Quarry Falls Approved 7-1 by City Council

The outpouring of support at Tuesday’s hearing was incredible. As I stood before the City Council and heard 130 voices say “Yes to Quarry Falls!”, I was humbled by your willingness to rally behind the Quarry Falls plan. We could not have made it this far and our plan could not have been as great without your continued involvement and support.

As I listened to each of the Council Members give so much praise to our plan, I knew that we had achieved our goal to create a model, sustainable plan that would meet a number of Mission Valley’s planning needs. After seven years of planning, listening to the community, and making changes to improve our plan, I felt so proud to bring the product of this collaborative effort to the City Council.

Quarry Falls is one of the first projects in the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) Pilot Program. I am confident that as the project is built out, the nation will look to the San Diego community as a group of dedicated, action-oriented people who are committed to carrying the city they love into a bright future.

Click here for an article on the approval of Quarry Falls: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20081022-9999-1m22quarry.html

Quarry Falls Approved 4-0 by Planning Commission

We are so pleased to recently have earned a 4-0 positive approval from the San Diego Planning Commission! Quarry Falls is a project that embodies the best qualities of SANDAG’s Regional Comprehensive Plan for smart growth and sustainable development – you can read more about this in the San Diego Daily Transcript article below. The article expresses how Quarry Falls will be a “community gathering place that connects retail, residential, cultural, civic and other activities within easy walking distance, and adds to our quality of life in many ways.”

Quarry Falls: A brilliant turn inward for smart growth and sustainable development

By Lori Holt Pfeiler and Ron Roberts
Monday, September 29, 2008

City and regional planners have long recognized the need for incorporating smart growth principles into development in San Diego County. The key indicators were the adoption of the San Diego General Plan and approval by SANDAG's board of its Regional Comprehensive Plan (RCP) that serves as a foundation for integrating land uses, housing, employment growth, habitat preservation, agriculture, open space, transportation systems, infrastructure needs and public investment strategies within a regional framework for a more sustainable future.

A key component of smart development involves utilizing existing infill space, which enables us to maximize the use of existing land, revitalize our urban core by drawing people back from the outskirts of town and keep our remaining natural spaces open. The California Redevelopment Association (CRA) summarizes the concept well: Redevelopment helps preserve the environment and open space, and reduces urban sprawl and commute times.

The RCP and its transportation component, the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), approved in 2007, identify the two most pressing problems in addressing future growth in San Diego County: housing and traffic congestion. Housing affordability and availability will be growing issues. SANDAG planners estimate the county will add about 1 million new residents from 2000 to 2030, creating the need for 290,000 additional housing units.

Development planned for the remaining vacant residentially-zoned land in the county is mostly for single-family homes on large lots. Instead, we need to plan for urgently needed smaller single-family homes, condominiums and apartments. The housing portion of the RCP stresses infill, rezoning, rehabilitation and developing affordable housing near transit stations, in areas of relatively high densities along bus routes, community and city centers and rural villages in unincorporated areas. The RTP outlines strategies to better connect our freeways, transit and roadways to our homes, schools, work, shopping and other activities to sustain and improve quality of life in the region.

To help advance the RCP toward implementation, planners utilized data from both the RCP and RTP to create the Smart Growth Concept Map that identifies nearly 200 locations in the region as existing, planned or potential smart growth projects and categorizes them into seven distinct smart growth place types that each emphasize various concepts of Smart Growth: the Metropolitan Center, Urban Centers, Town Centers, Community Centers, Rural Villages, Mixed-Use Transit Corridors and Special Use Centers.

As envisioned by the planners, cities such as Chula Vista, Encinitas and Escondido are turning inward and creating more pedestrian-friendly downtown areas (Town Centers), which are a boon to both residents and visitors. Creating community gathering places that connect retail, residential, cultural, civic and other activities within easy walking distance adds to our quality of life in many ways.

