HUD Secretary Carson visits Grantville

On Feb. 12, Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer met with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson at the recently opened Stella affordable housing complex in Grantville to discuss San Diego’s efforts to reduce barriers to construction and spur development of affordable housing.

The meeting, which came at the request of HUD, is part of Secretary Carson’s “Driving Affordable Housing Across America” bus tour. Following a tour of the recently opened Stella affordable housing complex, which is managed by Affirmed Housing, a local developer of affordable housing, Mayor Faulconer and Secretary Carson hosted a roundtable with community leaders about reducing regulatory barriers to affordable housing and innovative ways the city is working to increase the area’s housing supply.

“The City of San Diego continues to implement the most forward-thinking housing reforms in California as we do our part to address the statewide housing crisis,” Mayor Faulconer said. “Projects like Stella are the culmination of those efforts to lower costs and speed up the construction of more affordable housing. We’re excited to share our progress with Secretary Carson and how we plan to take our efforts to the next level this year.”

Projects like the Stella and Bluewater complexes in Grantville have been fast-tracked due to the city’s push to update community plans and streamline project reviews for affordable housing. The Grantville Amendment was approved in 2015 and since then over 1,000 units have opened with another thousand in various stages of planning and construction.

“San Diego exemplifies the progress that can be made with communication and the realization of common goals across all levels of government,” Secretary Carson said. “As we continue to shred excessive regulatory barriers, like we did here today, we will increase the affordable housing stock for residents of San Diego and the surrounding areas.”

The Grantville event was also a platform for Mayor Faulconer to discuss his Complete Communities initiative designed to take the four pillars of a neighborhood – infrastructure, parks, transportation and homes – and combine them into one comprehensive vision to deliver everything a neighborhood needs to be complete. The plan will go before Council this spring.

Navajo Planners election in March

The Navajo Community Planers, Inc. (NCPI) will hold its annual elections at its March 11 meeting.

Not seeking reelection are David Hardy of Allied Gardens, Doug Livingston of Del Cerro and Dan Smith of Grantville.

Returning or new candidates seeking election to the board are: Stephen Dahms and Marilyn Reed of Allied Gardens; John Hoy and Lance Grucela of Del Cerro; Cory LaShell and Thomas Golia of Grantville; and Danny Fitzgerald and Robert Weichelt of San Carlos.

As of now, all the candidates running are shoe-ins because they are running unopposed for the empty seats. And due to bylaw rules, anyone considering a run for the seat can now will not be able to appear on the ballot and can only seek election by write-in. Candidates must also have attended and signed in to at least one NCPI meeting in the last year.

For more information, visit navajoplanners,org.

Local business development expo planned for May 15

Local business-to-business marketing group GADS (for Grantville, Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, San Carlos) is collaborating with the Friends of Del Cerro (FODC) to plan a business development expo on Wednesday, May 15. The event will draw entrepreneurs and “deliver tangible take-aways that help small businesses in the areas of mindset, marketing, public-private partnerships, human capital growth, funding, and finance,” according to a GADS press release.

The event program will start at 10:30 a.m. and run until about 2:30 p.m., and will be held at Admiral Baker Golf Course. The event includes lunch, educational presentations, and networking.

GADS and the Friends of Del Cerro started planning this event last summer once FODC received a grant from the city of San Diego to sponsor the event.

James Hunt, of California Bank & Trust off Mission Gorge Road, has hosted monthly planning meetings and connected GADS with the International Rescue Committee. The IRC helps refugees build a future for themselves in the business world, which event organizers say is a natural fit for the small business expo they are hosting.

The missions of both GADS and FODC are aligned since both exist to build relationships with businesses in the areas of Grantville, Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, and San Carlos.

“We are stronger working as neighbors and desire to enhance our neighborhood’s economic base by creating strong partnerships together,” states the press release.

Event organizers are currently looking for sponsorships to offset the program costs not covered by the city grant. For more information, please contact Bryan Pridmore at [email protected] or call 858-925-5770

Chancellor Carroll to retire in 2021

San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) Chancellor Constance M. Carroll, who has served as chancellor since 2004, has announced that she will retire in 2021, following a national search for her replacement. Frequently referred to as “The People’s Chancellor,” Dr. Carroll — a resident of San Carlos — is the longest-serving chancellor in the history of the district.

“It has been an honor to serve the San Diego Community College District, because of our mission of service to students and the community,” said Dr. Carroll.

As chancellor, Dr. Carroll has overseen a transformation of San Diego City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges, and San Diego Continuing Education funded through the voter-approved, $1.555-billion Proposition S and N bond measures passed in 2002 and 2006, respectively. She’s also a national leader in the tuition-free Promise movement and launched the district’s San Diego Promise program, which now serves more than 3,000 students annually. Chancellor Carroll co-chaired the advocacy campaign which helped establish the California Community Colleges Baccalaureate Pilot Program, including a new bachelor’s degree program at Mesa College.

In addition, Dr. Carroll was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate for a six-year term on the National Council on the Humanities, overseeing the work of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and she has served on numerous local, state, and national boards and committees committed to educational and economic excellence.

Prior to being named chancellor, Dr. Carroll served 11 years as president of San Diego Mesa College; was president of Saddleback College in Orange County; was president of Indian Valley Colleges in Marin County; also served as an administrator at the University of Southern Maine and the University of Pittsburgh before moving to California.

While retiring from her full-time administrative role at the district, Chancellor Carroll says she will pursue other avenues of service in education and in cultural organizations.