The San Diego City Council Monday adopted an update for the Mira Mesa Community Plan, intended to serve as the framework for land use and urban design policies to guide neighborhood development over the next 20 to 30 years.
The update, which replaces the 1992 Mira Mesa Community Plan, expands the capacity for homes by 24,000 and adds the capacity for 5,000 jobs in areas near existing and planned high-frequency transit. With that added capacity, Mira Mesa will be able to accommodate 58,000 homes and 117,000 jobs in total, the plan reads.
"As one of San Diego's largest communities by land area, population and employment, Mira Mesa will greatly benefit from having more mixed-used areas where people can live, work and play," said Mayor Todd Gloria, whose office recommended the update. "In addition to helping achieve our Climate Action Plan goals, it also adds capacity for much-needed housing and encourages diversifying those homes for a variety of incomes and ages."
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The updated community plan encourages mixed-use development with pedestrian-friendly spaces and easy access to transit. It calls for bus flex lanes on Mira Mesa Boulevard and Miramar Road to alleviate congestion. Flex lanes are created by using the left or right shoulders of an existing roadway for temporary travel during certain hours of the day.
"As one of San Diego's most diverse and popular neighborhoods, Mira Mesa is home to amazing businesses, shops and restaurants," said City Councilman Chris Cate, who represents Mira Mesa. "This new community plan sets a vision for the next three decades that builds off the hard work and successes by community leaders who have made Mira Mesa what it is today."
The plan also calls for a dedicated transitway along Carroll Canyon Road to accommodate express buses and an aerial skyway to connect the community to the Mid-Coast Trolley Extension, University City, UC San Diego and the San Diego Association of Government's proposed commuter rail.
"Mira Mesa is a vibrant area, and we are thrilled to have a plan that creates a better balance of homes and jobs, with community infrastructure that will provide residents and workers with safe, convenient and enjoyable ways to travel," said Heidi Vonblum, the city's Planning Director. "More opportunities for homes and jobs in Mira Mesa is a win for our city and another step forward in achieving our housing and climate goals."
Other highlights in the plan include identifying more than 91 lane miles of new bike facilities, proposing more than 100 acres of new parkland, 17 miles of trails, two new recreation centers and one new aquatic complex.
The city has completed 14 other community plan updates since 2015 and three more are in progress. The city's planning department is also working on Plan Hillcrest, a focused amendment to the Uptown Community Plan.
