UCSD-TV: What sparked your interest in Quarry Falls?
Shannon Bradley: I heard a story about the San Diego River Park Foundation getting a donation of 17 acres right on the river in Mission Valley and I couldn’t believe it. How in the world does a non-profit get a gift like that? Land that was zoned for a 30-story hotel? So that’s where it started. Then I found out the landowners also owned the 230-acre quarry across Friars Road that was slated for development. And when I looked at the plans for the site, I was impressed by what they wanted to do there. So that became our story: how the landowners would go about building support for their plan to turn the quarry into a mixed-use development and in the process, donating the 17 acres to the River Park Foundation.
UCSD-TV: When you hear the words “sand and gravel mine,” a livable space is not
usually what comes to mind. What makes this site ideal for development?
SB: Because the quarry site is in the exact center of San Diego! Literally the heart of Mission Valley! It’s close to everything. And the whole mantra of smart growth is to reduce the distance people must travel between home, work, school, and recreation…