If a towering “accessory dwelling unit” (ADU) is throwing shade at you and your neighbors, the OB Rag wants to hear from you. Why? We’re holding a contest, ta-dah.
The OB Rag is inviting submissions for its “Worst ADUs in San Diego” contest. We are looking for extreme examples of ADUs that are excessive in size and overpowering in impact.
The nomination process is easy. Just send an e-mail with “Worst ADUs” in the subject line to obragblog@gmail.com.
Please provide basic information
- street address and neighborhood of the ADU (must be within the City of San Diego)
- general description
- why this structure is a blight on your neighborhood
- photo(s) of the ADU
- send us your name and contact information (if selected as a winning entry, you can be anonymously awarded a prize)
A panel of judges will choose semi-finalists from across San Diego. Final selections will be based on site visits and interviews with neighbors. Judging criteria will fall into three categories:
- Physical Size: Footprint, number of units/stories, proximity to property lines
- Aesthetics: Architectural design, landscaping, setbacks
- Neighborhood Impacts: Street parking, sight lines and privacy, communication with neighbors, responsiveness to neighbors’ concerns
The deadline for submissions is Friday, August 23.
Our judges will conduct site visits of the entries from August 24 through August 31. They will then deliberate and make selections for the Gold, Silver and Bronze categories. Winners will then be announced by September 7 in a post here at the Rag.
Trophies in the form of gift cards to local restaurants will then be awarded.
The Rag will be publishing photos of most of the entries during the month of August.
The problem is going to be how to decide which is the very worst among a whole pile of the worst. This should be interesting folks, let’s see what comes in.
The other problem is that the same developer has a number of properties that all looked the same. Some might look a little more egregious than others, but nonetheless, they’re just blights in their neighborhoods. With the one you pictured, at least it’s surrounded by multiunit buildings. I think the ones we should look for the real bad ones that just stick out like a sore thumb in a single-family neighborhood. I got lots of them. Quick: get someone out to 6965 Saranac. That one looks like a dump big time..
Awesome! I instantly thought of one. I’ll see if I can grab a shot.
I think this ADU Contest is a real WINNER. Go get ’em~
Rather than a restaurant gift card (which is nice), I wish we could arrange for the winner to meet with the DSD employee who approved it.
Jane, that’s a good one! If you win, we could try to arrange it hahaha.
That would be Todd Gloria and Elyse Lowe. The actual employee isn’t really the problem.
Besides, Jane, it’s a group effort. There’s about 10 people that are all pencil pushers that approve all these piles of garbage, you see today. Elisa would be the head and then you have Gary who is right below either one will do. don’t forget Todd
What an insulting and tone-deaf idea by the OB Rag. You should be ashamed.
You act as if every ADU is built by faceless developers looking to screw SD residents over. You don’t even acknowledge that SD is in desperate need of more housing and instead try and bash it.
I built an ADU and one of my best friends lives in it. Do I deserve some annoying neighbors trying to win a gift card by taking pictures of my home and trashing the architecture or landscaping? Then having OBRag celebrate and write an article about it for clicks/views??
Whoever had this moronic idea should really reconsider. I didn’t realize OBRag wants to take a toxic direction.
You’re over looking something Jacob. It’s a contest for the worst of the worst ADUs – so if yours is as nifty keen as you say it is, don’t worry. There’s some really bad stuff out there and we’re using the contest to highlight them.
Step back and think a little harder about this. It’s literally a contest for people to find the ugliest homes so you can publicly insult them for you and your readers amusement.
The undertone being that additional housing such as ADUs, which SD/CA desperately need, are bad and a “blight”.
You’re part of the problem and your contest is essentially mob mentality to pick on random homeowners and bully them.
If you want to go after developers who are profiteering that’s a different thing, but your contest doesn’t do that.
You have missed the point, Jacob, completely.
This is not about architecture. It’s not about the ugliest building.
It is about the most egregious developments that show no consideration for anyone, especially neighbors. It’s about the greed and lack of any consideration other than to make money. This is not about developers building affordable housing.
Imagine some family renting one of these just to be publically shamed for something they had no idea of. This is punching down at people who are just trying to find housing.
Whats next? Ugliest adorable housing complex? Worst looking RV?
Read the contest article, Michael. It has nothing to do with architectural ugliness. You missed the point.
Pick on random home owners? Get real. No home owner would build an Ugly box right in front of their own home. These are obviously developer specials.
