La Jolla groups come together to draft project wish list; Scripps Park sidewalk again takes top spot

Widening and rebuilding the sidewalk in Scripps Park next to Coast Boulevard again topped the list of capital improvement projects that La Jolla community groups hope the city of San Diego will fund and carry out in the coming year.

The next item on the list — resurfacing the La Jolla Shores boardwalk and replacing crumbling walls — is a close second and another repeat request. In fact, La Jolla Shores Association President Janie Emerson said the top two items are “our 1A and 1B.”

In the past, the community groups would submit separate lists and the city would pick one or two projects based on priorities and funding availability.

Last year, in looking to present a united front, representatives of the La Jolla Community Planning Association, La Jolla Shores Association, Bird Rock Community Council and La Jolla Parks & Beaches group got together to produce a list of projects to submit to the city. Widening and rebuilding the Scripps Park sidewalk was No. 1 on last year’s list and the La Jolla Shores boardwalk resurfacing was No. 2.

The groups repeated the exercise this year and collectively drafted their new list this month.

Some items are for specific locations, while others — like stormwater system improvement — are La Jolla-wide.

The projects were brought forth for the unified list based on each group’s particular priorities. The group leaders then looked for common ground and found it in issues like street lighting, Emerson said.

“To have four different entities ask for streetlights is crazy,” she said.

Resurfacing the La Jolla Shores boardwalk is a project that La Jolla community leaders would like the city of San Diego to fund and execute.

(Elisabeth Frausto)

In addition to the Scripps Park sidewalk and La Jolla Shores boardwalk projects, these items are on the draft list of capital improvement recommendations:

• Repave Neptune Place with concrete, widen the sidewalk and add a bike lane
• Repair and restore La Jolla Hermosa Park in Bird Rock
• Evaluate, update, repair and maintain the stormwater systems throughout La Jolla
• Replace and repair street lighting throughout La Jolla
• Add steps to the bottom of the staircase at La Jolla Cove

The list also features safety, maintenance and traffic-related items the groups would like the city to attend to:

• Increase cleaning, sanitation and trash pickup for all shoreline parks and overlooks and restroom facilities
• Intensify security and code enforcement of overnight parking, vehicle habitation, sidewalk vending and beach bonfires in La Jolla shoreline areas
• Enhance pedestrian safety throughout La Jolla
• Strengthen weed abatement measures on all La Jolla streets, medians, rights of way and sidewalks
• Repair deteriorating sidewalks, curbs and gutters throughout La Jolla
• Prepare a Scripps Park land management plan and environmental impact report
• Conduct a comprehensive traffic circulation study of high-impact beach areas such as Windansea, La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Cove
• Conduct a comprehensive traffic study of the area known as “The Throat,” where La Jolla Parkway, Torrey Pines Road and Hidden Valley Road intersect

Many requests on the overall list are repeats from last year. In coming weeks, the four community groups will review this year’s list and vote on it at their respective monthly meetings before submitting it to the city.

Projects can be funded in multiple ways. One option is to be included in the city budget. They also might be funded through Community Projects, Programs and Services funds, which are given in various amounts every year to pay for projects in each of San Diego’s nine City Council districts. ◆