The V Tower Opening Soon in LV
Plus: Community Engagement Over the Weekend, The Carl is in the News, Mayor for a Day Contest, Local Fundraiser, and a Poem to Celebrate New Trees
Linda Vista will soon enjoy the addition of sixty new apartment units as the long awaited opening of the V Tower apartment building on Ulric Street is set to occur at the beginning of the new year. The multi-story apartment building, located on the former site of the old Bank of America building, will be available for moving-in of tenants beginning on January 1. MC Properties, which owns and manages a number of properties in Linda Vista, will operate this apartment building.
According to Natalia Gholamzadeh, Regional Manager for MC Properties, the V Tower (the V Tower sign is expected to go up in 3 weeks) will consist of 39 one- bedroom units (505 square feet), two 1-bedroom units (419 square feet), 13 two bedroom units (1030 square feet), 3 one-bedroom unit (950 square feet), and 3 three-bedroom units (1180 square feet). Prices will range from $2000 to $2300 for the one bedroom units, from $2900 to $3500 for two bedroom units, and from $3600 to $3800 for three bedroom units.
Building amenities will include a pool and gym, a BBQ area with TV, and inside unit laundry. Units will be cable ready. Parking spaces will be available on a first come-first serve basis for $30.00 per month.
Occupants will be responsible for utilities.
Commercial businesses will be located on the ground floor, though MC Properties is still working on which businesses to take on and is taking suggestions.
Residents interested in moving into the V Tower can go to https://www.mcproperties.us to sign up and learn more details.
Strong LV Community Engagement Evident This Past Weekend
One website defines “community engagement” as seeking to better engage the community to achieve long-term and sustainable outcomes, processes, relationships, discourse, decision-making, or implementation.
Engagement on the part of a community’s residents is crucial for a number of reasons, but mostly because it empowers residents to have a say over decisions that affect their lives, their towns, and neighborhoods In addition, such engagement can increase the visibility and understanding of issues, serve as a powerful vehicle for bringing about changes capable of improving the health of the community and its members, and contribute to residents having fun as they learn to work together.
We saw a high level of community engagement this past weekend, and we thought it important to share what occurred so that our readers better understand how local leaders and volunteers often team up to help the community.
We want to recognize three great examples of community engagement in the hope that news of these events inspires many other LV resident to participate in future such events.
Serve Day at Ebenezer Church
First, on Saturday morning, Ebenezer Church (2130 Ulric Street) conducted its monthly “Serve Day” event. This event involved members of the church along with various volunteers from the Linda Vista community joining forces to conduct a clean-up/beautification of several LV sites. Enthusiastic volunteers formed into different groups and took on such projects as litter-pick-up, graffiti removal at Kelly Street Park, the clean-up of an equipment room at Kearny High School, the painting of a mural in one LV neighborhood alley, and the preparation of food for local homeless individuals.
Volunteers came from various Linda Vista schools, Kearny High sports teams, La Jolla Presbyterian Church, and the San Diego Police Department.
Bayside Garden Gathering at Montgomery Middle
Second, on Saturday afternoon members of Bayside Community Center’s Linda Vista Grows Steering Committee conducted its fourth Garden Gathering at Montgomery Middle School’s Garden. This series of Garden Gatherings have been held to prepare Linda Vista residents for the eventual opening of the Linda Vista Community Garden. The Garden will be located at the Linda Vista Community Park (7064 Levant Street San Diego, CA.). The Linda Vista Community Garden will be the first community garden to be built in a city park.
During Saturday’s Gathering, Amy Zink, program manager for Bayside’s Environmental Learning Center, passed along information to attendees regarding eligibility requirements related to applying for a garden plot as well as information on the design of the Community Garden.
While receiving an update on the Community Garden, Gathering attendees also spent time making orange clove spiced pomander balls. This spiced fruit has been historically used as decor, incense, and a gift during the Fall and Holiday months
Groundbreaking ceremonies for the Linda Vista Community Garden will be held Saturday, December 16, at 11:30 am at the Linda Vista Community Park. The ceremony will include Mayor Todd Gloria, Councilmember Raul Campillo, Park and Recreation leadership, and Bayside Community Center representatives. The public is invited to attend.
Amy Zink encourages “Linda Vista resident who want to get involved or stay updated on our activities including the garden’s ground breaking, to sign-up for our newsletter at: www.tinyurl.com/Garden-Info". You can also contact her at azink@baysidecc.org to ask any garden-related questions.