So, what rent are you charging your best friend? You just said “best friend” implying it is one person. And, you did not build the thing for altruistic reasons unless your friend is living there for free.
I’m charging $2300 and it could rent for $3400, but more importantly, where in the world do you get off -SHAMING- me for building more housing and expecting to get a return for that??
Do I not deserve the right to earn money and provide for my family? Do you go to your job with zero hopes of earning more money?
What kind of twisted logic do you have where I’m not allowed to invest in my property to earn more money for myself??
Am I supposed to just let people like you live there for dirt cheap, so YOU get to have more money at my expense?? Don’t shame or be jealous of others because of your decisions and your lack of money.
I wasn’t shaming anyone, I was just pointing out the obvious.
Judging by that, uh, reaction, I guess I hit a nerve.
You are shaming. What does it imply if I say to you, “you don’t go to work for ‘altruistic reasons'”?
Like no kidding. Do you have to explain/defend why you go to work? It goes without saying unless pointing it out is to shame.
If you feel shamed, maybe that’s because you have a conscience and know that something you did is/was a shameful act. Try some thicker skin. There is always the option of not reading the OBRag.
I don’t agree with you SNS. What you sad was stupid! I agree with Jacob
You’re agreeing with a troll.
“He’s actually asked to raise the rent because he feels bad at how low it is, and I say we don’t need to.”
Right.
sorry jacob – the people who rentseeked to create this situation and who are gaming the system and extracting money from neighborhoods deserve to be shamed.
any situation that is a setup to a trickleup should be critiqued. this one looks on the face of it to be yet another all you can eat buffet for the well-heeled developer, delivered under the guise of affordable housing. there is nothing i can do about it, but we will see in 10-20 years the results…
please look at wealth inequality since the 1980s -> relatively unfettered laissez-faire capitalism is headed towards a sort of modern feudalism, with the landed gentry rentiers extracting income from their property.
all that said, i don’t think you are the problem – there are plenty of faceless developers looking to screw residents… this is clearly about them.
Jacob, you’re just exploiting the neighborhood for your own greed. Stop with the sob story about supporting your family. If that was actually true you wouldn’t have been able to afford to own.
There are plenty of ugly ADU’s out the with no set backs or parking over looking into other folks private properties & taking light away from existing residential homes the City should be ashamed, no diligence or concern for tax paying residents
full disclosure, I do some reporting for the OBRag. While you see this as condemning all ADUs, I see it as pointing out calling out the “ugly ducklings” that have sprouted up. I’m pretty sure you can agree that there are plenty of candidates.
I suspect yours is a good fit for your neighborhood and it serves the purpose for which this idea was created. Not everyone is like you
It is not the first time an idea created to solve problems or provide relief has been abused. I’m not sure if its apples to apples but I think of the money provided for financial relief because of the pandemic and the scum that lied and took the money. Its a sad thing when good intentions poorly implemented ruin it for all of us.
I see your side of it, but what if the “ugly ducklings” are merely what a homeowner could afford? It hurts feelings when somebody puts their time/effort/money into something, and people mock it. People struggle and put everything they can into buying a home and/or building an ADU. Many are elderly looking to earn extra income AND provide additional needed housing. Can you imagine scraping together everything you have including putting your own labor into building an ADU and then getting featured as a top-10 suckiest? And people joyfully commenting and laughing? It’s straight up bullying.
I spent ~$900k of my money on my ADU and it looks nicer than my house, so I don’t expect anyone to even submit a photo of mine, but it doesn’t mean I support an organization (OBRag) soliciting the public to basically insult and demean homeowners everywhere because a few people may have abused COVID or there may be some profiteering developers. It’s targeting an entire group of people, who are already resented because of the haves and have-nots, and further ostracizing them merely for owning or building. I hardly mention I have an ADU that I rent out because I get attacked as some sort of hedge fund driving up rents or a “slumlord” or something.
It’s easy to be upset about people who abused the COVID program, and they should be punished. One thing to understand about that is there’s a LONG lag time before it catches up with them so many will still get their comeuppance. Some of the programs, such as the EIDL, have reporting requirements and the deadline hasn’t even passed yet if you have extensions. So people who took that money still haven’t been held to scrutiny by the government yet.
When I got to “900k” to build an ADU, I stopped reading.
Basic calcs… a 1200/sf detached adu built at $500/sf would be around $600k.
Additionally, property taxes might increase another $6k/yr on something like this (1200/sf built at $600k). One might consider recovering those costs as well.
