By David Priver
Getting rid of the middle-of-the-night train horns after many years of foot-dragging by our elected leaders and the railroads shows what can be accomplished when downtown residents become unified and work toward a common goal
As residents well know, there are major plans being promoted which will forever change the face of downtown. In addition, there are some serious problems confronting downtown. Among these issues are:
- The ever growing number of increasingly aggressive homeless on our streets, the majority of whom are affected by mental illness and/or substance abuse.
- Plans to expand the convention center in the face of evidence which shows convention attendance to be steadily declining. Do we really need more buildings blocking views of our beautiful bay?
- 35,000 current downtown residents with projections to reach 90,000 in as little as 20 years from now. How will they all be housed? Will traffic congestion lead to virtual gridlock on our streets?
For almost 30 years, the San Diego Downtown Residents Group has advocated for maintaining the downtown area’s desirability as a wonderful place to live, play, and work. For the above reasons, its effectiveness has never been more important than it is now and in years to come.
With more members we can expand our activities to include monitoring the decisions of the City Council, SANDAG, the San Diego Unified Port District, the California Coastal Commission and many other agencies which impact your life.
And here’s some great news: Our annual dues are really affordable: $20 for a single resident and $30 for two living at the same address. But we want your involvement more than your money.
Please take a moment and go to www.sddrg.org. and join online. Be part of the solution and add your voice to the movement to keep downtown San Diego a wonderful place to live! You’ll be glad you did!
David Priver, M.D., is membership chairman of the San Diego Downtown Residents Group.
