The 2013 Neighborhood Guide

Additional research from Julie Mashburn, Katie Olsen, and San Diego Magazine staff

North Park

Park It Like It’s Hot

A ’hood that’s too-cool-for-school surrenders to more parks, fewer parking spaces

Looking for green space in North Park? The neighborhood with all the beer is soon to be the place with all the parks, thanks in part to a joint-use field design that’s underway for a corner lot adjacent to McKinley Elementary School. Planners haven’t finished mapping out what the park on Felton Street will look like, but community members are hoping to turn it into another grassy go-to for families. Also on the books is a plan for the city’s first parklet, which planners are hoping to install in front of Caffe Calabria on 30th Street. That means drivers may have to say goodbye to a few parking spaces but hello to a little slice of peaceful green space. — HP

Shelter Island

The New Little Italy?

Because we can’t have just one cool area to eat, drink, and stroll around

With the new promenade finally finished, residents can now walk, bike, or stroll from Shelter Island Drive and Red Sails Inn all the way over to Intrepid Landing and Pizza Nova. The second-floor deck at Point Loma Seafoods is hopping on weekends, and there is more undeveloped restaurant space, primed for someone to come build a big outdoor deck with views of the downtown skyline. There’s also Fathom Bistro Bait and Tackle not too far down the road. What embracing its authentic Italian history did for Little Italy’s retail and restaurant hub, Shelter Island hopes to do with its fishing and sailing culture, new public spaces, and watering holes. Here’s to another desirable local hotspot to hang out in—or move to.

Clairemont Mesa & Kearny Mesa

A Dual-Mesa Makeover

They brake for bike lanes and improved sports fields

Starting this month, Clairemont Mesa will become more pedestrian- and bike-friendly, when councilmember Lorie Zapf puts to use $3.3 million the city has reserved to improve Balboa Avenue. “With Balboa being the gateway to our community, it needs to be safer,” she says of the busy thoroughfare. Stop bars, crosswalk markings, contiguous sidewalks, bike lanes, and bike sensors at stoplights will be added throughout the corridor. Hickman Fields in Kearny Mesa is also getting a face-lift. The plan—available for review by the public this March—will reconfigure the existing baseball and soccer fields to make room for permanent restrooms (no more Port-A-Potties!), paved parking, night lights, and a community pool. An initial $4 million in park funds is being used to develop the plan; the need for additional money will be determined after a plan is adopted. “I’m excited to represent a district so ripe for revitalization,” says Zapf. — CP

Bay Park/Morena/North PB

Where the Dots Start to Connect

Soon the trolley will get you closer to the beach than ever

A desire to live close to the coast and major public transit has never really been an option in San Diego, until now. As the plan progresses to expand the trolley system north to UCSD, the first new stop that will be built after Old Town is right at the base of Bay Park off Morena Boulevard. As the crow flies, that’s just a football field or so away from Mission Bay. A major transit hub, and ocean breezes with a median home price hovering below $500,000? Yeah, that’s hot. And in case you haven’t wandered the ’hood lately, cocktails are flowing at the new Luce Bar + Kitchen, and Bay Park Coffee is the neighborhood gathering place on weekend mornings. Morena Boulevard: It’s not just for Jerome’s anymore.

Read on to find out about Encinitas, City Heights, Little Italy, and La Mesa

Encinitas

A Surf Town Grows Up

Defining the new urban village

There’s a lot of new in Encinitas lately, and yet it’s the comfy, mature feel of the ’hood that’s remarkable. First, the new: Said Space pop-up gallery that rotates in artists every so often is causing nearly as much buzz as Native Foods, the long-awaited vegan cafe on El Camino Real. The so on-trend urban winery Solterra is quietly opening soon, while Seaweed and Gravel couldn’t get any more hip with its stock of vintage motorcycle and surf gear. The coffee shop/café scene is growing, too, with Café Ipe (don’t miss live jazz music on Fridays) and the new Lofty Coffee on the 101. But even with all this development, the village vibe along the

101 and the familiar suburban sprawl along El Camino don’t feel compromised.