It’s a 750 sq ft second story ADU built on top of an existing 2-car garage during COVID at peak construction costs. All high-end everything, as I considered living in it myself. It also has a 250 sq ft bonus room/JADU on the first floor that I use for friends/guests since the main house is only 2 br and one is an office. The footing wasn’t strong enough to support the second level so the existing needed completely dug out, rebar added, and repoured. Then there’s an extra balcony for my use. ~$900k.
Even that is way too high for an ADU. $500/sf is on the high side of the basic range. But, if this guy spent $900k…
yeah. the city is fast tracking all of this under the rubric of “affordable housing”, but of course, everybody (well, rentier class only need apply) is taking advantage of it to build all high end everything stuff to maximise their “exit strategy”. there is no non high end to be found. there never is.
ADU’s are controversial and have been for a long time. There’s no way you didn’t know that when you built yours. Deserved or not, mock and ridicule kinda goes with the territory.
What did I miss, Chris? Who mocked or ridiculed Jacob for building his ADU? Or, what looks that way?
Geoff, I think it’s safe to say Jacob considers the very contest to be mock and ridicule, even if the ADU he owns is not or will not be a target.
Be that as it may, that is an important distinction – what Jacob “considers” mock and ridicule is not what anyone has actually said to him.
I’ll be happy to ridicule Jacob for spending nearly a million bucks for an ADU.
Your weird outrage over this seems misguided, or maybe you think your ADU is a top contender? This is not exactly a novel idea. The San Diego Architectural Association literally does the same thing across the city every year.
https://sdarchitecture.org/programs/orchids-onions/
It’s gonna be ok.
While the contest has some similarities, I’d like to stress again that aesthetics will not be the deciding factor, by far. What will decide is what ADU is the most offensive. That can include aesthetics, as a part.
Bigtime side-eye at the editors on this one. What’s the angle here? Is this just “Orchids and Onions” architecture criticism, or a NIMBY-ass, anti-renter whinge about views getting blocked?
Some of us are modeling the contest like the “Orchids & Onions” but will be focusing on the Onions.
Just want to point out that, after a very prominent house by a very prominent architect was built on the corner of Niagara and Froude received a ton of nominations for an Orchid, the AIA clarified that they would not accept nominations for Orchids for single family residences because they did not want to criticize anybody’s personal taste for their own residence.
Thanks Paul, that is a helpful distinction.
Jacob, your ADU has delivered on the original promise of “granny flats”: rental units of modest size and price that help increase the housing supply. You are to be commended for that; your ADU wouldn’t be in the running here. This contest will shine a light on the egregious ADUs, the massive “granny towers” with multiple floors and units and the McMansion add-ons that overpower nearby homes. You were not a predatory ADU builder. Too many others were. Their monstrous projects deserve public scrutiny.
Why criticize the people and not the program or the city instead? Why shouldn’t they be allowed to do what they want with their property when the city/state passed laws specifically to encourage them?
There are better ways to be critical without being a bully. Have you considered what happens after the contest is over and “results” are published?
There will be news articles and discussions based on the findings where those same pictures/homes are going to be featured. Imagine for a second it was YOUR ADU that you put time/effort/money into and suddenly you’re thrust into the spotlight and repeatedly popping up in news articles as an example of an ugly ADU? What did they do to deserve that? It’s pretty easy to throw shade when you don’t care about the people receiving it.
Criticize the people who created the programs.
If they have crammed the maximum amount of ADUs that can go on a lot, then they deserve criticism. These aren’t “people” being criticized, these are predatory builders.
There is no such thing as a “predatory builder”. It’s just some weird slur you made up. It doesn’t mean anything, and it sounds childish and nonsensical reading it. Like a man in a hardhat jumping out at night and hammering wood.
Your ignorance is on full display here. The “maximum amount of ADUs that can go on a single-family lot” is one. They can generally be up to 1200 sq ft. which in most of the country, isn’t very much. They’re allowed to build a JADU in some instances too.
It sounds like you’re unhappy with the law. Be upset at your lawmakers then.
We are upset at SB9 & SB10. I agree with a true granny flat. Not the ADU’s on steroids allowance that’s more than what you quote below.
The “maximum amount of ADUs that can go on a single-family lot” is one. They can generally be up to 1200 sq ft. which in most of the country, isn’t very much. They’re allowed to build a JADU in some instances too.
I absolutely know your quote is wrong. Why your aggravated by it doesn’t make sense with information you’ve given. And the whole reason you woke up on the wrong side of the bed moaning about the ADU contest in particular says this is a farce.
