OB Town Council Previews Plans and Programs at Peninsula Y

Also: Campbell’s Office Defends Campland Vote

By Geoff Page

The highlight of the June 26 OB Town Council meeting was supposed to be a presentation by the Peninsula YMCA detailing its plans to basically rebuild the existing facility adjacent to Correia Middle School.  There was some information about that but it seemed to be only a small part of the Y’s presentation.

The news is that the existing buildings, built in 1977, will be wholly replaced.  The Y is showing its age after 40 plus years so folks who use the Y will be happy about the improvements.  The slide presentation had only three renderings in it and two seemed to be the same picture.  What was shown looked very much like what is there today except for the third slide showing a new entrance.

YMCA Board member Mike Semanchik and the Peninsula Y’s Executive Director Jason Milosh provided the information with Milosh doing the presentation.  Milosh explained that he had been working at the La Jolla YMCA for a decade and had just recently moved to the Peninsula facility.

Milosh’s presentation had a lot of information about the YMCA in general and the Peninsula facility in particular.  He explained that the YMCA is a 501C non-profit organization.  He recounted some history starting with the Y’s birthday on June 6 marking 175 years of existence.  The San Diego YMCA organization is 137 years old, started by George Marsten.  The Peninsula Y itself is 50 years old, a little older than the existing buildings.  The indoor soccer field in the northeast corner of Bill Cleator Park was built in 1987.

Milosh recounted that the YMCA organization was responsible for inventing basketball, volleyball, and racketball, which is an amazing legacy considering how popular these games still are. He also stated that San Diego’s YMCA has the largest operating budget in the country.  The Peninsula Y alone has 140 staff members, not all full time obviously, and MIlosh said most staffers were young.

Rendering of “improved” Peninsula YMCA

Milosh went through the variety of programs the YMCA runs for everyone from small children to seniors.  The list of programs was impressive and varied.  It seemed that most of the presentation was something of an advertisement for the YMCA, detailing all of what the Y does for the community.  Perhaps that was to prepare everyone for the information about the construction budget. Apparently, the Y has  most of the money needed to do the rebuilding but lacks the final $500,000.  The Y is seeking donations for that last bit of money and, after hearing the pitch,  it would seem like a good cause to most people.

Campbell’s Office Defends Campland Vote

The government reports contained some interesting nuggets. The subject of Campland on Mission Bay was covered by Seamus Kennedy, the District 2 representative.  Kennedy explained the deal with Campland to temporarily lease De Anza Cove where there was once a trailer park.  The deal is a lease for four years with an option for a fifth year.  In exchange for the lease, Campland has agreed to clean up the old trailer park.  There are apparently abandoned trailers there and some asbestos abatement that needs to be done.

Kennedy explained that this was a good deal for the City because it does not have a budget to clean up the old park. Campland will have to make a yearly formal report to the city detailing its cleanup accomplishments.  Many people are unhappy with the lease deal wanting that area to be “rewilded.”  This can still be accomplished but it won’t happen for at least another four or five years.

The mayor’s rep was a no show.

Assemblyman Gloria’s Rep Explains Bills

Michaela Valk, representing Todd Gloria, had some news about a few senate and assembly bills. The first one she mentioned, after hearing the details, was laughable.  The bill is intended to control short term vacation rentals.  Valk said it would prohibit renting a home where the owner is not in residence for more than 30 days a year “per platform.”

That last part caught the ear and this reporter asked if that was what she said and she confirmed it.  Since there are a variety of “platforms” out there like AirBnB, it was clear the 30 days could be a lot more per year.  When this was mentioned to her, Valk said they asked the city attorney how many platforms were out there and the answer was 50, which got a laugh.  This bill would be useless.  But, it will not supersede the city’s local regulations.

AB 1112 is a bill about scooters.  The main point here seemed to be that the state is doing something but that the bill still allows local jurisdictions to set their own standards.

SB 330 is the most watched one of the bills discussed.  It is titled the “Housing Crisis Act of 2019.”  Essentially, it is designed to make development much easier to ease the housing crisis.  The easing seems to be what developers have been after for years, such as relaxing parking standards.  At one time, the bill gave the city council the power to override the 30-foot height limit if it so wished.  Luckily, an amendment changed that.  Everyone should have a look at this one. It basically says cities have to lay off any restrictive laws that will affect housing for a period of seven years.

SB 50 is another development bill.  It says:

“This bill would authorize a development proponent of a neighborhood multifamily project located on an eligible parcel to submit an application for a streamlined, ministerial approval process that is not subject to a conditional use permit.” 

This means a lot more buildings can by-pass the public review process.  And, the permitting process is streamlined.  The bill says that a project will be “deemed” to have complied with the city’s development requirements if the city does not approve the project within 60 days.  This ridiculous bill is off the docket for this year but is coming back.

SB 592 is the “Housing Accountability Act.” This one states:

“The Housing Accountability Act, among other things, prohibits a local agency from disapproving or conditioning approval in a manner that renders infeasible a housing development project that complies with applicable, objective general plan, zoning, and subdivision standards and criteria in effect at the time the application for the project is deemed complete within the meaning of the Permit Streamlining Act, unless the local agency makes specified written findings based on a preponderance of the evidence in the record.”

From the look of things, it appears that the developers are having some real influence in Sacramento.  The idea is to solve the housing crisis but the result may not be what many people want.

One bill, AB 516, was not about housing, it was about towing cars.  After hearing about it, Mark Winkie, the OBTC president, expressed some concern that it may interfere with the city’s habitable vehicle regulations rendering those regulations ineffective.

Other Announcements

Lifeguards: The lifeguards reported the statistics on rescue, sting ray hits, and ticketing jumpers from the arch along Sunset Cliffs Blvd. The lifeguards now all have iPads, which aids in keeping goof statistics.

Police: The SDPD introduced a new supervisor for the Western, Lt. Civanian who explained his background in gangs, SWAT, drug enforcement, and homicide.  They announced that they are prepared for the 4th of July festivities.

OBTC News:

The Town Council mentioned a few things:

• They have $23,000 in their treasury and are expecting a check from the city.
• The Street Fair raised $20,000 to go toward the fireworks display.
• Anyone wanting to exhibit at the August 3rd craft fair at Veteran’s Plaza can apply for a permit to the council.
• They are seeking more OBTC members and are giving out freebies to whomever joins.
• The OBTC grant season is open and people can apply for grants from $500 to $2,500 by checking the website.

Finally, a few tidbits from the non-agenda comments.

• Nicole is proposing a dog memorial for Dog Beach.  Apparently the OBPB and the San Diego River Foundation are favorable to the idea.  Winkie expressed some support but stressed that maintenance of such a memorial will be necessary.
• The Friends of the Library said the city has given them $500,000 that will be used to create renderings of the proposed new facility and will be used for “seed money” as a way to get matching donors.  They need about $10 million for the library project.
• Gio Ingolia spoke up about the Mission Bay Park plans.  He explained that the city council passed Option B, the less intensive redevelopment of Fiesta Island.  He brought up the Campland lease deal. Ingolia said the group has received some capital improvement funds that will be used to repave the parking lots at Robb Field and Dusty Rhodes parks, provide ADA access at Dog Beach, and remodel the Dusty Rhodes comfort station.  $500,000 has also been set aside to complete the OB Entrance at Sunset Cliffs and West Point Loma.  The entrance was never connected to Robb Field.  Why they need that much money to finish the connection was not explained. A tot playground is also being added to Robb Field.
• The Target reps announced a soft opening on July 16 and a grand opening on July 21.