The bicycle community in San Diego came up with a win-win-win: an innovative bike center in an abandoned building on a closed military base next to downtown and a major biking route. Then came the real world of unreal bureaucratic concerns.
Liberty Station in San Diego is a massive redevelopment of a closed naval training center. Despite its location under the departure flight path of San Diego International Airport, it is dense with housing, retail, restaurants, and community space. Nevertheless, a small portion of it that remains unutilized, including a particular building identified mainly as Building 191.
A coalition of community bicycling organizations got behind the idea of restoring and occupying the building as a community bicycling center, writes local bicycle community activist and environmental attorney Richard Opper (ironically specializing in brown fields). The building is centrally located, near a major bike path, and unused. It would provide meeting space for non-profit bicycling organizations, educational events, and museum and display space. It could provide bicycle repair facilities, storage and changing facilities for bicycling commuters. It would serve as a hub for the bicycling community that would help promote the activity, thereby propelling San Diego toward achieving its health, transportation, and climate change goals. It would restore an abandoned building. All this in a publicly owned building on publicly owned land, which had no meaningful alternative use—all funded by the bicycling community.
The plan seemed like a winner. The building is close to a popular restaurant on the converted base, and across the street from a hardware store. Nevertheless, because it is located within an area designated as impacted by the airport's departing flights (as are the other businesses and residences nearby), FAA approval was required. A quick decision? Not so fast...Perhaps the city's mayor will help? Opper explains the history of the project, its status, and his plea for help—with words and imagery. See the source article for details and renderings.
FULL STORY: Innovative Community Bike Center coming to San Diego in . . .

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie