Mission Valley Planning Group Report

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The Mission Valley Planning Group meeting was held on October 5th, 2016 at the Mission Valley Branch Library, lasting approximately one hour and six minutes, beginning at 12pm and concluding at 1:06pm. Besides the members of the Mission Valley Planning Group, planners on the city staff, as well as a local law enforcement official, staff from local government officials, such as congresswoman Susan Davis, and few community members and residents were in attendance. The members of the planning group each had different roles (chair, treasurer, etc.), and different members served as leaders on different sub-committees, such as “parks” and “public health, safety, and welfare”. An overwhelming majority of individuals were white, with very few people …show more content…

Furthermore, a majority of the MVPG’s members were over 40 years old and male, but it was worth noting that the group’s chair was female. Similarly, the audience consisted predominantly of white males, presumably aged 40 and older. The Mission Valley Planning Group meeting agenda was brief, as aside from reports from different sub-committees and input from the audience/community members, one of the new items on the agenda, “Housing Our Heroes”- an informational presentation by Erica Snyder, had been cut. The main focus of the meeting was the sub-committee update report for the Mission Valley Community Plan. The presentation was led by planner Nancy Graham, as well as planning group members, Andrew Michajlenk and Elizabeth Leventhal. The sub-committee update report highlighted themes identified by members of the Mission Valley community, such as improved access to parks and open space, improved pedestrian and bike experiences, increased affordable housing, and an increased urban experience. These themes were accessed through an online survey that asked for input from the community, …show more content…

The planning group chair, Dottie Surdi, facilitated the meeting well, encouraging public input and ensuring that issues were discussed in a civil manner. As the meeting focused on potential opportunities for updates in the community, no decisions were made regarding agenda items, however the fervent discussions about the Qualcomm Stadium issue and the issue of homelessness in the Mission Valley community highlighted the importance of political approval and socio-economic analysis as components of the planning process. In her presentation, Nancy Graham defended the decision to refrain from addressing the possible relocation of Qualcomm Stadium by noting that it would be unfair to the public if the city were to present opportunities and visuals of a redeveloped Qualcomm site, as doing so would garner the assumption that a decision had already been made. As the possible relocation of Qualcomm and the subsequent redevelopment of the site both encompass various socioeconomic issues and have the potential to impact the Mission Valley community as a whole, the meeting’s discussion abut these issues highlights both the necessity of political and public approval, as well as the impact of political approval on the planning process. The political climate must have favorable conditions in order for the planning process to progress, and therefore the length of the planning

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