The Callen Report
By Kate Callen
You may see Ocean Beach as a beloved coastal village with a timeless Main Street and a storied history.
Shawn DiMartile and Mike Tighe see it differently. To them, OB is a cash machine. And they intend to pull as much money out of it as possible.
OB has dealt with aggressive builders before. But the battle over the 4705 Point Loma Avenue project, which goes before the San Diego Planning Commission next Thursday, August 29, is particularly insidious because it has been fueled by Todd Gloria’s grab-it-and-sell-it land use policies.
DiMartile and Tighe are the founders of Takeoff Capital, the real estate investment firm behind the project. In a one-hour investor webinar available on Vimeo, they sang the praises of Gloria’s “Complete Communities” program, and they commodified the many charms of life in OB.
“The Point” will be a 3-story, 20-unit complex. Before “Complete Communities,” DiMartile said, “we could only fit eight units.” There will be three affordable units, nine onsite parking spaces, and no elevator – which means units on the second and third floors will not be accessible to disabled people. You can enjoy your sunset ocean view, but your elderly parents who can’t climb stairs are out of luck.
Because Takeoff Capital is seeking investors from far and wide, the webinar acquainted out-of-towners with what they called “that bright coastal vibe” that earns big bucks for builders.
“Ocean Beach is more of your typical laid-back classic SoCal beach neighborhood,” DiMartile explained. “Tons of restaurants, farmer’s market, dog beach, the whole nine yards.”
To demonstrate, the webinar showed a video that followed DiMartile and Tighe as they sauntered down to the beach at sunset. “People will pay a premium for a unit that’s in an amazing location,” said DiMartile.
Practical considerations surfaced during the Q&A session. One investor asked about short-term rental regulations. “We don’t intend to short-term rental this project,” said Tighe, “but the City of San Diego does allow owners to have short-term-rental permits.”
What happens to investors if construction – scheduled to begin in February – is stalled? “You’ll get your money back should something happen with the permitting or the debt where we were not able to proceed,” said Tighe.
But DiMartile and Tighe are certain nothing like that will happen.
A follow-up questioner asked if “citizens’ groups such as Save San Diego Neighborhoods and Livable San Diego” might try to block the development.
“Once we get the building permit, it doesn’t really matter if the neighbors don’t like it,” said Tighe. “And we have on-site security just in case someone is really upset and tries to do something crazy.”
DiMartile added, “If you’re wondering, ‘Can they stop this?’ – No! This is in a non-appealable area of the coastal zone.”
“San Diego has gotten really good at ignoring the NIMBY movement,” said Tighe. “They’ve been better about pushing housing through.”
So there we are. Two privileged young men with no discernible ties to Ocean Beach circled it on a map and decided to cash in on it. Capitalism gives them the right to do that. An unscrupulous mayor has given them the means.
But they should not be overconfident. As Napoleon learned in 1812, you cannot really know a hostile territory until you’ve entered it.
The OB community has mobilized squads of people ready to fight. They include long-time OB attorney Craig Klein. He has sized up what he calls “these property bro douches,” and he thinks he understands their agenda.
“A lot of us view this project as the camel’s nose under the tent,” said Klein. “It’s ‘proof of concept.’ These guys are rapacious, and they’ve identified OB as ripe for snatching.”
Klein believes the City has broken its own rules to greenlight The Point.
“The Development Services Department website has been altered on a regular basis to add or remove stuff about this project. They are ignoring historical district designations and zoning laws. They are telling developers, ‘You come and tell us what you want to build, and we’ll figure out a way to let you do it.’”
The Planning Commission’s hearing to consider an appeal of a coastal development permit for The Point takes place Thursday, August 29, at 9:00 a.m. in the 12-floor Council Chambers at the downtown City Administration Building. If you’re interested in carpooling, contact Andrea Schlageter, Chair of the Ocean Beach Planning Board, at aeschlag@gmail.com.
Thank you for this article. I visited their website and read about their business model:
“We source a lot with enough space to build 10 or more apartment units.
Design and acquire construction permits and build the new apartment complex
Lease up the new units
Sell and distribute profits”
It’s like flipping houses on steroids.
