Golden Hill neighborhood getting a facelift
The official ground-breaking for the 25th Street Renaissance Project, as the city calls it, may have been scheduled for Wednesday morning, but crews have been there for some time – for the long-awaited makeover of Golden Hills' main street. Golden Hills is one of San Diego's oldest neighborhoods, but it doesn't always get the attention as some other areas of the city.
“Yeah, I think its fantastic,” nodded longtime resident Kim Morgan.
Amid the noise, we found Morgan walking her dog. We've heard a great deal lately from Mayor Faulconer about finally having the money to tackle the city's huge backlog of infrastructure needs, and making sure every city neighborhood was included.
“I don't think it matters what party you're from as long as you're thinking of the city as a whole.”
The Renaissance Project involves a whole lot more than fixing potholes or resurfacing a street. $1.7 million will go towards making the heart of Golden Hill safer and more accessible, more pedestrian and bike friendly – including wider sidewalks – and something called reverse-angle parking: vehicles required to back into a space so drivers can easily see the bicyclists going by in the new bike lanes.
One more thing involving consolidation or coordination, if you will: how many times have you seen a city street torn up for something, only to see the same street torn up months, or a year later, for something else? Aging water mains need to be replaced in this neighborhood. Guess what's also going on at the same time?
“It's a mindset that's changing, and it says do it all at once,” said Mayor Kevin Faulconer. “It's taken awhile and it's been frustrating for us, it takes more planning. So now, we do all of the projects at once – pipes, streets – so you don't have to come back six months, two years later.”
Faulconer will unveil his first budget next Monday. 50% of the city's new revenues in the general fund, some $22 million, will go toward infrastructure. This fact is leaving everyone smiling, including the residents and businesses of Golden Hill.