Quarry Falls, which recently received a 4-0 positive vote from the San Diego Planning Commission and goes before the San Diego City Council for approval next month, embodies the best qualities of the RCP and smart growth, sustainable development concepts. As a center for business, commercial, civic and cultural activity with attainable housing and employment opportunities, it's been identified as an Urban Village on the Smart Growth Concept Map. We believe it will serve as the new standard for future development in our region and beyond.

Quarry Falls will turn a declining 230-acre, 70-year-old quarry in Mission Valley into a sustainable, walkable community with attainable housing, village shops and restaurants, offices, the area's first public charter school, a civic center with Heritage Museum and abundant acres of park space all within a 15-minute walk of one another and the San Diego Trolley along green belts, trails and tree-lined streets. As with any development, there have been concerns about traffic. Sudberry Properties, the developer, has gone to great lengths to mitigate traffic issues, providing nearly $50 million in funding for planned improvements to key freeway interchanges, local intersections, pedestrian and bicycle paths and other transportation arteries.

For the important residential component, Quarry Falls will ultimately include more than 4,000 diversely-priced homes, including single family homes, condominiums, townhomes, apartments, live/work homes, flats, row homes and homes for seniors. Ten percent of these homes will be affordable according to San Diego's guidelines.

No detail has been overlooked in creating this sustainable community. Features will include a water reclamation plant, a hybrid shared-car program, an alternative fuel shuttle, solar orientation and energy management systems, drought tolerant landscaping, high efficiency irrigation systems, natural filtration of storm water, construction waste recycling and the use of sustainable and recyclable building materials.

In recognition of its sustainable features, the U.S. Green Building Council has selected Quarry Falls as one of only three pilot projects in the county for its new LEED for Neighborhood Development program, the first national standard for neighborhood design that integrates principles of smart growth and green building. The other two projects in our county are Westfield UTC, which has been approved by City Council, and the Eastern Urban Center in Chula Vista, which is still in the entitlement stage.
Based on our combined years of experience in planning for communities, cities and the region, we believe approving Quarry Falls will be a major turning point in the history of the RCP and sustainable development planning -- a smart turn inward to better land use and sustainable development that will serve Mission Valley and our region and growing population well into the future.
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Pfeiler is mayor of Escondido and former chair of SANDAG's Regional Planning Committee; Roberts is serving his fourth term on the County Board of Supervisors -- formerly an architect, planning commissioner and elected to the San Diego City Council.

With Gas Over $4, Cities Explore Whether It's Smart to Be Dense

Communities like Quarry Falls provide a higher quality of life for residents

Another great article, this time in the Wall Street Journal, shows how expensive oil is forcing Americans to reconsider their suburban lifestyle. Moving closer to work in the city can be a very enjoyable experience.

Matt Overmyer, a resident of a new compact development in Roseville, CA, describes how “he now bikes to the grocery store…and because the houses in his neighborhood are closer together and share a back alley, he interacts with his neighbors a lot more.” Like Quarry Falls, Mr. Overmyer’s community is designed around a village square that will provide shops and restaurants within half a block of his home. His commute to work, formerly 45 minutes long, is now only 15 minutes.

Dave Morris, a developer in the Sacramento area, presented a forecast of the region in 50 years, which showed poor air-quality and ridiculously long commutes, indicating that you could commute faster by bicycle. If suburbs of California continue to develop the way that they have over the last 40 years or so, “the quality of life for communities without jobs nearby would nose dive,” according to Morris.

The future does not have to look this way, though! In another city near Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, residents in townhomes and small houses “can walk to work at nearby office parks. The light-rail line built to commute to Sacramento now serves as a tram for local residents.” This is very similar to what Quarry Falls proposes, which includes places to live, work, and play without having to drive, as well as easy access to the trolley stop for commutes to downtown San Diego and other nearby job centers.

