Plans for a protest against the San Diego Housing Commission’s proposal to build housing at the 5-acre lot at Famosa and Nimitz are moving ahead for Saturday, Sept. 29.
Organizers say it’s a community protest and a petition-signature collection drive from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the lot site. They say there will be refreshments, guest speakers, media and entertainment, plus a “drive-by lane” where residents can pull up and sign the petition without leaving their vehicles.
Owned by the San Diego Housing Commission, the open-space site is proposed to be developed into a 78-unit affordable housing project. In the preliminary phase, tests are ongoing to ensure the site’s viability for development.
The site, once called the Famosa Bike Track, was built and maintained by parents. Until that day back in mid-March of this year, when some parents had to literally block a small bulldozer from tearing the track up. Ever since then, parents, nearby residents and reps of the Housing Commission have been hashing the controversy out – mainly at Peninsula Community Planning Board meetings.
At one such hearing in mid-June, Housing Commission officials called local opponents NIMBYs. Yes, there is an element of that within the loose coalition of opponents to the housing plan, but there’s also a multiple number of reasons and factors people don’t want to see the development.
Yet, some of the early organizers are not involved in Saturday’s protest, and it appears the momentum to oppose the project has been picked up by residents of Park Point Loma, a nearby upscale development.
(Here is some history of the site. )
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m sorry don’t we need more affordable housing?
You don’t want more housing now? Half the articles on this site are about short term rentals forcing people to move out of OB. This is a perfect spot to build additional apartments. Lets be consistent for once.
Ok build affordable housing; but not here? What brought us to this crisis in affordable housing? In part to endless promotion (Main Street) Assoc)of OB & Pl, Vacation Rentals, investors, etc; & us having children:!
Flooding didn’t stop the City from ok’ing the Vacation Rentals on Abbott & Saratoga: who pays for those City trucks pumping them out every rain storm!
Local residents are being priced out every day: where should we go?
That’s right, the local progressive op blog is promoting a rally AGAINST affordable housing in favor a bike track. No matter that these kids can go to the skatepark or bike paths already close to where this is. Absolutely stunning NIMBYism at it’s nastiest. Something tells me the people that run the rag bought in before it was cheap and have no idea what it takes to make it as a renter or aspiring home owner in OB now, sad and un-progressive.
There’s a big issue here why cannot the neighborhood look beyond its lawn. We have a desperate need for “affordable housing” in our town. These “protesters” should look at the new Midway development plan and be out there demanding more affordable housing.
Da John, It is better to remain silent and appear the fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.
Platitude much? Also, you talk a lot
Hey DA John: “your bucket’s got a hole in it”
Cool, maybe I’ll shoot some hoops. there is already a basketball court close by ¯\_(?)_/¯
The NIMBY talk is nonsense. Older buildings where the land has already been destroyed can be rebuilt denser to add housing. This is currently being done in North Park. You don’t have to pave over every little inch of remaining open space. Especially space that kids utilize. And unless someone in this city figures out that we need to ban foreign investment and conversion of housing stock into rental units it won’t matter how many 80 unit buildings are built, no one will be able to afford to live here for more than a weekend rental. This space should be preserved. And it’s a logistical nightmare to build anything there as the bridge in front of the site is constantly, completely full of cars causing all the SPAWAR commuters to speed through neighborhoods to try to get around it. There are multiple large, new housing developments in the surrounding area that we have not felt the effects of yet and somehow people are ready to get the bulldozers out. This space should be a permanent park which the donor intended on when he gave the land to the city who then (probably illegally) flipped over to the housing commission.