Oldies-but-goodies like Vigilucci’s and Hansen’s surf shop are thriving, and a

welcome balance to an ever more popular ’burb.

City Heights

Health Check!

The fresh food gospel reaches more citizens

In City Heights, residents are combating two big problems just by keeping their eyes peeled and their feet on the ground: food availability and healthcare. The Monroe Clark Middle School Health & Wellness Center launched late last year, and its model has been cited as an example for the rest of the country to combat childhood and family illnesses. The clinic is open to students and their families, meaning an all-around healthier school experience. Bonus: better attendance (meaning more school funding) and classroom focus. Eat City Heights also focuses on family health, by delivering $15 bags of fresh fruits and vegetables from small farms throughout the neighborhood to low-income households. Who says City Heights has to be a food desert? — HP

Little Italy

Ever More Cool

Just when you think the hip quotient can’t get any higher, this ‘hood edges Northward

It’s like the gift that keeps on giving… Just when we thought Little Italy couldn’t cram in any more good stuff, our favorite resto, Bencotto, opens a little brother spot next door (Monello!); the popular Mercato moves one street over so it can accommodate even more vendors every Saturday; and an entire new section of the neighborhood launched its own identity: Little Italy North. It’s edgier, more eclectic, and artsy, with galleries, a beer tasting room, a live music venue, and of course, the flagship Harley Davidson store on Kettner.

La Mesa

If You Build It, They Will Come

A new urban winery is about to put the “in” in Inland

The “Jewel of the Hills” just celebrated its 100th birthday last year, and it’s ready to shake things up (and shake things off, like some outdated laws). Enter Mike and Linda McWilliams, who will open La Mesa’s first winery this summer. San Pasqual Winery, now based in Pacific Beach but with a tasting room on La Mesa Boulevard, will move the entire operation to the Jewel of the Hills. The McWilliamses had to appeal to Mayor Madrid, and a whole council, and get an ordinance for zoning laws prohibiting alcohol production, just to allow this winery. (They won’t be growing grapes—they make vintages from grapes harvested in SD County and Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe.) With pioneers like the McWilliamses—and a little help from the mayor—La Mesa can toast to another century, this time with a glass of locally made Chardonnay.

Read on to find out about Mission Beach, La Jolla, Mission Valley, and Barrio Logan

Mission Beach

On the Boardwalk

A coastal stretch gets a brow-lift

The 88-year-old Mission Beach seawall and boardwalk will finally get some much-needed love with the help of a $700,000 state grant secured by councilman Kevin Faulconer’s office. The money will close a funding gap that has kept the city from being able to make full repairs to the deteriorating landmark. In the same nature-related vein, residents who live near Rose Creek have secured a pledge from their councilman that open space from Marian Bear Memorial Park to Mission Bay Park will stay open. That means more

park-like areas for residents and less fear that the wetlands will be paved to

expand freeways. Green space and an exciting new boardwalk?

You’re looking good, Mission Beach.  — HP

La Jolla

Safety First!

A flaw in the jewel will soon be fixed

San Diego has a lot of lifeguard towers. But La Jolla has that Lifeguard Tower: the old one at the Children’s Pool that’s falling apart and has gone unused for five years since it was abandoned. A lack of money has kept it out of operation, leaving it to deteriorate and embarrass many La Jolla locals, who see it as a scourge on their perfect view of the Pacific. Until—they hope—this summer. Demolition of the tower will likely start in June, according to councilwoman Sherri Lightner’s office. The city is still awaiting a few permits but if they come through, a new lifeguard tower should be standing by December 2014. That means residents and the multitudes of La Jolla visitors will finally have their view back. Now if someone could only promise an end to the smelly bird waste on the rocks at La Jolla Cove. ­— HP

