FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021

CONTACT:
MayorPress@sandiego.gov

SAN DIEGO In a major step forward to address an issue that has plagued the Barrio Logan community for decades, Mayor Gloria is bringing forward the Barrio Logan Community Plan Update to the San Diego City Council today. If adopted, the update will replace an outdated 43-year-old plan to guide future development and growth.

The plan before the Council today represents the culmination of decades of hard work, controversy and community advocacy that was followed by unprecedented collaboration, said Mayor Todd Gloria. Finally, we have an updated Community Plan for Barrio Logan that addresses longstanding environmental justice issues while allowing the maritime industry to operate consistent with the communitys vision. This update is long overdue, and I urge the City Council to move this effort forward.

In 2013, the City Council adopted an updated Barrio Logan Community Plan, which voters repealed nine months later in a ballot referendum. To move their vision for the community forward, the Barrio Logan Community Planning Group, Environmental Health Coalition and the Ship Building and Ship Repair Industry worked to forge an agreement on land uses that would preserve the working port while protecting neighborhood residents from the air quality and other impacts of those activities.

This is a great day for the Barrio Logan community, said Councilmember Vivian Moreno, representative for District 8. The Barrio Logan Community Plan Update is a major accomplishment. This plan protects our residents from exposure to pollution, plans for future increases in density and ensures that amenities like parks and transportation infrastructure are built. I applaud the Barrio Logan Planning Group, stakeholders, City Planning staff and community members for all their work to get this plan right. For many years, the residents of Barrio Logan were left behind by the City of San Diego and today marks a new day for this community.

This is the first community plan in the City to include strengthened inclusionary housing and anti-displacement protections to safeguard the communitys long-standing residents. It will enhance requirements for affordable homes to be replaced after redevelopment, lengthen noticing requirements before tenancy can be terminated, strengthen relocation assistance requirements and prioritize existing Barrio Logan residents for placement in new affordable homes.

Barrio Logan residents deserve to live in a safe and healthy environment, and the maritime industry is important to keep our economy thriving, said Mike Hansen, the Citys Planning Director. Barrio Logan has a mix of land uses near each other which has created a unique set of challenges. We are excited to have a plan that serves our residents and economy.

The agreement includes a buffer area between heavy industrial uses and residential neighborhoods. In this area, new industrial uses that generate air quality and other impacts are prohibited to protect public health. The previous plan from 1978 allowed industrial and residential uses to be located side by side.

For more than 40 years, Barrio Logan residents have fought for a community plan update to protect them from the polluting industries operating next to their homes and schools, said Diane Takvorian, Executive Director, Environmental Health Coalition. Almost a decade after an industry-led referendum defeated their chance at an update, Barrio Logan will finally get a community plan update that will prioritize their health, air quality and culture, while slowing gentrification.

In addition, the plan includes revised truck route restrictions which will direct Port-related truck traffic to designated routes. The plan also envisions more ways for residents to bike, walk and get around; better connections to jobs and services; and access to public space, community amenities, parks and healthy foods. One example the Plan identifies is a potential freeway lid park over the I-5 to reconnect Barrio Logan and Logan Heights. The construction of I-5 during the 1960s divided the Barrio Logan community.

"The issues in Barrio Logan are complex, and after decades of tension between residential and industrial interests in Barrio Logan, a compromise on the Barrio Logan Plan Update is proceeding forward for approval by City of San Diego, said Derry Pence, President of the Port of San Diego Ship Repair Association.Today represents the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people, especially representatives from the EHC, the Planning Group, and the Ship Repair/Building Industry who came together to form an MOU that was the foundation for a historic plan that will benefit all of Barrio Logan. TheBarrioLoganCPU will implement a transition zone between residents and industrial businesses, creating a healthier community and will provide certainty to residents and businesses by setting a firm path for growth and development in the community."

The updated plan also includes policies to support low-income residents and preserve affordable housing in the community, with requirements for affordable housing to be built in village areas and additional requirements related to tenant noticing and relocation benefits for Barrio Logan renters.

The Barrio Logan Community Plan Update has been long-awaited by the residents of this neighborhood, said Josephine Talamantez, Barrio Logan resident. It is a day when we can finally feel somewhat safe in our own neighborhood something that other San Diego neighborhoods have never had to think about. The policies dictated by the Barrio Logan Community Plan allow the residents collective voices to be heard and addressed.

Unique to this community plan update, a chapter is also dedicated to preserving and celebrating the historic and cultural character of Barrio Logan.

Naval Base San Diego has been a part of the Barrio Logan Planning Group since its inception, and we are pleased to see the groups hard work and vision becoming a reality for community growth in Barrio Logan that really benefits the community and its people, said Captain Ted Carlson, Naval Base San Diego commanding officer. The professionalism, hard-work and dedication of this group has been inspiring, and the Navy looks forward to seeing this plan executed and continuing to partner with the Barrio Logan community.

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