Read the original article for more details:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121538754733231043.html

Here’s a link to a great video on the topic as well:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid452319854/bctid1649956635

Depleted San Diego Quarry to Become Mixed

Read this Urban Land Magazine article about how "a declining 70-year-old quarry in San Diego, is slated to become a 230-acre mixed-use, walkable, infill community with housing, village shops, businesses, access to the city's light-rail system, and park space -- and with all these elements within a 15-minute walk of one another."

Reversing suburban flight

Americans have begun to feel the effects of rising energy prices. Once upon a time, many considered it more enjoyable and affordable to live in the suburbs and commute into the urban core for work. Now it’s a different story – rising energy prices have forced many people to sell their white picket-fenced suburban homes for condos in the city that provide them with a shorter commute and easier access to public transportation. Quarry Falls is a model for this type of sustainable design. By utilizing an urban, infill site, Quarry Falls will provide a variety of affordable home types while promoting walkability and transit ridership. Interestingly, Quarry Falls offers many of the attractive amenities that people in the past have moved to suburbia to find – parks, open space, walking trails, and a socially-connected community. As energy prices drive transportation costs up, we must begin to think green in our planning and building principles. Read more in this New York Times article.

Ghostburbs

City living more affordable and convenient

The recent mortgage crisis, coupled with the rising cost of fuel, is getting people out of the suburbs and back into the city. People can no longer afford - nor do they have the patience - to travel great distances to/from work, or for shopping. We're seeing more and more people moving to the city where public transportation is available and convenient. In fact, the number of homes built around train stations and public transit is supposed to double in the next 20 years, according to ABC News. Click here for ABC's News clip "Ghostburbs." The Quarry Falls community in Mission Valley will allow people to live closer to work and transportation, while at the same time providing parks, schools, etc., which are things often lacking in urban areas. You get most of the community amenities that people moved out to the suburbs for, but in an urban infill area interconnected with access to greater San Diego.

Sudberry Properties 'Village Walk' more than just shopping

Watch the video below to see how Sudberry Properties Village Walk shopping center provides a unique experience for all ages - a great gathering place where people can go to enjoy more than just shopping. Like all of our retail centers, we strive to create a sense of place where people can come together for shopping, music, food, and fun. This interesting video shows how powerful music can be in keeping people happy and amused.

Thinking Green in the Classroom

Students from the Point Loma-based High Tech High School are learning more about sustainable design, green building standards, and architecture through the "Gravel to Green" Quarry Falls project. They're getting to experience what it means to brainstorm and create their own environmentally-friendly designs for Mission Valley's first public school, which will be owned and operated by the world-renowned High Tech High. The new school will be located within Quarry Falls, which has been registered as a LEED-ND pilot project - "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development." View the San Diego Union Tribune article "Blueprints for a Green School" below to see how younger generations have been thinking green and helping to contribute toward the sustainable future of San Diego.


Blueprints for a Green School
By Jennifer K Mahal
UNION-TRIBUNE
May 17, 2008

POINT LOMA – Talk with Dax London about his plans for the future High Tech High Quarry Falls School and you'll hear about sustainable development, green building standards and the basketball court he wants to add to the roof.

London, 15, is one of 45 students at Point Loma-based Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs High Tech High School learning about city planning, environmental awareness, property rights and more through designing a green school slated for Mission Valley.
During the “Gravel to Green” project, students from Isaac Jones and Peter Jana's 10th-grade classes are acting as architects for the 700-student kindergarten-through-eighth-grade charter school planned for a 3½-acre parcel in the proposed Quarry Falls development.

No architect has been chosen to design the school, but officials say it is possible some of the elements from the Gravel to Green project would be incorporated into the campus.

Quarry Falls, which is going through the San Diego planning commission and City Council approval process, is bordered on the south by Friars Road, on the north by Serra Mesa, on the west by Mission Center Road and on the east by Interstate 805.
Developer Sudberry Properties wants to transform the 230 acres of sand and gravel pits, currently mined by Vulcan Materials Co., into a planned community that will include up to 4,510 residences along with retail, commercial and civic space.
High Tech High, which operates eight charter schools in the region, is known for personalized learning, using hands-on projects to engage students.

