Citywide Rally for Responsible Growth — Fashion Valley — Sat., July 29th

As many of 800 or more protestors are expected to converge on Mission Valley this Saturday, July 29th, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. to voice their opposition to the City of San Diego’s high-density housing initiatives. The event will be held along the south side of Friars Road, near the intersection of Ulric Street and the 163 Freeway
offramp.

“Residents from communities across San Diego are united in solidarity against Mayor Todd Gloria’s ill-conceived high-density housing initiatives that have absolutely nothing to do with providing affordable housing,” said Bonnie Kutch, a resident of University City and lead organizer of the event.

“The city’s proposals far exceed demonstrated demand, ignore the need for supportive infrastructure, destroy our urban canopy, and go squarely against the city’s own Climate Action Plan. Because of the desirable locations where development is being proposed, the new housing stock will be mostly luxury apartment high-rises with matching high rents that will be out of reach for those in the low- and middle-income brackets as well as for college students.”

Kutch said the city’s decision to opt-in to Senate Bill 10 is the most egregious of them all, since it would allow developers to build 14-unit apartment buildings, three stories high, in residential neighborhoods. If a parcel is zoned under SB 10, it would be irreversible and there would be no turning back.

Explained Kutch, SB 10 would create random, out-of-scale, automobile-dependent density located as far as possible from transit and commercial activity, without concern for fire safety. It would allow very short setbacks from neighboring properties, which would reduce permeable land and increase run-off. Mature trees would be clear-cut and landscaping would never be replaced, given the minimal open area left by these setbacks. In turn, this would cause temperatures to rise even further in summer and fall months.

“There are many insurmountable problems with the Mayor’s proposed implementation of Senate Bill 10,” said Paul Krueger, a resident of Talmadge and community activist. “Chief among them is the provision that prohibits future city councils from revising any of the density increases imposed by SB 10. Handicapping our elected officials and prohibiting them from making needed changes to zoning laws based on changing conditions and housing needs is absolutely unacceptable. For this reason alone, I urge the city Planning Commission and city council members to say no to SB10.”

Krueger said it’s estimated that San Diego already has the allowed capacity to build over two million homes — 19 times what is required for our housing goals (RHNA). There is absolutely no reason to pass such a neighborhood-killing bill such as SB 10 that would provide far more than needed.

“There are a lot of San Diegans who are unaware of SB 10 and its implications to their neighborhoods and the city as a whole,”said Brita Lindstrom, a resident of Pacific Beach and rally captain for the beach communities, including Bird Rock, Pt. Loma, Pacific Beach and Mission Beach.

“When they learn about the specifics of the law, most have serious concerns and questions. They want the opportunity to fully understand the details, and to have dialogue with city officials so they can provide suggestions and alternate solutions. There should be robust community involvement, and that hasn’t happened.”

SB 10’s market incentives to turn for-sale homes into multi-unit rentals will reduce San Diego’s inventory of for-sale homes and drive up the prices of remaining single-family homes, depriving San Diegans of access to starter homes and family home equity. Housing units constructed under SB10 can and would remain rental units forever.

“Residents and business owners in the Uptown communities are in total disbelief that more massive apartment buildings could be added to the landscape that is already bearing a large percentage of housing projects,”said Patty Ducey-Brooks, a Mission Hills resident and business owner as well as rally captain for Mission Hills, Hillcrest, Bankers Hill and Old Town.

“Where’ the infrastructure and services to support this extremely careless and aggressive density surge?”

Added Ducey-Brooks, “Residents and guests are already fighting over parking spaces and traffic is getting unmanageable. Yet, more is planned without any concern about the negative impact on residential communities. Building at any ‘expense’ isn’t good for San Diegans who aren’t being allowed to participate in the decision-making process and these extreme growth changes. More doesn’t equate to better.”

Kutch said that San Diegans for Responsible Growth, an all-volunteer coalition of concerned residents, supports a sustainable, community-driven approach to adding affordable housing and more focus on redeveloping underused commercial and industrial properties and revitalizing the city’s disadvantaged neighborhoods where land is less expensive and developers can feasibly build more affordable units.

“Responsible growth involves sound planning with population balanced with infrastructure, ample parks and open spaces, preservation of our urban canopy, truly affordable housing policies, opportunities for home ownership, and preservation of single-family neighborhoods for future generations where families can grow and thrive,”said Kutch.

“Most of all, responsible growth includes residents in the decision making. Residents of single-family neighborhoods take considerable pride in their respective communities and feel a sense of connection and belonging to them. The city’s thoughtless approach to adding affordable housing takes all that away from us, without coming close to solving the problem.”

ABOUT SAN DIEGANS FOR RESPONSIBLE GROWTH

San Diegans for Responsible Growth is an all-volunteer coalition of San Diego residents and taxpayers that formed from the need to educate the public about the City of San Diego’ destructive and irresponsible high-density housing initiatives and to protest against them. The coalition is comprised of San Diego residents from University City to Barrio Logan, and from the beach communities to those far inland. Funding for promotional activities comes directly from individuals who support the organization’s mission. More information about San Diegans for Responsible Growth can be found at www.sandiegansforresponsiblegrowth.org.