PlanHillcrest is nearly finished after years of work, with the public able to give feedback until April 29 before the Hillcrest Focused Plan Amendment heads to the Planning Commission then the full City Council this summer. Detailed improvements to protect legacy LGBTQ+ businesses, pedestrians and cyclists, speed up transit, reduce vehicular commutes and add up to 17,000 housing units are now all included in the draft amendment to the Uptown Community Plan adopted in 2016.
At a town hall on Wednesday, April 10 organized by Vibrant Uptown, Hillcrest Town Council and other partners, the public had two major issues with the current Strategic Plan updates. Both related to the toilet – where in the plan are public bathrooms for humans and grass for dogs? Years of back-and-forth between community representatives and the city to map the future density, mobility and resources of Hillcrest have not resulted in much additional park space or bathroom facilities in the plan.
Hillcrest lacks a neighborhood park. Certain parts of the neighborhood border the corner of Balboa Park but that is one of the only places to walk a dog not on the sidewalk. Meanwhile, the Hillcrest Business Association is sounding the alarm over SANDAG stalling on building the Normal Street Promenade, which would add much needed green space to the center of the neighborhood. The plan amendment lists canyon trails as another way to experience nature in the urban core, but some canyons are more accessible than others.
In the current iteration of PlanHillcrest, additional public amenities like bathrooms and promenades depend on the benevolence of developers, who have a menu of public space options to choose from in exchange for permission to build. Changes were made to add stepbacks to developments on Robinson and University avenues so a grassy walkway shaded by trees could exist— eventually.
A community member named Bill told Councilman Stephen Whitburn that relying on developers to build promenades was piece meal at best and would never happen at worst. A few ideas were shared, like converting the RiteAid parking lot into a central plaza or building something similar to Children’s Park in Downtown. Overall, the message was that the Planning Department should have been more intentional about adding green space such as mini parks when finalizing ideas to refigure streets to be more pedestrian and bike safe. What can be added before presenting the amendment to the Planning Commission on May 30 could be limited, but other changes like the LGBTQ+ cultural district have been added based on community input.
Another oversight is the lack of public bathrooms. Hillcrest Town Council board president Jason Frye commented that if there is not a bathroom, people will make a bathroom wherever they are. Adding bathrooms is expensive, especially when including maintenance and staff supervision costs, but still a necessity. Public bathrooms keep streets cleaner and make public spaces accessible to seniors, children and disabled people.
Public restrooms could be included when converting the Hillcrest DMV to affordable housing, but that is another project like Normal Street Promenade suffering from years of delays.
Community plans are aspirational, not a list of what the city and developers will do over the next 30 years. There is no guarantee 17,000 homes will be added to Hillcrest before the plan expires or dedicated bus lanes will make transit speeds competitive with individual vehicles. Even if plans for parks, plazas and bathrooms are added in the long-range vision of Hillcrest’s urban design, they may never receive the funds and permits to build. Yet if those facilities are not included in the plan, it is guaranteed they will not exist for the foreseeable future.
Bathrooms for dogs and humans alike might not be the sexiest idea when compared to plans for inclusive murals, an interactive walking corridor through historic LGBTQ+ sites, and expanding the rights of nightclubs and restaurants, but they are a needed method of improving quality of life for all.
