The Hillcrest History Guild (HHG) held a successful fundraiser on Sunday, March 19, raising $15,000 for the Uptown Plan Legal Defense Fund! All donations made at the fundraiser were matched by the Hillcrest History Guild, to directly support the legal challenge of this plan (filed by Save Our Heritage Organisation and Mission Hills Heritage). The Hillcrest History Guild is thankful for the many friends of Hillcrest that contributed toward and support this goal.
“It’s rewarding to see the community rally in support of this legal effort to hold City Planners accountable,” stated HHG treasurer Susan Fosselman. “Sadly, former councilman Todd Gloria let us down. The approved plan is not what the community worked on for years, and it will reduce the quality of life for many Hillcrest residents. In meeting our substantial financial goal, the Hillcrest History Guild puts developers and The City on notice that Hillcrest will not the tolerate inappropriate development, ever-increasing traffic and undue influence of commercial interest.”
The March 19 fundraiser included a presentation of the key issues and potential solutions as well as three key guests, who explained how this legal challenge would benefit Hillcrest, what it means to the LGBTQ community, and how the residents were ultimately ignored.
In January, Save Our Heritage Organisation and Mission Hills Heritage legally challenged the City’s approval of the Uptown Community Plan Update due to significant deficiencies in the protection for historic resources. Unlike North Park and Golden Hill, the City offered Uptown no timeline to implement the historic districts, nor any preservation incentives, interim protections, penalties for unpermitted changes, or infill guidelines. As an important and early commercial district, preservation incentives will encourage developers to include historic buildings in redevelopment projects. However, since there is no proposed timeline to process the Hillcrest Commercial District (or any other Uptown district), and no proposed mitigation to counter the development pressure of increased density and unrestricted heights, we must each do our part to save the historic Hillcrest we know and love from demolition.
“I’m sorry that citizens again need fight the city to save our neighborhood from over development,” said HHG president Ann Garwood. “But Hillcrest shouldn’t be the only neighborhood forced to take the new density. The quality of life for residents continues to decrease as the City of San Diego adds more and more people (and traffic) to this once great community.” (In 2007 the American Planning Association named Hillcrest one of the nation’s ten “great” neighborhoods).
Please join the Hillcrest History Guild in raising funds to oppose this deficient plan, which, if implemented, will leave our beloved Hillcrest with a gaping hole in the historic center and commercial core. DONATE NOW by check to the Hillcrest History Guild, 3065 Third Avenue #3, San Diego, CA 92103 and please note “Legal Defense Fund” in the memo. The Hillcrest History Guild and Hillcrest thank you.
