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ULI technical-assistance panel presents Green Corridor vision for Joe’s Pocket Farm and nearby sites
Summary
A ULI/SDSU convened technical assistance panel presented short-, mid- and long-term recommendations to convert two adjacent brownfield/underused sites (including Joe’s Pocket Farm) into community-focused green space, repair pedestrian connections and pursue soil remediation under an EPA Brownfields grant extending to October 2026.
City staff and panelists presented a technical-assistance report on the Green Corridor project and a Brownfields Assessment Grant-funded study for sites adjacent to Interstate 805.
Martin Reeder (Acting Director of Community Development) introduced the panel, noting an EPA brownfields grant has been extended through October 2026 to support environmental site assessments and reuse planning. Chris Clark, executive director of the Urban Land Institute’s San Diego–Tijuana district, described the TAP process: a multidisciplinary volunteer team spent two days in the community interviewing stakeholders and crafting recommendations.
Panel recommendations ranged across time horizons: short-term actions (0–5 years) emphasized trash cleanup, soil remediation and low-cost activation — composting workshops, raised beds and pop-up markets; mid-term (5–10 years) proposals included traffic-calming (road diets), improved controlled intersections and enhanced pedestrian/bike amenities; long-term ideas suggested decommissioning underused Caltrans ramps and creatively repurposing them as green corridors and viewing decks to reconnect communities divided by freeway infrastructure.
Community partners highlighted the project’s equity framing: Janice Luna Rinoso (Mundo Gardens) said a recently awarded $2 million federal planning grant will fund visioning, and advocates urged continued collaboration with Caltrans, city, SANDAG and local garden groups to pursue state and other funding.
City staff and panelists emphasized that many recommendations will require additional remediation, design work and multiagency coordination; the TAP is intended as a planning tool to guide future grant applications and capital projects.