You clearly have no idea what this discussion is about.
But, you don’t care, you’re only here to make trouble.
Jacob, You are incorrect and need to read up on recent local changes to the ADU laws. There is a single family home on Point Loma Ave that has an 8 unit ADU apartment complex going up in the backyard, in addition to a garage conversion, and with no parking. And it’s legal.
When Gloria and his crew expanded their power & removed the codes & regulations that protected our communities people wanted to increase their income by building ADU’s ASAP. Some are big boxy towers that don’t blend in to the surrounding community. They are invasive, ugly & ruins the neighborhood. You can tell a lot about the owners by just looking at their ADU. ? Homes can be built on n a lot of areas in San Diego. There’s still land.
Kate, some of his facts are not adding up. He said he spent $900 thousand on the ADU. And he’s renting it for $2300 a month? That payment would not be anywhere near high enough to cover that mortgage.
Even if it was cash, that’s still 32 1/2 years to recoup the $900K. Wow.
It doesn’t add up because you don’t know how to do math given only TWO numbers. I’d be curious what numbers you crunched based on $900k & $2.3k and determined something didn’t “add up”??
I added a second story ADU (~750 sq ft) to my 2-car detached garage. The footing wasn’t strong enough to support it, so they had to break and dig out the entire existing footing around the entire perimeter and put new rebar and repour it. Then I added a balcony for my personal use as well as a small first floor bonus room (250 sqft). I did it during peak construction costs when lumber and other construction costs were very high.
Do you realize how your skeptical and combative comments just demonstrate your ignorance and obvious bias here? When you “stopped reading” when you read $900k? How could the cost of a project make you suddenly not care about any details? That’s just obvious bitter jealousy. You want cheaper rent and housing but are upset/jealous at anybody building housing.
Just in case anyone wonders why I don’t respond to any more of Jacob’s posts, it won’t be because I agree with anything he says. It just means this troll is not worth the time.
Jacob, I’m glad we’re having this exchange, let me address your point about who should be held responsible for what has become an inflammatory issue:
Politicians who crafted ADU policies that spurred predatory development are definitely under fire, especially incumbents up for re-election. Predatory builders who exploited the system are also culpable. Just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should do it. The Golden Rule always applies.
If I were a responsible ADU developer (like you, Jacob), I would be furious at alpha dogs who pushed projects to extremes and infuriated the public. The original “granny flat” concept was solid. Too bad it became degraded.
Kate – try to click “reply” under the comment you’re responding to if you can so it’s easier to follow the conversation.
“Predatory development” is just a made-up term by have-nots to paint new construction as a bad thing. What are developers preying on?? Literally either homeowners adding housing or developers adding and selling housing.
That’s how we get new housing. What other options are there??
Your priorities and focus are all out of whack. You should be upset at hedge funds buying up thousands of single-family homes (SFH’s), jacking up rent, then packaging those rentals into securities and rolling them into a fund. There’s no reason for large corporations or funds to own huge swaths of SFH’s.
You should be upset at companies like RealPages, which is used by something like 90% of large landlords, that effectively collude and raise rents en masse across the country. Google “justice department real pages” and you’ll see they’re suing them for anticompetitive market manipulation. THEY are a primary reason for our housing woes.
Picking on individual ADU’s that could easily be owned by a mom & pop is just cowardly and cruel. Even if a developer built it, there is a chance a husband/wife purchased the home/ADU at the top of their budget and depends on the ADU rental income to help pay the mortgage. Why pick on them? Because somebody doesn’t like the appearance of the ADU?
The appearance is the basis for the article, not who owns it. It’s a beauty contest. No owners are being exposed. And the winner is likely a multi-unit in your face no parking building. Doesn’t sound like you fit.
$900 a sq ft. Nice!
By having such a dismissive view of have-nots (a rapidly growing segment of our population), you’re not really helping your cause.
I think we have a troll.
And looks like a troll on you in particular.
not everyone you disagree with is a troll. jacob seems to be pretty reasonable, though i don’t agree with everything he says. in particular, i agree 100% with his hedge fund comments. i just don’t see a good endgame here for “the have nots”.
we are creating an “all-rent” environment here, and a classful society – renters and rentiers. i am seeing decreased social mobility and oligarchy in our future.
this fetishizing of libertarian “property rights above all” facilitates the fundamentally unjust privatization of profits and the socialization of costs
” jacob seems to be pretty reasonable.” Is that a serious comment? Have you read those posts? Reasonable is not he word I’d use.
yeah. while i don’t agree with him on a lot of stuff, he seems willing to have a discussion, which is above most trolls. but we’ll see.
