The city of La Mesa is in the final stages of a feasibility study on transit oriented development updates to two already established stations, the Amaya Drive and Spring Street locations.
Transit oriented development typically includes mixed business and residential uses nearby, and provides linked access to multiple forms of public transportation such as trolleys and buses.
The Amaya and Spring street trolley stops were being considered in part, Kusiak said, because they have potential for affordable housing near affordable transportation, as well as large, accessible parking lots.
For example, the Amaya transit station sits on a 2.23 acre parcel and has easy road access.
In a public meeting held Dec. 16, La Mesa Community Development Director Kerry Kusiak said the feasibility study, which kicked off in March 2020 is in its final stages and will be presented to City Council in early 2022. So far, he said, they have completed two rounds of public outreach, performed a parking and access study and are now seeking potential developers to work on possible transit oriented development at the chosen stops.
The Spring Street transit center sits adjacent to an old paved lot at 8181 Allison Ave. which is slated for a 147-unit affordable housing apartment complex. At an Oct. 12 City Council meeting, Kusiak described the lot as ideal for residential development. At the time, Kusiak touted the future development as having “a walk score of 90, which is very high” and right by the Spring street trolley station, an ideal location before any additional development.
Any updates to either the Spring Street or Amaya stations would involve some sort of partnership between the City of La Mesa, California Department of Transportation giant CalTrans, San Diego County’s local Metropolitan Transit System, San Diego Association of Governments which oversees the region’s planning and transportation and other entities, Kusiak said.
MTS alone tracks over 88 million passenger trips a year and La Mesa, situated roughly nine miles east of downtown San Diego, contains several highly-trafficked automobile routes including Interstate-8, state routes 125 and 67, and county highway 94. La Mesa’s trolley stations also provide opportunities for riders to transfer between the Green and Orange lines, effectively connecting commuters with downtown San Diego and nearby San Diego State University.
Few questions emerged during time for public questions, other than general questions about what amenities might be included in a redevelopment plan for either station.
“One of the thoughts of the study was to look at amenities that would serve both residents and transportation users,” Kusiak said, although he did not elaborate on exactly what those amenities might feature.
The city has already applied for and received competitive grant funding through the Caltrans Sustainable Communities Grant Program for the Study, which is being completed in partnership with Caltrans, SANDAG and MTS.
Additionally, the city of La Mesa and MTS are collaborating to explore additional grant opportunities, Kusiak said and furthermore, might continue to seek site improvement funding as development unfolds and the full scope of the project emerges.
At this point, the city is considering joint development opportunities and mechanisms to garner development proposals.
Visit cityoflamesa.us for more information on the project.