Monthly Bayside Community Clean-up
Finally, on Sunday morning the Bayside Community Center sponsored a community clean-up event that involved local volunteers armed with litter pick-up tools and trash bags fanning out to different neighborhoods to make Linda Vista a more beautiful place. Volunteers met at the Linda Vista Library parking lot at 10:00 am to receive equipment and clean-up assignments. The event was coordinated by Bayside’s Tomasa Ruiz, who has been coordinating monthly clean-up events (first Sunday of each month) for several years. About 30 volunteers were on hand to participate in the two hour clean-up.
If you or your group are interested in participating in next month’s Bayside Community Clean-up (scheduled for Sunday January 7, you can contact truiz@baysidecc.org for more information.
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We at the Linda Vista Update applaud all the community engagement that occurred this past weekend, and we thank the coordinators and volunteers/event attendees for showing such a strong interest in the welfare of Linda Vista.
Local News Brief
The Carl Apartment Building in the News
In the November 16 issue of the Linda Vista Update we featured an article about a colorful mural installed on the facade of a new apartment building located near the University of San Diego campus. The apartment complex is called The Carl at Lauretta (1211 Mollie Street). and caters specifically to USD students.
In the article we expressed appreciation of the addition of the new art work to the Linda Vista landscape.
Unfortunately, The Carl has since been in the news for non-art reasons. According to a recent report made by NBC San Diego, The Carl is being sued for providing unsafe conditions to its tenants.
You can read more about the controversy by clicking here and here.
Message from the Mayor’s Office
Mayor for a Day Contest Announcement
The office of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria has announced that the 2023-2024 “Mayor for a Day” contest is now live! The “Mayor for a Day” contest aims to foster and encourage leadership in young people living in San Diego.
City of San Diego K-12 students are invited to submit a brief essay (approximately 500 words) or short video (no more than 3 minutes) on how you would make the City of San Diego a better place if you were the Mayor. The selected winner will be given the opportunity to shadow Mayor Todd Gloria and other City Departments for a day and will be included in the State of the City address in January of 2024.
Please submit an essay or video by 11:59 p.m. Dec. 15, 2023
Local Fundraising Event
Bree Partington of Linda Vista’s Mission Heights neighborhood wants to let our readers know of a fundraising event for local dog rescue Del Mar Dog Rescue that is taking place on December 10th, from 12-3 at Hopnonymous Brewing Company in nearby Kearny Mesa. There will be a live band, lawn games, silent auction/raffle, food trucks, professional photographer, dog adoptions, a Porsche display (Porsche owners are encouraged to drive their Porsches to the event and park in a Porsche only parking lot) and more.
Check out the flyer here for details.
LV Poetry Corner
We celebrate the planting of new trees in the middle of Friars Road with a poem.
December in San Diego
We shut all the windows
and pull a long ignored jacket
out of the closet.
Brisk nights alarm us,
as the mercury drops. Later,
the morning air chills,
threatening the sense
of spoiled comfort baked into
our thin skin and blood.
Forty eight degree
weather make us wince and shiver;
we San Diegans
pretend to be cold,
like actors cast in a corny
Hallmark Christmas film.
In the meantime, we
secretly take profound pleasure
in our current state.
Sitting on the couch,
the thermostat turned up too high,
we count our blessings.
The weatherperson
waves her hand at the mid-west plains
and warns of whiteouts.
An approaching storm
about to grip those far away
friends and relatives
locked indoors tonight,
eager snow shovels on stand-by.
Bleak frozen tundra
is their season’s fate.
No planting or growth until spring.
Snow and ice threatens.
Dead of winter looms.
Yet, this morning we awaken
here in our warm beds,
to find young saplings
have appeared on the median.
December surprise!
City workers plant
a Friars Road leafy orchard; they
choose to disregard
the seasonal norms.
Drivers note the newcomers while
heading toward the beach.
A twelfth month like no
other, as slender trunks soak up
blinding noon sunshine.Subscribe to the Linda Vista Update
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Re: trees in Friars Rd center median idea. Have we already forgotten why guard rails were installed along 163 through the Park? Drivers kept hitting the trees and dying until we installed the guard rails. Turned the most beautiful stretch of road in SD into an unkempt eyesore.
Please put the money towards reopening Friars Rd. To Sea World Dr.