Well, I’m sorry, but his posts do not look like they are coming from a person who wants to have a discussion. Far from it.
Just because I don’t agree with you doesn’t mean I’m not having a discussion.
Jacob is another Zach. paying 900K during covid when sq ft prices were half? Claiming to be able to rent 750 sq ft for $3400? It’s a joke.
I just re-read/skipped through this comment section and realized that the overall sound is like the butt-hurt whining that is coming from the MAGATS about the change from Biden/Harris to Harris/Walz.
Yes Geoff, they are trolls and, like the Trump trolls who wear those ‘F&&K Your Feelings’ t-shirts that are now just SCREAMING about their butt-hurt feelings…this ‘worst of’ contest seems to be making them need some Prep. H from the tone of the replies.
Done with commenting on this one, but I will be tuning in when the photos go up! Will Jacob’s million dollar ADU be included? Ahahahahahaha!
sealintheSelkirks
I see I’ve been summoned.
Yeesh this whole thing is a PR disaster for the Rag. You guys come off as snobby bullies! Maybe someone should do a contest of ugliest OB shack or oldest/grayest NIMBY protest to give you a taste of your own medicine
Well bless your little heart, Zack. But not your brain because you OBVIOUSLY still don’t get the purpose of this contest. Didn’t take a deductive logic class in school I’m guessing, eh? Failed critical thinking in English class, too, perhaps…
It’s NOT about how cute or ugly a building is, and that has been repeatedly explained more than once in this article and comments so why don’t you understand that point? I politely suggest you re-read the easily understood wording about this contest for a better grasp of what this contest is all about.
___
A PR disaster? That’s freaking hilarious! You also obviously don’t have an inkling about the RAG’s founding history, do you?
___
And as for snobby bullies, that term is reserved for the hedge fund/investment banker/neighborhood destroyers/politicians that have taken over San Diego (and so many other places in this country). When greed and/or housing ‘policies’ created by those self-same people in power can throw people out into the streets because their JOBS no longer earn enough to pay the rent, who are truly the bullies here?
Your indignation is misplaced, dude.
sealintheSelkirks
This is your best comment for the week, Seal!
“Summoned”? LOL! Like what, a demon? The only ‘Z’ name here was spelled “Zach,” who is another commenter on this site.
A PR disaster is your coming here and openly engaging in age discrimination, which is not only illegal but incredibly vile. Not a good look for anyone, let alone someone running for election, https://tinyurl.com/Candidate-Zack.
Suggest you refrain from publicizing your Logan’s Run-esque fantasy of restricting residence in Uptown to only those below a certain age — if not out of decency, then out of self-interest.
Thanks for outing Zach. I looked at the candidate statement and was amazed at the lack of any information about the man or his qualifications. So, I went digging on the election website and sampled several other candidate statements and found some the information a voter would like to know about a person they don’t know. Nothing there for Zack, his statement looks like it as written by Circulate San Diego. Well maybe it was because he’s a legal intern at Circulate.
Remember what I mentioned in an article you wrote a few years ago. Unlike other forms of discrimination, those who inflict age discrimination will eventually be victims of it themselves should they be so lucky to make into “elderly”.
Come to think of it, everyone at Circulate is apparently younger than Colin, most by at least a decade or more. Not very compliant with diversity and inclusion requirements for a city contractor, is it? https://www.circulatesd.org/staff
Matt I think you need to go outside and take a walk. Age discrimination? Logan’s Run? What are you talking about dude?
I’m sorry your comments are just weird!
Geoff,
I was an intern at Circulate. That was about a year ago
So: when called out as an ageist bigot, your response is to play dumb and gaslight about it — and try to cover that up by parting with the word most trending on the internet right now.
You like all of your YIMBY coreligionists are deeply unserious people, only concerned with advancing your own fortunes in what you construe as a zero-sum game.
Case in point: your sole focus on the lack of affordable rentals for younger people in your campaign, as if the problem is exclusive to them. The implication is that those over 55 who are the most housing insecure and the highest growing segment of the unhoused population deserve it, https://timesofsandiego.com/health/2023/02/11/seniors-are-now-the-fastest-growing-homeless-group-in-california/. Certainly nothing you’ve written here or elsewhere would lead one to believe otherwise.
