The Torrey Pines Community Planning Board is struggling to find new leadership, putting the future of the group at risk.
The planning group is advisory to the San Diego Planning Commission and City Council, providing local input on land use decisions. The board covers the residential neighborhoods in Del Mar Heights and Del Mar Terrace areas, open spaces such as the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and the Crest Canyon, stretching south to include portions of Sorrento Valley’s industrial area. The board has tackled topics in the community such as the Mercado Drive traffic signal, the Del Mar Heights School rebuild and the Del Mar-Torrey Pines train realignment.
In the last few months, the board has struggled to find a replacement for longtime community volunteer Adam Gevanthor, who stepped down as chair in April. A couple of board members filled in temporarily as chair in May and June, and Gevanthor agreed reluctantly to serve as interim chair for the Thursday, July 17 meeting, where the agenda topics include finding a new chair and the future of the board.
“If we don’t come up with a solution to filling the chair seat, the board will cease to exist and our meager line of protection for the community will go with it,” Gevanthor wrote in an email with this month’s board agenda.
The city requires a minimum of 10 members and Torrey Pines currently has 11. The chair’s duties include setting monthly agendas, fielding community member requests, chairing the Project Review Committee, and connecting with elected officials from the city, county and state.
The board meets on the third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. For more information, visit torreypinescommunity.org