Mid Coast Corridor Transit Project and How It Will Influence University City / UTC San Diego

Mid Coast Corridor Transit Project and How It Will Influence University City / UTC

The University City Planning Group Report from the October 13 meeting gives some good insights into the latest developments concerning the Mid Coast Corridor Transit Project: The Blue Line Trolley extension is being coordinated by SANDAG (San Diego Association of Governments), San Diego region's primary public planning, transportation, and research agency. 

The extension is set to run from Old Town north and parallel I-5. The project will also involve the relocation and/or renovation of sewer, water, and telephone lines, as well as changing Voigt Drive into a four-lane street. Planned Blue Line stations are California Pizza at La Jolla Village, the VA hospital, UCSD at Pepper Canyon and Voigt Drive, which will provide access to Scripps and the UCSD Medical Centers. Additional stops include Executive Drive and the University Town Center. Parking facilities are expected to be 250 spaces at Tecolote, 280 at Balboa, 150 at Clairemont, 250 at La Jolla Village, and 260 at UTC. There will be five trolley cars on the Blue Line extension, each holding 200 people.

The Blue Line extension will provide transportation for workers and students who need to commute back and forth to area offices and retail stores, hospitals and UCSD campuses. This will reduce some of the automobile traffic on freeways and streets. Final Engineering was accepted in April, and 50% of the $2 billion full-funding grant to be released in Spring of 2016. Construction begin is slated for summer 2016.

During the meeting, MTS presented the signage for the SANDAG project to ensure consistency and size guidelines are met. UC Health paid 30 million for naming rights to the stations and banners for the five BL extension cars. It was determined that two major issues are at hand concerning the signage. Apparently there was no public information or notice that went regarding the bid for naming rights. It was further determined that the station signs will not actually serve the purpose of identifying individual station stops as that primary function gives way to the signs being utilized as advertising media. Once naming sign, for instance, readings " Old Town-UC San Diego Hillcrest," misleading to those not understanding that the two neighborhoods are nowhere near each other.

These construction areas, combined with other construction projects going on a the time will, without a doubt,  prove unpleasant and an inconvenience to the general public living in the affected areas, however, when complete, the added infrastructure will surely be one that makes sense given our current road- and freeway situation during rush hours. And the appeal of having alternative low-cost public transportation to areas south of University City and La Jolla will surely enhance desirability to live in the Golden Triangle.

How this will affect home values, no one knows. It does make sense, however, that an added community amenity, if functional and convenient, will add value to its surrounding properties.