Santee to Ocean Beach via Mission Valley

A River Runs Through It

Developers “stream”line plans for Mission Valley

Thanks to the San Diego River Park Master Plan draft, the dream of hiking and biking along the river on one continuous trail from Santee to OB through Mission Valley is materializing. Existing trails will be connected, transforming the river into an SD attraction. “Right now in Mission Valley, it’s hard to see the river unless you’re driving on a bridge,” says Rob Hutsel of the San Diego River Park Foundation. With the economy picking up, he believes interest to develop along the river will re-emerge. If adopted this summer, the plan will ensure developers treat the waterway as an amenity. The city will also be able to apply for local, state, and national funding to design parks along the river and improve existing open spaces, according to councilmember Scott Sherman’s office. “Ideally there’ll be synergy between the river, the wildlife, and the people,” says Hutsel. “Each supports each other. That’s our ultimate goal.” — CP

Barrio Logan & Logan Heights

Marketing the Barrio

A public market and cultural space bring life to an overlooked area

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve already heard about the Public Market in Barrio Logan. If you keep paying attention, you’ll start hearing even more about the Bread and Salt Factory in Logan Heights. Even before the San Diego Public Market opened on National Avenue late last year, it had community support. A Kickstarter campaign to launch the project helped raise nearly $147,000—a massive jump from the initial $92,000 goal. The operation, spearheaded by Catt White and Dale Steele, is still adding to its vendor list while coming up with new ways to get Barrio Logan residents, as well as those from across the city, through the doors. Despite its name, the Bread and Salt Factory is all about arts and culture. Public Architecture and Planning bought the property on Julian Avenue last year and has set its sights on turning it into the in place to be for arts, crafts, and lovers of both throughout 2013. — HP

Read on to find out about Coronado, Rancho Bernardo, and Mira Mesa

Coronado

The Creative Class Hideout

The peninsula that feels like an island is churning out some serious talent

Diversity isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when most people think of Coronado, but when you look at the potpourri of creative juices coming out of that island paradise these days, we’d say the populace is downright eclectic. Now, it’s no North Park, but consider that Mrs. Lilien—the cocktail shaker recipe maker and lifestyle guru whom everyone wants to befriend—resides on the island with her hubby and two kids. And then those Orange & Park posters you’re seeing in all the neat neighborhood boutiques, the ones with the beach community graphics printed along the coastal map? They’re the genius of David Klinker and John McCauley, also ’Nado boys. Watch for their new Baja print coming soon. And our favorite might just be the URT squad, with its clever sea lion logo, tide chart t-shirts, and popular series of community events. Oh yeah, Melissa D’Arabian, Food Network star? She lives there, too. And to think it all started with L. Frank Baum, creator of The Wizard of Oz. (Maybe the Del was a model for Emerald City?)

Rancho Bernardo

A Push for Anti-Bullying

Teens make an effort on the local level

“The level of camaraderie that exists among our neighbors is extraordinary,” says councilmember Mark Kersey of District 5. Take the 3V Movement, a nonprofit based in Rancho Bernardo, for example. With Black Mountain and Lake Hodges nearby and access to high schools that outperform state standards in English and science, it might be easy for families in the district to look past the fact that one in five American teens surveyed by the CDC in 2010 were bullied. So, to bring this truth about bullying to light, brothers Alex, 17, and Michael Bulkin, 15, started 3V in 2011 with their friend Dimitar Gougov, 15. Their tenets—Vigilance, Valor, Victory—encourage peers to stand up for, and with, the bullied. “Instead of saying ‘Don’t be a bully,’ we say, ‘Being a bully isn’t cool,’” explains Gougov of their outreach approach. They currently oversee 3V clubs in 15 schools around the county. — CP

Mira Mesa

Lookin’ Good On Paper

A forgotten ’burb becomes a sleeper hit

Mira Mesa is popping up on more and more Top 10 lists these days, and has an increasing number of people looking its way. Redfin.com recently named Mira Mesa the best place to buy a house in San Diego (based on where the best values and potential benefits are), and San Diego Unified School District’s superintendent recently called out the area as a model for the neighborhood school. About 86 percent of students who live in Mira Mesa attend their neighborhood school, and he says that’s a key reason why the schools there perform so well. Mira Mesa High School has one of the highest API scores in the entire San Diego Unified School District.