One Paseo Receives New Endorsement

Earlier this month, the proposed mixed-use project One Paseo – A Main Street for Carmel Valley, was officially given the “seal of approval” by MOVE Alliance.  This makes One Paseo the FIRST development project, in all of San Diego, to receive an official endorsement from Move San Diego‘s newly established endorsement program.

As the saying goes, “if you don’t move, you rust.”  So what happens when you don’t grow, will you rust too?  Don’t get me wrong, I understand that there are different types of growth; for example, there’s smart growth and not so smart growth.  However, lets focus on “smart growth” since that’s what’s going to make the community of Carmel Valley San Diego a happier and better place to live.

As more and more people are born into the world, as a society, we need to make appropriate adjustments and changes that will help maintain a healthy flow in how we all work, play and live.  In regards to our normal routines, there is one aspect that is and will continue to be an undeniable concern, and that is transportation.

In January 2004 , San Diego residents, environmentalists, bicyclists, pedestrians and transportation experts, came together and formed Move San Diego, in effort to help build more support and awareness for “convenient, on-time, healthy and sustainable transportation” in and around San Diego.  This not only encompasses multiple forms of transportation such as walking, cycling, private and public transit, but includes land-use and its effectiveness to compliment healthy and sustainable transportation.

Move San Diego hopes to address issues such as:

• Educating decision makers and the public about the importance of smart transit requirements to achieve “smart growth”
• Reporting on transportation funding and subsidies
• Advocating broadening the region’s transportation spending strategy to include less pavement and more and better alternatives to automobiles.
• Raising public awareness regarding traffic courtesy, road rage and sharing the road among all users.
• Working with neighborhoods and municipalities to design or retrofit neighborhood streets to be safer for walking and bicycling.
• Working to maximize the quality of redevelopment in existing developed areas as an important “smart growth” strategy.
• Supporting development and transportation facility designs which are equally friendly to all transportation modes.
• Soliciting candidates’ opinions on growth and transportation issues.

Clearly, Move San Diego understands that in order to ensure “smart growth,” San Diego needs smarter transportation and smarter land-use.  In order to help “support projects that create Mobility Options Viable for Everyone,” Move San Diego established an endorsement program called MOVE Alliance.  By endorsing projects that “demonstrate a commitment to creating and enhancing sustainable, transit-oriented communities,” Move San Diego hopes to create a more  “livable and vibrant San Diego.”

MOVE Alliance brings together a diverse group of experts, including planners and environmentalists, with experience in sustainable and smart growth projects.  Together, this group reviews early-stage development projects with a set of “smart growth principals,” such as:

• Location Efficiency
• Density and Smart Growth Techniques
• Access to High Performing Transit
• Employment Proximity
• Mixed Use Opportunities
• Building Design
• Pedestrian and Bicycle Infrastructure

“It’s about time we formally give recognition to viable development projects in San Diego that exemplify a smarter way for the region to grow,” says Move San Diego Executive Director Elyse Lowe.

One of the local development projects that exemplifies “smart growth,” is  the proposed One Paseo – A Main Street for Carmel Valley.  Our hope is that other development projects in the San Diego region will follow One Paseo‘s example and join in on the movement towards a healthier, more sustainable and smarter growth.