Community
College Area residents press San Diego over library access during construction
Neighbors and library officials are seeking parking and access protections as a student-housing project rises next to the College-Rolando branch.
College Area residents are urging San Diego officials to protect access to the College-Rolando Branch Library while a neighboring student-housing project is under construction, according to original reporting by Times of San Diego.
Immediate impact: One entrance and roughly half of the library parking are blocked during construction
Long-term concern: Twenty-five parking spaces are expected to be shared with future residents
Possible steps: Reserved or time-limited spaces, nearby leased parking and daytime street-parking limits
Residents seek enforceable protections
Dozens of residents raised the issue at an October 6 College Area Community Council meeting. The library is the neighborhood’s principal public gathering place, and attendees said reduced parking and access already are making visits more difficult.
San Diego Public Library Director Misty Jones said she is asking the developer, Dinerstein Companies, to designate the 25 shared spaces for library use during operating hours or make them time-limited. The developer has not committed to either option, Times of San Diego reported.
Because permits have been issued for the private housing project, city representatives said construction cannot simply be stopped. Officials also are exploring whether the city can lease spaces at a nearby shopping center. A proposed recommendation for time-limited street parking did not receive a vote because the community council lacked a quorum.
The report notes that Dinerstein and the mayor’s office did not send representatives to the meeting. That absence prompted criticism from residents, but the article does not establish wrongdoing by the developer or city officials.