In teams of two or three, the students will use the requirements for the Quarry Falls campus to create a scaled floor plan, three-dimensional interior and exterior images, a site plan drawing and a building model made of recycled materials.
“It's amazing how easy it is to get them to work on it,” said Jones, who teaches math and science.

The designs have to comply with a rating system set by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), which gives points for reducing light pollution, building with local materials and using solar panels.
Some of the designs include a rock-climbing wall playground and a greenhouse. Kit Haggard, 15, wants to have a two-story wall of windows, so the students can look out on the light shining through a stand of ficus trees and the nearby bioswale, a creeklike water-cleansing system.

“The question is,” Haggard said, “what do you want future generations to walk away with?”

Gravel to Green, sponsored by Platt/Whitelaw Architects, started at an open house last year, when Jones mentioned that he wanted to do an architecture project. Grijalva was one of the parents in the audience. Her son, Julian, is in the Jones/Jana class.

For 15 years, Grijalva has volunteered with the San Diego Architectural Foundation's Built Environment Education Program, which teams architects and teachers.
Soon after Jones and Grijalva met and started brainstorming, they heard that High Tech High had received a charter from the San Diego Unified School District for a school at Quarry Falls. Grijalva, who has experience designing schools, contacted Sudberry.

The development company is providing site drawings, the environmental impact report, even setting up a tour of the quarry in early April.
Marco Sessa, vice president of development for Sudberry, became one of the first guest speakers to talk with the students. He said they grilled him on everything from traffic to site density.

“I was hammered with questions for two hours,” said an impressed Sessa. “It was the same kind of questions you might get from any planning group in the city.”
Students have also heard presentations by Grijalva, High Tech High facilities director Chris Gerber, the San Diego Planning Department and Platt/Whitelaw architects Jeff Barr and Thomas Brothers, among others.

Barr said he hopes students will come away from the Gravel to Green experience with the ability to really think about their environment.

“To design a building or some physical entity is one thing,” Barr said. “But what (architecture) taught me is how to design your life, to think critically, to go beyond taking everything for granted.”

The project has already given some students a new appreciation for the buildings on the Point Loma campus.

“Everything about the school is incredibly deliberate,” Haggard said, pointing to the window-fronted classrooms and open floor plan.

No architect has been chosen for the Quarry Falls campus, which the developer hopes will break ground in 2010. Carrier Johnson is the architect for the Quarry Falls master plan, but High Tech High will choose its own firm to do the school plans, Sessa said.

The students will present their final designs in June.

“I think there's a strong likelihood that great ideas will make their way into the design,” Sessa said.

How Much We Drive

Communities such as Quarry Falls that are located near mass transit and offer alternative modes of transportation - like interconnected streets, pedestrian and biking trails - are a crucial part of our environment and future.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, it’s increasingly more important to provide homes close to jobs and transportation so that we don’t have to rely on our cars or continually congest our streets with commuters.

Sustainable, interconnected communities will be a crucial part of sustaining our environment and providing a high quality of life for ourselves and generations to come.

According to the article “from 1977 to 2001, the number of miles driven every year by Americans rose by 151% -- about five times faster than the growth in population.” That’s a huge jump.

The concept behind Quarry Falls is a huge leap forward in closing the gap between petroleum consumption, air quality and the land use debate. In fact, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s leading environmental organization, is turning their efforts to lobbying Congress to promote development that is designed around mass transit options.

Check out the WSJ article below:

Wall St. Journal
February 4, 20
EYES ON THE ROAD

By JOSEPH B. WHITE

Next Phase of Energy, Climate Debate Will Be About How Much We Drive
February 4, 2008

I lead a double life.

Monday through Wednesday, I get to work by walking a block and a half from a high-rise apartment building to a stop on Washington, D.C.'s Metro subway. I emerge three stops later a half block from my office.

