The City of San Diego’s Development Services Depardment has just announced that an application has been filed for a permit to build a 3-story, 39 unit apartment complex at the corner of Voltaire and Wabaska Drive, at 4051 Voltaire Street. The plan also calls for 2 retail spaces in the mixed-used building, which sits on .7 acres.
The applicant is Morengo Morton Architects, Inc. Their website claims they’ve been around San Diego for over 20 years and specialize in coastal development and multi-family units. (The top individuals of the firm look like Hollywood character actors – I swear.)
The proposed site for the apartment complex is at a very prominent corner and currently holds the well-known high-end used furniture store, Karen’s Consignment Gallery. There are a few other businesses in the same building. Other businesses exist in that triangular shaped corner, and it’s not clear if they are included in the .7 acres.
If built, the complex would be across the street from another 3-story, multi-unit complex also mixed-use. It would complement the existing northside complex and assist in making that portion of Voltaire besieged by un-characteristic towering buildings, creating a tunnel-like affect. The new project would also join with the other construction activities happening within a block.
And of course, the same problems and issues that accompanied the existing structure would plague the new project – lack of parking, congestion, and insufficient infrastructure.
Here is the official Notice of Application:
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Another reason to say NO to SB10.
Just say NO to SAB10 or there will lots more of this.
That’s just great. Voltaire is becoming a tunnel for sure and not a thing is being done on the streets or infrastructure to support all of this.
I love the comment about the top individuals and had to check it out—-the guy on the left reminded me a bit of Tony Soprano and the guy in the middle looked like a WWE professional wrestler still wearing his warm-up jacket.
/s/ Chris Kennedy
This has “affordable” written all over it.
Just so you know, they were the architects for the condos on Abbot street near Saratoga that flooded a few years ago. Oops!
Ah, yes… good times!
https://obrag.org/2011/10/ocean-beach-planners-review-new-design-of-ocean-park-villas-for-first-time/
https://youtu.be/JmOsTPLtoX4
I bet it gets built before those traffic calming measures get implemented as requested by the PLCPB https://obrag.org/2022/12/peninsula-planners-make-traffic-recommendations-for-voltaire-st-and-nimitz-blvd-hear-holistic-promises-by-midway-rising/
A friend commented that Morengo Morton Architects were “the guys that built the Saratoga Park Condos on the beach (Told planning board they would be condos)….The ones that have the sunken garage that flooded twice… Destroyed the Lamborghini and other expensive cars… city had to pump water by lifeguard station for them for several years.”
Yeah, that’s something that has always confused me, in that continuous de-watering was supposed to be considered to be an illegal discharge.
This seems outrageous. When will it stop? Parking? Traffic? That area is becoming way too congested and this is simply overkill. Have the available spaces that were just built even been filled? Isn’t there a similar project underway right next door? Are there some actionable steps that us ‘little guys’ can take to potentially stop this?
Editor dude asked that I alert everyone that the internet is down in his area for now, so they can’t do anything for a bit.
Are they trying to silence The Rag???
That’s what it would take, a major Cox outage.
Nah Chris K., it’s the shyster who wishes he still had hair, the enforcer who doesn’t need no stinking hair, and the black widow who found jeesus after she married the enforcer which ended her career as the prancing hottie that carries the big card saying what round is coming next…which is why she carries that large cross in the deep depths of that deep-cut bodysuit to let you know she’s changed her ways…
s/
But seriously, humor aside, 39 more units with NO PARKING which means another 78 cars that need parking spaces (average 2 car per unit?). that down-looking view sure doesn’t show much in the way of parking spaces does it?
But Geoff, I love the tower effect! At least it’ll provide some shade for the tents that’ll pop up when the mayor’s latest ploy of getting rid of the houseless falls through, eh? By the way, anybody staying in those
sealintheSelkirks
Where did you see that there is no parking being built?
I’m getting the feeling that developers in this city just don’t give a shit about anything except profit.
So now these businesses have to scramble to find another location. Even if the new building offers commercial office space to lease, you know the rent
will be way higher than what they pay now.
Does OB need more concrete, asphalt, steel & glass reaching to the sky?
Right, build 39 units & 30 will be slated for STVRs.
Unwashed
Yep you hit it on the Head , No Doubt STVR’s will be what happens with this build . Until Jen Campbell and The City Attorney correct the LOOP Holes in the STVR ordinance , And who knows if that will happen . Jen is still MIA and wont respond to querys . Go Figure . Still the parking situation is also a issue , just build more and get less parking . Good Luck to any shops that start in that area now . LOL . Sorry just things are getting out of hand with all the STVR and SB10 stuff as well as other things forced on us by Gloria and Crew . Yep just Venting abit . LOL
Of course they’ll be ‘vacation rentals,’ as many as they can get away with. That’s the business model after all! Things have ‘been out of hand’ for a very long time in San Diego…
Remember when tourists who came on vacation stayed in hotels and motels and landlords didn’t destroy neighborhoods with their greed? Well, yeah, the college kids went home for summer and their beach apartments were rented to zonies but…nothing like this crap.
I have a solution to this problem. Literally BAN all STRV in homes and apartment buildings unless they are designated a hotel or motel and re-fitted to fit the model. Let’s bring back neighbors and neighborhoods.
I know, Geoff, I’m a freaking idealist….
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Huh?: Do you really think this ugly new building is going to put in 78 parking spaces? Or more if, like unwashed thinks, it turns into mostly STRVs. Somehow I really doubt it, but you never know. I could be wrong!
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106’F here, under RED FLAG WARNING and serious Fire Watch weather. Scary hot south winds are blowing through these mountains. Walk out the door and it hits you in the face, takes your breath away by 4pm every day. I don’t walk out much. Neither does the dog or the cat.
Looking at the OB Hotel surf cam it looks like June Gloom weather down there and it’s almost August. And, as usual, absolutely awful surf conditions. I sure don’t see what I used to ride every day much anymore…
sealintheSelkirks
You may be an idealist, seal, but I agree with you. Ban them all.
Man, the heat sounds awful especially since it is so unusual. Hopefully, you won’t have to worry about any fires but I can see how those conditions would concern you. I feel for the dog and the cat too.