News from SDSU

Trader Joe's will be the anchor tenant for the shopping center dubbed South Campus Plaza, to be located at the northwest corner of College Avenue and Montezuma Road. The specialty grocery chain hopes to open its College Area facility by summer of 2016. The shopping center is part of a development which will include high rise dorm towers and a parking structure.

SDSU is still proposing to narrow the lanes on College Avenue from Montezuma to I-8 in order to make room for a 13' sidewalk and bike lane in front of the shopping center. The CACPB board has expressed concern about this proposal, which will slow traffic on College Avenue even further, and eliminate a proposed double left turn lane from southbound College onto eastbound Montezuma, a mitigation measure which is sorely needed to compensate for the increased traffic from the project. Councilmember Emerald opposes to the SDSU proposal, which is currently being reviewed by City staff.

In other news, Jack McGrory has been named the new board chair for the Campanile Foundation, which is working to raise $750 million through The Campaign for SDSU.  

SDSU has received $200,000 from the California Governor's Office of Emergency

Services to better prevent and respond to incidents of sexual assault on campus. The grant will allow SDSU to have a full-time sexual assault victim advocate on campus, to hire a part-time police officer dedicated to sexual assault prevention, training and investigation;and for the university to expand its Sexual Violence Task Force to include representatives from community agencies and local law enforcement.

A grant provided by the Moxie Foundation will enable teams in SDSU's Zahn Innovation Center to grow their business ideas by receiving up to $5,000 in grant funding per team. The funds can be used for creating websites, developing product prototypes, building brand development and other practical applications.

SDSU honored the memory of Padres great Tony Gwynn during the SDSU baseball season-opener Feb. 13 - 15. Gwynn's No. 19 SDSU jersey was retired, among other events.

In research news, SDSU biologist Ted W. Cranford and UCSD engineer Petr Krysl have solved a longstanding marine mammal riddle by establishing that some baleen whales hear through their bones. Fin whales have acoustic properties that capture the energy of low frequencies and direct it to their ear bones.

SDSU virologists have declared 2015 the Year of the Phage. The bacteriophage is a virus that replicates exclusively inside bacteria. SDSU is a research leader in this field. A recent New Yorker article that explores these research activities can be accessed at:

http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/phage-killer-viral-dark-matter   

Coming up in March

The big news in March is the Annual Meeting, and election of six board members to serve for three year terms. If you think your vote doesn't matter, think again. The direction of the College Area Community Planning Board and the activities of the College Area Community Council are determined by its board members. Some of the issues the board will be facing in the next few years include: the nature and location of high density housing in the College Area, the preservation of single family neighborhoods, finding locations for parks and open space, and the enforcement of city codes. Please come to the meeting and cast your vote. The future of development in the College Area is in your hands.

After candidates have spoken and while votes are being counted, there will be an open community forum where you can speak your mind, and communicate your priorities for the College Area. After election results have been announced, the board will move on to its regular business.

We will consider a request for use of an alternative procedure to request a 4-way stop at New Mills Road and 54th Street in the El Cerrito area. City staff has analyzed the all-way stop proposal and rejected it, but the CACPB can vote to request that Council member Emerald bring the matter before the full City Council. It the City Council approves it, the 4-way stop will be installed.

We'll also consider a request from the College Area Business District to install a Bike Corral on 59th Street near El Cajon Boulevard in front of the Living Room Coffee House. The Bike Corral will accommodate up to 12 bike parking spaces. Usually there is a loss of one automobile parking space used for the installation of these bike racks, but in this case, the action would actually increase the automobile parking by one space AND add bike parking for up to 12 bikes. If approved, the City will provide the Bike Corral free of charge, and it will be maintained by the Business District.

Finally, we will hear Annual Reports of the activities this year of our four standing committees: Project Review, Code Enforcement and Nuisance Rental Properties, Beautification, and Outreach.

Coming up in April: Our April meeting will be hosted by the SDSU Associated Students' new Campus Community Commission in the beautiful new Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Center. The students will provide a tour of the center prior to the meeting to all who are interested, and will host a coffee after the meeting. Stay tuned for details in the April newsletter!