My commute is pretty close to a zero petroleum experience (never mind how the Metro gets its electricity.)

The rest of the week, I am back in Detroit, where I return to the 20th century. I drive about 20 miles to my office, which is located by the side of a freeway in a suburban "edge city." I sometimes walk to a sub shop for lunch, but it's an arduous slog along busy four lane streets that sometimes have sidewalks, and sometimes don't. To get just about anywhere from my office requires another car trip.

It turns out I am straddling the frontier of the next big debate over the role of the automobile in America. Congress and President Bush late last year agreed to order car makers to boost the average fuel efficiency of new vehicles to 35 miles per gallon by 2020.

Last year's energy debate centered around CAFE, the acronym for Corporate Average Fuel Economy. The next phase of the energy/climate change debate over cars will force us to learn another piece of technical jargon: VMT, or vehicle miles traveled.

Car makers and consumers will bear considerable costs to switch to a fleet of cars that meets the 35 mgp CAFE goal. But that might not result in a significant reduction in U.S. petroleum consumption or cut the CO2 we add to the atmosphere if we keep driving more and more miles.

From 1977 to 2001, the number of miles driven every year by Americans
rose by 151% -- about five times faster than the growth in population,
according to data compiled for a 2006 report to the U.S.
Department of Transportation written by Stephen Polzin, a
transportation researcher at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

The reasons for the big growth in miles traveled are pretty obvious if you don't live in the center of a big city endowed with functioning public transport. To make space for ever larger suburban homes, housing developers pushed further and further from city centers and shopping areas. New neighborhoods often had street layouts cluttered with cul de sacs that forced people to drive farther to get to main roads or stores. Local zoning laws -- reflecting the preferences of residents -- tended to separate commercial and residential uses, and single family from multi-family dwellings.

Meanwhile, the bulk of the money spent on transportation infrastructure was directed to building more and bigger highways. We could have subsidized bullet trains and more light rail systems, but we didn't.

Now, many of the environmentalists, politicians and scientists who made the case for boosting vehicle fuel efficiency are turning their attention to the problem of how much we drive -- and the legacy of 20th century land use and transportation choices.

Just how much more driving Americans will do is a matter of some debate. Higher gas prices, changes in demographics, and a recent upturn in urban redevelopment aimed at luring empty nesters back to city neighborhoods all could result in vehicle miles traveled growing more slowly in the future than it did during the past 30 or so years.

Still, the U.S. Department of Energy projects that miles driven will keep increasing in coming years, and by 2030 could grow by 59% compared with 2005 levels -- still outpacing population growth, though not by as much in the last three decades of the past century.

That means even though we'll be driving vehicles that slurp less petroleum per mile, carbon dioxide emissions could grow by as much as 41%, according to a report titled "Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change," published by the Urban Land Institute.

Deron Lovaas, a transportation researcher with the Natural Resources Defense Council, predicts that the debate over how to curb driving will come to the fore next year, when Congress is scheduled to debate a massive bill to fund transportation projects using federal gasoline tax revenue. The NRDC and other environmental groups, fresh from their victory in the fuel-efficiency debate, are turning their attention to issues such as reforming land use rules to promote denser development and concentrating more public spending on better mass transit systems for metro areas, he says.

Meanwhile, the Energy Department, in response to a 2005 congressional mandate, has enlisted an arm of the National Academy of Sciences to study how travel behavior will change as people live in communities that are designed to have different services closer to their homes, and more homes closer together.

How all this will affect the experience of driving and what we want to drive is a problem that's starting to keep executives of big car companies up at night. If you live the way I do in Washington, you don't really need a $35,000, all-wheel drive luxury wagon. On the other hand, the challenge of dictating to Americans where and how they should live is a problem that will likely keep politicians up at night. There's a reason why so many of us live in big single-family houses, and it's not because living in a small apartment wasn't available as an alternative.

As for me, I think it's time for a pair of new shoes.