A new plan could help solve San Diego’s housing shortage and reduce a rash of vacant storefronts in buildings that were intended to have ground-floor commercial tenants operating below multiple stories of housing.
“While the development overall is great, the opportunity lost in terms of space because the commercial uses aren’t being maximized has been a concern of mine for some time,” Alvarez said. “It’s sometimes a blight in a community when there are vacant spaces.”
City Councilmember David Alvarez responded to Falconers speech with a statement that reads, in part: "The City is experiencing an explosion in the homeless. The Mayor must create new shelter space downtown near existing service providers to allow for people to sleep indoors rather than camp on the street. If he does not do this, the homeless population will continue to grow in downtown and throughout the City."
Read MoreCity councilmember David Alvarez met with more than 100 cycling enthusiasts assembled by the San Diego Bike Coalition on Thursday afternoon to lead a ride through his native Barrio Logan. "When you're on a bike, it makes a world of difference to help understand what's happening in the community," said Alvarez, who told the group he commutes by bike two to three times a week.
Read More"I really want to focus on my communities and neighborhoods in district eight which have been neglected for a long time. That message was loud and clear from voters when I was talking to them, walking door to door, we had a succession of politicians who get elected to the seat, going back 20 years now, where they basically each select who their council member is gonna be, and this is a drastic change in that. It's because people want to see who's gonna be accountable to them and their needs. And like I said, our neighborhoods are so diverse, and each individual needs individualized attention and focus to see the things that people want to see get done. So my focus will be first and foremost on the people of district 8 and the neighborhoods of district eight. And most definitely on the challenges facing our city and how that impacts district 8 directly."
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