Interestingly enough, people at the tail of Boomer (my peers) helped make ageism in vogue:
LMAO. Mention his name and voila! The lurker Zach, er Jacob, appears. Just wanted to be #100 on this post.
funny man
“or oldest/grayest NIMBY protest”
Regardless of how you meant it, I think it’s easy to see why some would take that as ageism.
“those who inflict age discrimination will eventually be victims of it themselves”
Great comment, Chris. He will never be a person of color or a woman so he won’t know that discrimination but he will definitely experience ageism some day. Wish I would be around to see that.
Thanks Chris for staying such a loyal reader (and commenter) over the years.
Jacob, it sounds like you just enjoy arguing.
Meanwhile, Todd doesn’t support the rent control measure.
https://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2024/08/08/todd-gloria-joins-22-other-california-mayors-in-opposing-rent-control-proposition/
From the NIMBYs who created our housing crisis: Let’s ridicule housing for renters!
Stay classy, obrag.
Oh great, now we’re being blamed for creating the housing crisis, wow! thanks Paul Jamason, one of the advocates of Circulate SD which led the charge against San Diego’s community planning groups.
Jacob seems like a play on you guys.
It’s always possible that “Paul” might want to live in a single family residence one day, if not already. That’d be okay.
What San Diegans are saying about your contest: https://www.reddit.com/r/SanDiegan/s/cwWRXbRkOX
This comment sums it up well:
“An asinine contest demonizing renters and new housing, pretending that the aesthetics of a building are personally harmful as if it’s not more harmful to push people out and refuse to build housing because it doesn’t meet your aesthetic preferences. Many of my childhood friends are still living here with their parents as adults because they cannot afford to rent, but this never seems to cross the minds of people who think like this. Instead it’s about them and the horror of looking at a normal modern apartment building. These people are intellectually dishonest, mean spirited, and need to grow up.”
Here’s Paul Jamason again. Not everyone appreciates our contest. What hubris, what blindness, what sucking up to the developers. What BS. Again, San Diego does NOT have a housing crisis, we have an Affordable Housing Crisis – which people like Jamason don’t really understand or appreciate. Their mantra of “build, build, build” is like Trump’s “dig, dig, did” and ignores decades of developers building market rate or higher mcMansions.
Paul doesn’t really want people to know that he and his friends at Circulate SD are the ones who have pushed for ridiculous “reforms” of local planning boards, which have literally pushed renters out of the decision-making process on new developments coming into neighborhoods. They’re extremely undemocratic, don’t care about needed infrastructure and don’t really care about affordable housing (and really could give a shat about renters).
“… many of my childhood friends are still living here with their parents as adults because they cannot afford to rent…”
Might be ’cause the market & luxury rental rates are too high and wages are too low.
Yea, I checked the comments. The idiot poster titled it as “OBRAG: “Which renter’s home is the ugliest?” Show me where the word “ugly” appears in the contest post.
I could tell none of the equally idiotic commentators had read the contest article either. And, here you are, perpetuating this misinformation. Ridiculous.
Here’s what I don’t understand about YIMBY rage: YIMBYs have gotten pretty much everything they’ve wanted: more density, less street parking, bike lanes and ADUs everywhere. We live in a state and a city run by entrenched YIMBY politicians with ample support from labor unions and the building industry.
I’m not happy about this, but I don’t lose sleep over it. I just express my opposition where and how I can. Why does such expression make YIMBYs so furious? Why not just take the win? Why feel so frustrated and besieged?
Geoff has a new set of initials for YIMBYs: YIYBY – Yes In Your Back Yard.
The Rag has become their foil. Just because most electeds in San Diego won’t or can’t stand up to them and local mainstream media just accept their influence & views without question, they represent a huge power bloc of developers and corporations and some environmentalists and labor leaders who can’t see the forest cuz of the trees or have entrenched interests of their own to push, and have to beat down any opposition. Not to mention that their strong views are tainted by a type of racism that cannot accept that African-Americans, Chicanos and Mexican Americans and Asian Americans want single-family residential neighborhoods. This undermines their whole approach and they have to be constantly reminded just how unstable their stance is.
Sounds like you’re advocating for suburban sprawl. Urban sprawl is more harmfully impacting than higher density in terms of infrastructure costs, environmental degradation and the removal of open space among a few.
