The Greening of North Park’s Business District
Platt/Whitelaw Architects in North Park is a local pioneer in sustainability.
North Park Main Street has secured a $25,000 grant from the state Office of Historic Preservation and a $5,000 contribution from San Diego Gas & Electric to develop plans for the creation of a green historic business district in North Park’s commercial area. Called the Sustainable North Park Main Street Project, the aim is to get building owners and operators and the community involved in implementing a variety of “green” measures that could include building retrofits, sustainable business practices and public improvements.
Sustainable designs developed by recent graduates of the NewSchool of Architecture and Design will be presented at a Saturday reception from 6 to 9 p.m. at Art Produce Gallery, 3139 University Ave., and can be viewed there through Aug. 20.
“The Saturday evening show is a public unveiling and an effort to get feedback,” said Stephen Russell, an architect with Platt/Whitelaw Architects and a graduate of the NewSchool of Architecture and Design. “This is a groundbreaking program … and for these former students to be associated with bringing this up out of the ground brings strong credibility to their work as urban planners and architects.”
Platt/Whitelaw recruited six NewSchool of Architecture students to assist in the project’s development —Yolanda Campbell, Alex Esquibel, Alex Rojas, Jillian Walker, Ryan Walker and Soeren Wegener. They, along with North Park architect mentors, provided “hundreds of hours of pro bono effort” to produce the sustainable design proposals.
The sustainable designs created by the former students have been applied to five key intersections in North Park’s business district and show what these areas would look like if sustainable measures were implemented — measures that Russell said are simple and very feasible.
A number of individuals, businesses and agencies are lending their support to the Sustainable North Park Main Street Project. Olive Branch Green Building Supplies is hosting Saturday’s opening event. Art Produce Gallery is donating its gallery space for it. The California Center for Sustainable Energy provided technical advice. Linda Glaze and Kathy Tucker of Zagrodnik + Thomas Architects provided early project support. Volunteers also include Alison Whitelaw, president of Platt/Whitelaw Architects, Russell, Thomas Brothers of Platt/Whitelaw, Anney Rosenthal of OBR Architecture and Christopher Brothers of the American Society of Landscape Architects. ReproHAUS provided FTP hosting.
According to Russell, the work done by the former architectural students and others will provide a foundation for the development of a “Sustainability Implementation Plan” that will be presented at the end of September. He said it would help guide North Park Main Street in its efforts to create a community resource center for sustainability.
Saturday’s opening event is intended to provoke thought and elicit ideas from the North Park community to further advance the program’s objectives.
Foundation Names Director of Corporate Giving
The San Diego Foundation has named Robyn Sharp as director of corporate giving. Sharp began her career at The Foundation in 2007 within its nonprofit partnerships program area, helping to build the capacity of nonprofits region-wide. In October of that year, Sharp took a leadership role in The Foundation’s response to the massive wildfires that struck the county, managing the San Diego Regional Disaster Fund’s board of directors and working with nonprofits seeking grant funding. In 2009, Sharp also assumed responsibility for The Foundation’s health and human services program, managing grants and special projects such as the Paradise Valley Community Health Fund, with a total portfolio topping $4 million. In her new role, Sharp will manage relationships with The Foundation’s current corporate clients, which include CareFusion, Del Mar Healthcare, H.G. Fenton, Life Technologies, WD-40, and others.
Open House Set for SDSU’s Osher Learning Institute
San Diego State University’s College of Extended Studies will host a fall semester open house on Aug. 20 for its Osher Lifelong Learning Institute program for individuals 50 years of age and better. It will be at 10 a.m. at the SDSU Extended Studies Center. Attendees will learn more about the program, listen to faculty members presenting short previews of their courses, meet Osher students and staff, and visit the state-of-the-art SDSU Extended Studies Center where classes in the program take place. For more program information and to RSVP for the open house, call (619) 594-2863 or visit neverstoplearning.net/osher.
Small Business Workshops
• Aug. 13 QuickBooks Basic 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Avenue, San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
• Aug. 15 Business Basics 101 9 a.m. to noon at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Avenue, San Diego 92123; no charge please pre-register).
• Aug 16 Legal Issues for Small Business: Organizational Structure 9 a.m. to noon at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).
• Aug. 17 Internet Marketing 304: Cost-Effective Internet Marketing Tools 9 a.m. to noon at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Avenue, San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).
• Aug. 18 Good Governance for Nonprofits: Effective Board Performance 9 to 11:30 a.m. at The San Diego Foundation in Point Loma (2508 Historic Decatur Rd., #200, San Diego 92106; pre-paid registration $39, $49 at the door).
• Aug. 19 Financial Statements: What They Mean, How to Use Them 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).
• Aug. 20 Business Plan 201: How to Write a Winning Business Plan 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Avenue, San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $99, $109 at the door).
• Aug. 20 Introduction to Starting Your Own Business 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
• Aug. 23 Financing Your Business 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door)
The Daily Business Report is produced by REP Publishing Inc., publisher of SD METRO, the North Park News, Kensington News and the West Coast Craftsman. Contact: Manny Cruz (619) 287-1865.
