By Hugo Salgado, Community Health Program Specialist, County of San Diego

In the fall of 2022, Healthy Cities, Healthy Residents, a CalFresh Healthy Living program, collaborated with the city of Oceanside to improve the safety and walkability of the Crown Heights community by installing new sidewalks, pedestrian ramps, stop signs, and striping on Brooks Street and Country Club Lane.

Healthy Cities, Healthy Residents operates in three cities, Oceanside, Vista, and Escondido, and is implemented through a contract with Vista Community Clinic. Each Healthy Cities, Healthy Residents city has its own coalition made up of city residents, city officials, business owners, community-based organizations, and other members. Healthy Cities, Healthy Residents promotes relationship-building, cross-sector partnerships, and community engagement to make sustainable changes in city planning, policies, and neighborhood environments.

On November 6, 2021, 17 community members joined staffers for a walk audit to identify issues affecting families in the community of Crown Heights. Participants noted that the absence of sidewalks on Brooks Street and Country Club Lane made walking inconvenient and unsafe. Brooks Street is one of the main streets used to enter and exit the neighborhood. In addition, this intersection, which is an Interstate 5 overpass, had a dangerous blind spot with no signs or crosswalks, putting pedestrians at risk.  Moreover, the bridge has no sidewalk on the south side, yet residents walk there because that side is closer to their homes on the west side of the bridge and amenities on the east, including the Boys and Girls Club of Oceanside and the Country Club Senior Center.

The Crown Heights Community Enhancements and Improvements project was submitted for funding to the Clean California Grant Program in January 2022. The project was the result of community input received through the Healthy Oceanside Coalition, which culminated in a comprehensive package of projects to beautify the neighborhood and improve safety for those walking to such destinations as Oceanside High School, El Super Grocery, the Boys and Girls Club, Brooks Street Community Pool, Ortega Park, and downtown Oceanside.

A walkable community is important for residents because only 87 percent of households in Crown Heights have access to a car. That’s considerably lower than Oceanside’s overall rate of 95 percent, according to the American Community Survey, making Crown Heights residents more reliant on walking, biking, and public transportation.

Unfortunately, the project was not funded by the grant, but the city of Oceanside intends to resubmit the application.

During the April 25, 2022, Healthy Oceanside Coalition meeting, the Oceanside city planner proposed sidewalk improvements along Brooks Street and Country Club Lane. Those plans were then submitted to the Oceanside City Council and unanimously approved at the May 4, 2022, City Council meeting with members of the Healthy Oceanside Coalition present.

As a result of the community engagement and Healthy Cities, Healthy Residents efforts, sidewalk construction on Brooks Street and Country Club Lane was completed in the fall of 2022, although residents continue to advocate for more improvements, including lights and improved aesthetics. The sidewalk and curb improvements will enhance pedestrian safety and encourage active transportation. In October 2022, Healthy Oceanside Coalition members, including other Oceanside residents, came together to celebrate these recent neighborhood improvements, which included welcoming remarks from Oceanside Mayor Esther Sanchez and a 15-minute community walk over the bridge for the residents to get a first look at the improvements.

Learn more at Healthy Cities, Healthy Residents and on the web.