Part II
By Colleen O’Connor
Below is a random sampling of comments in response to my “Champion the Volunteers of Stop SB10,” posted here on June 26. They came to me direct from colleagues and friends angry over the prospect of even more in-fills and high-rise buildings in once predominantly single-family residential neighborhoods.
These comments do not count the ones mourning the loss of the Old Town and Country hotel into condos, or the nearby golf course slated for the same, the huge Manchester Development at the harbor, the old Copley Headquarters looming over Mission Valley, or the Midway post office mega apartment structures.
I asked for permission to publish the remarks and received dozens like these below; varied, sincere, and moving. Many from native San Diegans (of long standing) and others from transplants.
“I used to become teary-eyed when the old Monroe Theater in little town Ohio, Woodsfield, was torn down and a small business complex in its place. I cried, I went to that theater as a kid and after our senior prom we went to the theater and danced and watched ‘To Sir with Love.’ My father put his arm around me and said, ‘Honey, change is inevitable. You’ll have to get used to it.'”
“The almighty dollar drives so much of the change. Just look what they did with the Keating Building on 5th Avenue. Hideous bold red and black and super modern decor, while old crooked floors and beautiful thick wooden banisters rose upward.”
“I agree with you, Colleen. How we hate to see little flower shops go.”
“Colleen great article & Karen I agree with your comments, too. We are losing so much of what makes San Diego beautiful. The damage may never be able to be fixed, due to poor or no planning.”
“What happened to architecture?
“Mission Valley is unrecognizable now. That happened fast. It would be hard to realize that this area was once farmland and pastures with herds of cattle. Now our historical properties are at risk, if they aren’t designated before 1/1/23 they can be destroyed.”
“Change is going to happen & that’s a fact of life-but planning and consideration for tax paying citizens goes a long way. Having beauty to be proud of means a lot to a city.
“We are killing neighborhoods faster than ever & in the name of gentrifying and providing housing for those in need. Truth is, what’s being build will be very expensive & I believe most will turn into STVR’s or whatever makes our Mayor or his contractor friends collect more money. And cheaper yet with no parking! No charging stations. There is so much empty land that is far cheaper than beach property, to build on.”
“Our roads are shameful. Remember the spring blooms along our freeways? Now it’s weeds and trash. That’s almost beyond repair.”
“Chatsworth is being redone again and the lanes don’t even line up. That was just redone about 2 years ago. Why again? There are so many signs and lanes, it’s a distraction. I’m sure the new crosswalks can be seen from space. How about pull weeds and pick up trash on the side of our freeways? Spend that big money on keeping the city up & build a homeless city on empty land.”
“Still, nothing is being done about homelessness. It’s a news broadcast and photo op now & then; then the City announces another new bold plan (to plan again) & then nothing is done.”
“SB10 is optional for CA cities. Gloria wants to be the first city to adopt this plan. Once in, it can not be revoked. Then he’ll move on… Jen (Campbell) is MIA, so she’s no help. I wonder if we can do anything about having NO REPRESENTATION, while our city is being plundered behind our backs?”
“I’m very passionate about how harmful SB10 is, as I know many of you are. It is starting to catch on as homeowners, history lovers & family neighborhood homeowners are realizing the depth of this & how our freedom to choose how we live is taken away from us.”
“I agree!”
“Certainly a twisted vision of what SD will look like in the future. Similarly in Santee, the law is being used to champion a massive development in the last large open area within city limits….Fanita Ranch…under the guise if not approved, the state will force it’s development under the rational for low cost housing irrespective of impacts to local traffic. Will certainly sign an initiative to neuter SB10.”
Multiple responses of “Great Article,” “I couldn’t agree more.” And “Impeach the Mayor.”
“Wow! This article hit a nerve! But, the some of the commenters focused on the wrong thing, specifically the word ‘ugly’ and ignored the context and big picture – but at least they are thinking and ‘talking’!”
Add your own memories. They matter.
Happy 4th of July!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Colleen’s original post has at this count, 52 comments.
Thank you Colleen for printing this. It shows that people know that their equity is being stolen, property values will go down & this does nothing for the citizens of San Diego. People that studied areas & chose to invest by buying property, fixing up that property for years, relying on our governments laws & codes, are boiling mad. The only people benefitting from all of this are the out of town boulders. (Maybe they couldn’t find a builder here that would do this.) There will be an uprising.
Surprise! Even Trump voters are supporting NO on SB10. Their neighborhoods already decaying. Maybe, No on SB10 is bringing the country together — at least in San Diego.
I confess to being a “transplant” (having only
Iived in OB since 2009) but one reason I left
the East Coast was this very ” progress” a
Surface trolley to be built coming down my already overcrowded street. A friend who
has lived here fifty years sees nothing but ryin for the city unless this rhing is stopped.
You left because of a surface trolley?
Isn’t it only fair to share some of the opposing comments instead of just an echo chamber of people who agreed with you? What happened to discourse??.