No, I’m pointing out (1) a racist assumption of the YIMBY point of view: that only white people live in single-family residential neighborhoods. (2) That Circulate SD, other self-proclaimed YIMBYs don’t distinguish between the need for affordable housing and their desire for just more housing, because they erroneously believe more housing means more affordable housing — which is not true and has been proven otherwise. (3) And as such, YIMBYs are objectively on the side of for-profit, market-rate housing developers.
There are the kinds of people who doubt their own beliefs. They don’t want to hear the other side lest some bothersome actual fact put a crack in their world.
They are black and white, either you are for ’em or agin ’em. This is sign of small intellects.
You don’t get it, Kate, because you are capable of listening to all sides and making up your own mind, that last part especially. This is the ability they lack.
Exactly, Kate. The YIMBYs ARE the bosses and they are doing what they want. But these committed folks are out here bullying dissenters for the mayor!
They apparently do not understand that they already won. They appear to be bullying for the mayor, who is, you know, in power and doing what he wants already.
Just trying to stomp on dissent and silence other citizens but with outrage – as if they are being harmed.
Is there such a thing as the hypocrites’ ‘poor winners’ syndrome?
Take the win!
Oh this is gonna be good! I’ll go pop some popcorn for this one!
Usually it’s Chris making the popcorn.
Extra butter.
This sounds like an excellent idea! Bravo to whoever came up with it.
My understanding is that this “competition” is to seek out and expose the A/J DU’s built in neighborhoods that are – as the article describes – a blight to the community.
If you built accessory dwellings on your property that are not offensive, blend in and are not blight-ful in anyway (again, read the criteria) then yeay! Yeay for you who did the right, polite thing. You won’t have to worry about your property showing up on the list. You also won’t have to worry about people coming by to take photos of your property because you don’t have an offensive design. I don’t care if you spent $100k or $1mil on your project. That is both subjective and relative.
When the Orchids and Onions came on the scene long ago, I couldn’t help but think how it may have incentivized architects and owners to build something better for the community. I’ll hold on to hope that contests like this will foster the same change.
We have to govern ourselves and our hoods because the city sure as hell isn’t going to.
Cindy,
I’d be happy to post a few apartment building complexes that, though, they are quite large for the neighborhood (what isn’t), they actually blend in, better, as with a Spanish style house in College where the developer actually built his/her 4 unit complex (in the backyard), in the same design as the actual house.
The ‘blights’ would be those block buildings designed by a 20-something, that is supposed to look ‘modern’, but is “too big” and does not fit in the design of the original house. I think those type of ‘designers’ are ‘tonedeaf’ to the neighborhoods they ‘design’ in.
Ahahahahaha. Some of this back & forth is just hilarious due to the snarling whining going on.
What a contest! Finding the absolute worst ADU is going to be really hard because I’m guessing there are going to be so many in the running. Hope the Rag staff is ready for all-night sessions with a massive table as big as the Olympics one, covered in photos to sort through. Since people love controversy I thought that comparison was appropriate!
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As for Jacob, what a tizzy you brought on yourself! So why don’t you promote a Best ADU contest for design etc etc?
And Paul Jamason, you want to see the ultimate ADU city, what San Diego could ultimately become? Google photos of New Delhi or Mexico City…all sorts of ‘ADU’ in those mega-slum cities!
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Sorry to see this happening to my hometown.
But up here in these mountains we don’t have an ADU problem. They just shove the broken-down single wide into a gully and drag in a new one…
Ahahahahaha!
sealintheSelkirks
I could submit 50 of them… and then examples of what is in store if the likes of Circulate, and the current regime in power, continue to have influences in what goes on here. I see that type of density, and as you said, it just doesn’t look good……
To those whose comments question the justification for this contest, find a good economics text book and look up the definition of “rent seeking behavior.”
I have a few in mind, but am not sure they’re built yet.
One consists of 2 ADUs on WPL, in the backyard up against the park, but with no windows on either side.
Another is to be built on the neighbors property line, on a raised grade, plus a parapet wall that extends above the 2nd floor roof line, up to about 32′ total height. Yes, a 32 ft stucco wall on your property line. Also with no windows.
The only redeeming quality of many of these ADUs is that they are prohibited from being rented short term…. although the city has issued STR licenses to some of them anways.
Matt,
Aren’t you also running for the new Uptown CPG? Shouldn’t you abide by your own advice and not post such negative, mean drivel?
To be clear, Hack: no one is obligated to protect your feelings for being called out as a hypocritical bigot — especially during a election rigged by your collaborators.