Forgive me but why is the author of this piece so upset about new homes for people coming to Ocean Beach? Seems like the builders are following the municipal code? Also it’s directly across from an 18 unit complex so what’s exactly the problem as it seems to fit in with the surrounding area? I’m sorry to say it but it seems like some of you just don’t want new neighbors. It’s a little sad to see.
Ok, what is your address Lilah? I’ll send it to them so they build their future project next to your house.
Geoff I’ve got no problem with more homes coming to my neighborhood but also why the non sequitor? There are some homes across the street but the only lot physically next to it is a coffee shop and it’s replacing a storefront that was constantly available. Seems like a perfect place to add more homes, especially for three affordable homes that everyone here always says that we need more of (especially as there were none there before)? This means more people to visit the businesses in the area too. Why does this upset you so much?
B/c he’s weird.
To “Honesty” and “Lilah B”
One should be concerned about this comment in the article –
“There will be three affordable units, nine onsite parking spaces, and no elevator – which means units on the second and third floors will not be accessible to disabled people. You can enjoy your sunset ocean view, but your elderly parents who can’t climb stairs are out of luck.”
Parking is already a premium in this city, especially in coastal areas where this project seems to go against the costal access concept of the Ca Costal Commission.
And regarding the social equity issue – a common warrior cry of this administration and Council – No elevator?? So a whole segment of the population is discriminated.
Also, what about DIF (Developer Impact Fees) for the project? We should all wonder about how much give-away the city is giving these out-of-towner building investors.
And what about the proposed rents for the reminder of the units?
Most folks support the need for more housing, especially affordable. However, the new housing ordnance pushed by council and the administration, demonstrates time and time again the flaws of the housing ordinance. So much so, that it does nothing to achieve the primary objective – that being affordable housing.
Growth is always difficult for homeowners but a blessing for busines. I hear your concerns about the disable limited to first floor only. I am disabled and run into this situation all the time. I can not climb stairs however most places do not have elevators restrictions me to bottom floor only. To add insult, the bottom floor is always more expensive than other floors. When I point out the discrimination in this practice I am advised there is nothing discriminatory about it.
I think a major part of the negative reaction to this project is people want to be cautious on how their community evolves, especially when the density is going from eight units to 20. I seriously doubt anyone at the City gamed out these substantial density increases and what the area would look like if projects, like this, can appear anywhere throughout the community.
One of the main questions that needs to be answered is who should hold more sway – people who already live in the area or those who want to significantly alter it while making a profit. I believe, that’s what community planning groups were for. Currently, our planning system is not functioning well and has defaulted into “market driven planning,” where money decides where development will go.
That said, I could probably get behind this project if it had fewer units and people could buy, not rent, their unit. The City has been unable to get a balance between apartments and units for purchase. Right now the vast majority of projects are apartments, which are great for generating long-term revenue streams for investors but does little for people trying create their own generational wealth.
The City could really use an independent planning department.
I’m sorry let me just get this right, you want to be cautious about potentially adding (and let’s say it’s two people per home) 40 new neighbors versus 16?
Lilah, you REALLY seem to have an interest here. And it isn’t next door to a coffee shop. It looks beachside to you if you live in Indiana. Eight units previously planned and designed by the same architect met no opposition. This is the poster child for Complete Communities, and the model for 100 more in the same block, where zoning doesn’t matter any more and small businesses units with no parking and high rents if they are not vacation rentals. San Diego California has a coastal 30 foot height limit, which the city council recently ignored, saying that the vote that created it was “antiquated.” There is a lot about money and not about living that is going on here.
As you are fully aware and dialed into, many if not most/all of these will units going up will not be “homes” but rather vacation rentals.
Hey Chris are you sure? The builder literally says “We don’t intend to short-term rental this project”. That’s what this article says so not sure why you’d suggest otherwise?
We don’t intend is not a firm statement. You are a player.
If I had a nickel for every developer who made a promise like that and went back on it, I would have a big pile of nickels. After 18 years of involvement in planning boards and planning board news, I would never believe such a promise. And, their plan for one project was to build the big ADU on a site with a single family home and to turn that into a vacation rental to finance building the ADU. How’s that for being rapacious?
