Momentum Continues as OB Readies for City Council Showdown on July 29th

The power of the petition. Make sure to sign it in support of the OB Community Plan.

The momentum in support for the Ocean Beach Community Plan continues as the showdown at the City Council hearing nears.  The OB Plan is scheduled to be before the Council on Tuesday, July 29th.

It’s estimated that activists now have close to 3,500 signatures on the petitions, with at least 60% from OB or the 92107 zip code, with the remainders being residents of the city of San Diego.

OBceans at City Hall lobby after Council meeting where the Plan was postponed.

This is the last full week that OBceans can sign the Petition in support of the Community Plan – and it will be available for signing during Wednesday’s Farmers Market, as well as in certain businesses.  Organizers have close to 3500 signatures at this point.

This is what’s going on:

• Meeting tonight – Monday, July 21 – of Sub-committee on Draft Plan, 6pm, at Dog Beach Dog Wash, located at 4933 Voltaire Street. The meeting will be basically a “dress rehearsal” for the organized presentation at the City Council hearing.

• Volunteers are needed to circulate the Petition during Wednesday’s Farmers Market; meet at the OB Mainstreet Assoc. canopy in front of Wings, on Wed., July 23rd, from 4pm to 7:30pm.

• Here is the Petition for you to download, sign, and circulate amongst friends and neighbors; it must be returned to Dog Beach Dog Wash no later than Sunday, July 27th, close of business.

• There’s still an online petition as well; go here for it.

• OBceans are urged to attend the City Council hearing, July 29, at 2pm at City Council Chambers, 202 C Street, 12th floor.  Everyone in support of the Plan is encouraged to wear blue.  There’s a facebook page here for you to pledge on.

• 

  Gio, Trudy, and Marin in their “keep the OBcean attitude” t-shirts.

  Blue “OB” T-shirts made for the event are available at the Farmers Market petition table and at Dog Beach Dog Wash, 4933 Voltaire.

While Petition organizers are proud of the number of signatures – close to 3500 – they also are aware of the “opposition” letter-writing campaign; supposedly there are about 60 letters, but a number are either not from the 92107 area or are from outside the City.

Meanwhile, city staff have been meeting with California Coastal Commission staff over the 43 recommendations the Coastal folks made to the OB Community Plan. Even if there is anything “material” that is agreed upon, none of the issues covered concern or are related to the floor-area-ratio issue that OB has been using for the last 38 years, the planning tool that has been questioned by the San Diego Planning Commission.

OB planners were very upset with the Planning Commission’s stance, as the language they objected to was insisted upon to be included in the OB Plan by the San Diego City Attorney’s office.  This paved the way for the showdown on the 29th at the Council hearing, as the Council must deal with the recommendations from the Planning Commission. However, their recommendations are just that – recommendations, and the Council does not  have to accept any of them.

The organizers have garnered the support of every OB group and organization in the campaign to have the City approve the Update plan for OB.

Councilman Ed Harris has indicated his support for the OB Plan as written.  The hope is that the rest of the Council will look to Harris for direction, and  if and when he gives his nod of approval, Mayor Faulconer and the other politicos will endorse what so many OBceans have worked on for many, many years.