Downtown Village 'Streetscape' Project to Move Forward, Council Decides

The La Mesa City Council voted 5-0 Tuesday to move forward with plans at establishing a “Streetscape” project for the Downtown Village, which will help beautify streets and storefronts, and will provide a maintenance aspect that will help keep the improvements viable.

Money set aside for streetscape improvements was one issue of contention for opponents of the PBID effort, which continues in the petition phase, despite not being approved to the ballot phase by the council last month. But Bill Jaynes, owner of , and one of the most outspoken PBID detractors, said that most Village merchants are more than willing to pony up for streetscape improvements.

“Downtown merchants, or stakeholders as they’ve been called, are willing to contribute,” said Jaynes. “They want to work with the city in a private/public partnership, but what we need to know are details.”

Jaynes referenced information on the city’s website that the streetscape is expected to begin in early 2013, whereas before a specific January date had been published.

“What we are looking for are specific timelines,” he said. “We’d kind of like to know when can we expect the improvements, what are the scope of the improvements?”

Jaynes was speaking on behalf of a newly formed group, which he said is calling itself “A Village United.” The group consists of nearly two dozen business owners, property owners and La Mesa residents, who met last week to discuss “alternative mechanisms to pay for enhanced benefits of the streetscape,” including the possible use of parking meter revenues collected in the Downtown Village.

“People are willing to contribute to enhancements above baseline, but one of the big issues that has to be discussed at some point, is that there is a strong feeling that meter money should be applied to that,” he added. “We recognize there are changed economic circumstances that might require a bigger contribution from the stakeholders, but we are willing to work with you.”

The council approved a motion to move forward with little discussion. The city is expected to maintain constant updates on the project on its website, including but not limited to: project and component timelines, project funding, budget cost estimates, methodology for changes or adjustments to scope/design, property owner logistics, and more.

In other agenda items, the council voted 4-1 (Ruth Sterling as the No vote) to deny an appeal – brought forth by homeowners in a neighborhood on Stanford Avenue – on a Planning Commission decision to allow the building of a two-story, 15-unit housing development.

Neighbors were concerned that the two-story units went against the La Mesa Municipal Code, but the council disagreed, upholding the Planning Commission’s earlier decision, citing that there were no non-compliant code issues after an extensive environmental impact report was conducted.

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Other items of note:

– Rick Sitta was introduced to the council as the of the Heartland Fire Department.

– The council approved a joint permit filed by the and the , for production and operation of the annual La Mesa Oktoberfest, which will be held October 5-7, 2012. In a change from last year, the two business organizations that have in the past been at loggerheads, filed together, in what Chamber CEO Mary England said is a two-year agreement.

– Councilmember Mark Arapostathis began his rotation of the vice mayor of the city, taking over for councilmember Ernie Ewin, whose one-year service had expired. Arapostathis was brief, when asked by Mayor Art Madrid to comment.

“Thank you, which I’ll follow up with thank you,” he said.

– Chief Ed Aceves presented his quarterly crime report, which showed a significant drop in both robbery and aggravated assault from the same time last year. The report, which can be viewed online, also showed a decrease in violent crimes since Q2 in 2011, but an increase in property crimes like theft and residential burglary.

– principal Mike Allman was as the representative to serve on the city’s Community Services Commission, in a continuation from a July meeting that announced new commission, board, and committee officers.