By David Little / Voice of San Diego / Originally published Dec 10, 2010
Have you ever stood in front of a building in the Coastal Zone where the 30-foot height restriction is supposed to apply and thought the building you were looking at had to be higher than 30 feet? Chances are it was.
Developers began interpreting the word “grade” in the original language of Proposition D, the 30-foot high building limit for the coast, as the finished grade, not the existing grade. That meant the developer could pile up dirt and raise the height of the building to pretty much any level he or she desired — that is, 32, 34, 37, feet.
This was not the voters’ intention when they overwhelming passed Proposition D in 1972. The city, to its credit, realized this and subsequently supplemented the language of the original Proposition D so as to force developers to meet the voters’ intent. This supplement to the municipal code forces the developer to measure 30 feet from the finished grade or the existing grade whichever is lower. This provides a uniform 30-foot height for everyone.
Now The Bishop’s School in La Jolla wants an exemption from Proposition D and its supplementary code to build a 32-foot building.
For the remainder of this fairly short article, please go here.
David Little lives in La Jolla and is a Trustee of the La Jolla Community Planning Association. These comments do not necessarily represent the LJCPA as a whole.David Little lives in La Jolla and is a Trustee of the La Jolla Community Planning Association. These comments do not necessarily represent the LJCPA as a whole.
{ 0 comments… add one now }