Cleanup Work Continues for Spring Valley Shopping Plaza

Piggybacking off of that took place in February, the shopping plaza that houses Albertson’s at 543 Sweetwater Road in Spring Valley is becoming safer and more shopper-friendly for local residents.

“It’s a gradual change,” said Jose Ortiz of the Lemon Grove Sheriff’s Station’s Crime Prevention Unit. “We are continuing to try and get the neighborhood cleaned up.”

Previously, that plaza had become a popular spot for transient activity, said Ortiz, adding that arrests were frequently made with people using drugs and harassing customers.

“When the Blockbuster video closed, the transient population moved in,” he said.

But efforts at installing exterior lighting in the parking lot has reduced that population. The tenants of the plaza have also helped, forming a “neighborhood watch,” so to speak, to inform the sheriff’s department of any illegal activity they might see.

Additionally, with the help of the Institute for Public Strategies (IPS), and various collaboration from neighbors, several cleanups have been done this summer to improve the look of the shopping center.

Several churches have gotten involved in the cleanup process as well, including First Baptist Church of La Mesa, who used volunteers from around the country in a cleanup effort known as “Week of Hope” in June.

IPS and the sheriff’s department are hoping to create a volunteer program with seniors, the JROTC, and other faith-based communities to help maintain the progress that is being made.

A representative from IPS said that they are trying to help commission a mural for the plaza, which will be painted in an effort to deter graffiti.

“If you don’t maintain it, it goes back,” said Ortiz. “There’s definitely more of an emphasis to try and maintain it, than there has been in the past.”

Tenants are also encouraged by the proposed building of a Starbucks coffee shop at the plaza, which is rumored to be completed by the end of 2012.

(Editor's Note: As per an IPS media policy, individuals are not allowed to be quoted by name.)