Neighborhood Association formed in wake of controversy
Ortega residents expecting an update on the “Ortega Carriage House” Planned Unit Development (PUD) application got much more than they bargained for at a Dec. 5 Town Hall meeting when they instead were presented with a conversation about revitalizing the Ortega Village core.
It was standing room only in St. Mark’s Episcopal Church’s Leatherbury Hall as Ortega resident John Donahoo announced the newly established Ortega Neighborhood Association, which has engaged the Haskell Corporation to help reshape the look, feel and interconnectivity of Ortega to its Village Core and surrounding ingress and egress points. The “Ortega Carriage House” development has been placed on hold as this master plan evolves.
Hitting Pause on the Ortega Carriage House
The meeting began with an update on the tabled “Ortega Carriage House” project from District 7 City Councilmember Jimmy Peluso.
Peter Hunt is one of the many Ortega residents opposing the project and said he is grateful that property owner Gayle Bulls Dixon has agreed to table the project and join the conversation for the master plan.
“I think the Ortega master plan is a huge development for Ortega…and we’re very grateful that Gayle Dixon has chosen to be a part of that development plan and to bring the property with the Carriage House into that development plan,” Hunt said. “We think it’s a fabulous turn of events.”
Peluso assured residents the project will not move forward to the city’s planning commission or advance through the various committees without another community meeting focused entirely on it.
Dixon and her development team did not respond to requests for comment.
Revitalizing the village core
Ortega resident Donahoo and a handful of neighbors came together in the summer to discuss three specific neighborhood initiatives, including road resurfacing, increased safety, security and access for neighborhood parks and landscape beautification. Ultimately, those discussions led to the formation of the Ortega Neighborhood Association, Inc.
“That’s where the master plan idea surfaced,” Donahoo said. “How does this neighborhood come into the 21st century as it relates to walkability, intergenerational care, and connectivity and then, how do we wake up a village that used to be somewhat vibrant and make it relevant to the neighborhood today?”
The neighborhood association has engaged Haskell for this endeavor with Haskell representatives Fred Jones, Larry Levis, Mikhail Alert and Patrick Moore at December’s meeting.
In a presentation at the meeting, Levis, Haskell design principal for urban planning, provided a high-level look at some of the updates that could be done to refresh the Ortega Village and the immediately surrounding blocks. This could include burying the utility lines in the village core, expanding the sidewalks, reducing the speed limit and enhancing the pedestrian and cyclist experiences, among other suggestions.
Levis also discussed the idea of bringing more activation for the neighborhood’s “criminally underused” parks, with Jones, Haskell design director in planning, adding that Ortega “should not be a pass-through but a come-to place.”
These are all part of a very early discussion for Ortega Village, Jones later reiterated, but the meeting helped spur a deeper conversation.
“I think what it’s doing is it’s starting this meaningful conversation around what is the potential of this place and how this can be a real gem for the community,” Jones said. “How we can rethink some of the potential uses and the public spaces and the transportation, the infrastructure to truly activate this area.”
Community workshop
Haskell will be seeking further community input before a tentative master plan is even presented to the neighborhood. A two- to three-day community workshop will be scheduled early in the new year, though a hard date has yet to be set.
Potential uses of the Ortega Elementary School property are being considered, should the school close. It is currently listed for potential closure in the 2030-31 school year under the district’s five-year capital plan and Master Facilities plan. The community is considering the idea of acquiring that property, if the school does close, and transforming it into a senior living facility, though, again, Peluso stressed these are early days in the conversation and community involvement is key.
“…You gotta make sure the community agrees,” Peluso said. “This was, I think, the first of many, many steps.”