Speaking of which, why don’t share with everyone how you are not just a flying monkey for CirculateSD, but also the board chair for RideSD, a front group for the front group, BikeSD? (See page 3 here, https://tinyurl.com/RideSD-Initial-Filing) You all worked together with Vibrate Uptown to usurp the democratically elected Uptown Planners and now stand a plurality of candidates for the new board — and have already scheduled your victory party, https://tinyurl.com/RideSD-with-Vibrate.
As I said above, “You like all of your YIMBY coreligionists are deeply unserious people, only concerned with advancing your own fortunes in what you construe as a zero-sum game.”
Matt,
I am no longer the board chair for RideSD.
That’s not what the current Statement of Information on file with CA Secretary of State says, https://tinyurl.com/RideSD-SOI.
Since you’re lying about something so obviously disprovable, you have zero credibility for asking anyone to believe you about anything.
Matt,
I’m not lying Mat. I communicated to the ED that I’d be stepping back from the role and he will take over before someone else is formally chosen. I could not commmit as I needed time to study for the bar exam.
Thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt. Additionally, be honest, people like myself do help drive engagement on this website
Hey, that’s my line. I drive engagement. Mentioned your name and poof, you appear. Bet you’re not moderated like I am.
The SOS filing is dated September of last year. Maybe he has stepped down from chair role since then? Seems a bit of a stretch to accuse him of being a liar Mat.
That SOI is the most recent (and only) filing of who’s who on record with the CA Sec. of State. That is the legal fact and the official information on which any lawsuit or administrative investigation would be based. Until or unless that filing is superseded, then any protests to the contrary are meaningless hearsay.
And I’m not giving you the benefit of any doubt, Zach: your duplicity and conniving with other developer front groups becomes more evident with your “engagement.”
You’re entitled to your opinion Mat
That’s not my “opinion,” Zack: that’s state law. And if you were a licensed attorney, you could be sanctioned for advising otherwise.
Sure you want to take that bar exam? Being able to be held accountable for your lies would really cramp your style.
Mat,
I was referring to you calling me duplicitious and conniving. Those are indeed your opinions. Also, I just took the bar exam so we’ll let the state bar be the judge of my character.
I think your comments are disproportionate.
And your comments are disingenuous — as are your protests of innocence and feigned concern. But keep digging.
What’s up — Isn’t this whole thread about the ADU contest?
Funny
My comment was edited. I didn’t say “what’s up”. I said, “what’s up with this Mat character?”
Is that against OB Rag policy?
Brilliant contest, I love it! I understand why people want to monetize their properties when money’s tight and it’s an opportunity get ahead. What I think is reprehensible is opting for designs, massing and bulk that destroy the character and livability of their neighbors and neighborhoods. It will be uncaring selfish neighbors and non-resident investors that destroy our beautiful communities.
And the Democrats who changed the laws to allow it.
I sure didn’t hear any howls of protestation from the Republicans over this.
I think the contest is a great idea.
Lot of controversy shown here, some unrelated to the contest.
Granny flats are OK. Multiunit ADU buildings with no parking should be illegal but unfortunately, the politicians now in charge have screwed the residents who wanted to live in single family neighborhoods.
Why is OB complaining about ADU’s? THEIR cool voters refused change and empowered THEIR candidates to allow them. OB had a choice, and made it. (And they’ll do the same again). So be it. Now deal with it.
Ben, these clowns, these imposters, these DINOS are NOT the ‘Democrats’ I grew up with. They are definitely the ‘moderate’ Republican Party from pre-1980, before Reagan inflicted poisonous corporate neoliberalism on this country for eight years and then Bill Clinton followed him up by destroying the Democratic Party molding it into Reagan’s image over the next eight. ‘I never inhaled’ Bill turned the DNC into the Clintonista GOP-lite clown party while the Republicans went into the full-on Fascist melt-down that we see the end-of with the Trump MAGA-Fascists happening right this very minute (thanks a LOT Dick Cheney and family may you roast in hell!!!).
I wonder if that is why Liz Cheney came out against her Father’s ideology, and why old Dick seems to be showing a form of remorse in what he helped creat with his remarks against MAGA and Trump? Family guilt perhaps? One could hope but too little too late doesn’t work for me at all…
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William Pickett: you have it correct.
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MOGA: There was little to no choice in candidates when the indoctrination and propaganda of the MSM combine with outright corruption by the wealthy that operate the only two parties allowed to ‘win’ elections.
sealintheSelkirks
Wow! ? What does all of that have to do with ugly ADU’s?