SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The San Diego City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on a plan that could improve many aspects of the Barrio Logan community.
"A very long time coming, decades in the making,” said Environmental Health Coalition Policy Advocate Julie Corrales.
City staff and others have been working on the new Barrio Logan Community Plan since October 2020 after a previous plan was shot down by voters in 2014.
"Barrio Logan had a long history of properties that are co-located between commercial and residential uses. This has negative health outcomes for a number of community members and residents,” said Michael Prinz, the project manager of the Barrio Logan Community Plan.
"These protections are stronger. There's a bigger divide between industry and pollution. We have more green spaces. We have a strengthened truck route,” Corrales said.
Corrales said that new truck route would help eliminate fuel emissions from spilling into neighborhoods.
Overall, the hope is that the plan can strengthen the health of this proud community.
Prior to the council’s session on Tuesday, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said of the proposed plan, “The existing plan is 43 years old; it’s outdated. Think about what Barrio Logan can do with a plan that sets this neighborhood up for success.”
City Councilmember Vivian Moreno said, "Today marks a new day. 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."
"It'll definitely make the air cleaner. We're really excited by that. This community is heavily impacted by air pollution, highest asthma rates in the county,” Corrales said.
The city said the other goals of the plan aren't just environmental.
"… provides opportunities for new development, new housing opportunities, and increased regulations that provide strengthened anti-displacement measures for those in the community,” Prinz said.
The plan's not set in stone just yet.
The City Council still has to give this plan the green light on Tuesday before it can provide a brighter and greener future for Barrio Logan.
"I think we'll have more housing. I'm really excited about having more housing, affordable housing. I think this plan will help keep more of our artists here,” Corrales said. “So, we can see more vibrant and beautiful Chicano Park for decades and centuries to come."
Barrio Logan resident Josephine Talamantez said, "This is not everything we wanted, but it's better than what we had … I like to say it's a breath of fresh air, but we're still working on that."
"With change and with new things, you bring in new money and you do get people that are displaced. We're hoping with these new measures, we get people that are allowed to stay here, some way,” added Barrio Logan resident Hector Villegas.
Prinz told ABC 10News if the City Council adopts the plan, another hearing will be set before going to the Coastal Commission for final approval.
