Community Planning Groups

By M. Mattson, San Diego

E-MAIL STORY

Friday, June 15, 2007 |Thanks for the article "Barrio Logan Pleads for Planning Voice," in today's voiceofsandiego.org.

I find it ironic that Bill Anderson, Director for Economic Planning, is spinning a "stakeholders group" instead of a community planning group. He is defining exactly what a community planning group (CPG) is and does. I would suggest that Mr. Anderson meet with the Barrio Logan residents and business owners (a.k.a. stakeholders) so they can educate him about Barrio Logan's past, present and future. He is in dreamland if he thinks that a stakeholders group of his (and city halls) choosing are going to be in charge of planning in Barrio Logan or any other San Diego community. Most of us know that Mr. Anderson, redevelopment czar Jim Waring, Councilman Ben Hueso and Mayor Jerry Sanders would love to not have a CPG in Barrio Logan, as well as dissolve all of San Diego's CPG's. Well that is not going to happen! With more than 40 CPG's all over San Diego, these developer-lovin' city servants will have to learn the hard way that residents and business owners want a say and active roll in the planning and development of their respective communities, not the other way around.

I hope all San Diego CPG's are mindful of what is going on in the city redevelopment office, planning department, Mayor's Office and council offices. Your communities' best interest is at stake.

1 Comments so far on this story...

Poor Barrio Logan -- arriving late to the runaway development party. On May 22 affable Mayor Sanders' man Bill Anderson told leaders of 44 existing community planning groups (CPGs) that the City will no longer provide assistance from its professional planners to staff and advise these organizations -- a bald attempt to cripple the effectiveness of CPGs and prelude to killing them off. Now we hear about proposed changes in descriptive "language" for such volunteer groups. Well, at this point, we San Diegans know the difference between "stakeholders" and "community:" one means profiteers with vested business interests, while the latter means something more general and benign -- like citizens working toward common goals. As Barrio Logan landlord friends of Councilman Ben Hueso continue to snap up bargains there, I wish the embattled residents well.

Posted by Frances O'Neill Zimmerman | reply to this comment
June 15, 2007 3:24 am

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