After expiring on September 28, the new Uptown Partnership budget came before the SD City Council Tuesday afternoon. Several council members continued to express concerns about the lack of a conflict of interest policy, while Council Member Kevin Faulconer layed out his suggestion to establish a subarea of the Partnership for Bankers Hill/Park West. City staff, Meredith Dibden-Brown explained that the Partnership would have to close its doors if the budget was held up while waiting for the City
Attorney to return a conflict of interest policy in mid-November.
Leo Wilson (above) chair of the Bankers Hill/Park West Community Association (BHPWCA) requested that the Council create an independent parking subgroup for the area – similar to existing subgroups in both University Heights and Golden Hill. “The diversion of parking meter money and funds from developer impact fees (DIF) have made scarce the resources necessary to address a critical public-safety issue in Bankers Hill/ Park West — one of the highest traffic accident rates in the City (74 in the last five months),” stated Wilson. Several months ago, the BHPWCA steering committee approved a motion with a 24-0 vote for Bankers Hill to end its direct affiliation with Uptown Partnership and become its own parking subarea, similar to the University Heights parking district subarea, so that parking meter revenues generated in Bankers Hill should be used solely for improvements within that community. Parking meter revenue that is generated should be held in a trust account or another manner that is transparent. Additionally, any overhead should be limited to no more than 10% of the funds generated in a given year.
Speakers at yesterday afternoon’s Council meeting included Hillcrest Business Association Director Benjamin Nicholls who expressed that if the council endorsed a subgroup for Bankers Hill/Park West, then Hillcrest would also want to be involved in that discussion. Councilman Faulconer moved that the parking district budgets be approved; that a conflict of interest policy be presented to council by mid-November; and the approval to establish a Bankers Hill/Park West parking subarea which will be moved on for further action at the next Public Safety & Neighborhood Services Committee chaired by Marti Emerald. The motion passed 5-3 with council members Frye, DeMaio and Lightner dissenting.
