you at the DCAC meeting at 7 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El. Our website is delcerroactioncouncil.org.”

—Jay Wilson is secretary of the Del Cerro Action Council. Write to him at jwilson@mtrp.org.