I’m not familiar with what you’re talking about with this ADU project, did it happen?
Go ahead and dial yourself into this project on Pt Loma Ave in OB; do some basic research (if you had, you’d know his project has not been built yet and an appeal is before the SD Planning Com. next week.).
Frank I’m sorry but I’m clearly asking Geoff about this other project he’s mentioning above. I would hope from what I’ve written it’s pretty clear I’m familiar with The Point but confused why everyone is so mad about 20 more homes, three of them affordable (which should make you happy right frank, don’t you keep saying we have an affordable housing problem?) being built on a corner lot with no immediate neighbors that will mean more people within walking distance of the businesses on that street. Why are you all so against this project?
Here is what we posted some time ago about these guys. https://obrag.org/2024/05/modern-horror-show-developers-podcast-plan-to-target-92107-for-profitable-adu-projects/
I was told, it may be in the comments, that their plan fell through but they were still putting 8 ADUs on that site.
Thanks for that Geoff, I’m just not sure why it’s relevant to this conversation when it comes to building 20 new homes on a walkable street, including three affordable homes that could allow someone who could never have had access to OB be able to hang their hat there. Considering what’s there right now, this seems like a lovely project for our community. I’m excited!
At least listen to the podcast before commenting on the relevance.
But, you did yourself in with “lovely project for our community.” Aside from the density issue, no one would say that there is anything “lovely” at all about this project.
You’re not discussing, you are simply boostering.
Geoff I’m sorry I can’t seem to respond to the comment below so I’ll have to do it here. What is your problem with this project? I’ve yet to see why everyone is mad. Frankly this looks better than anything on that street right now AND it’ll be a home for people who want to be a part of this community. Why the disgust?
Responding to your last comment. 20 units on a 7,000/sf lot. Tiny units. No parking. Ideal vacation rentals.
Aren’t there 9 parking spaces? And who cares how small the apartments are outside of the people who are going to live there? And aren’t small, one-bedroom apartments the opposite of the ideal vacation rental, which to me would be a single family home that can become a party palace? I just don’t get it Geoff. Why don’t you want more people to have access to our community? I long thought this website supported more access to the beach communities yet you’re all so MAD about potentially more people joining us.
Using your own math, 20 units translates into 40 people (what? no kids?) — and now that translates into, what, 30 to 40 vehicles, and each vehicle needs a parking space. So what are these residents to do? They’ll park their vehicles on the local streets, taking spaces away from others who live there. What’s your answer to that?
There are 9 parking spaces so yes, some people will end up parking in the public right of way, which is available to anyone – whether they live there or not (this location is at the tail end of a commercial district so it’s not like this is a quiet, lonely street to begin with). I don’t have a driveway at my house but I also know that I don’t own the sidewalk in front of it. In fact my neighbors across the street have multiple cars that they leave on the street for months at a time (one’s been there so long it’s got cobwebs on it!) but it doesn’t bother me. I wonder if you think people like me who live in a single family home should have a cap on how many cars they’re allowed to have since that’s always been the biggest problem when it comes to street parking in my part of OB.
I just wish you’d look past parking and “character” and other things to realize there are so many people – people who grew up here, people who work here, people who want to be here – who would love the chance to move into a new apartment in OB and would be a great addition to this community. It’s really sad how much time you’re all spending trying to stop real people who could have real positive impacts from settling in our wonderful community.
But there’s 9 parking spaces for 20 units. I wish you’d look past that. Ok Zack, Jacob, Lilah, whatever your name is. You’re going to love the walk, hauling your things, after driving around looking for parking. How’s the mass transit there? Trash days must be fun too.
There is a bus stop by St. Peter’s. Clearly a minor transit stop, but could get a rider to their job at Circulate SD (downtown) in about 35 minutes.
Not a TPA, regardless.
Lilah,
I truly understand your position. And for me, it’s not about the design aesthetics of the building. As I mentioned before, it’s about affordability. You said:
“there are so many people – people who grew up here, people who work here, people who want to be here – who would love the chance to move into a new apartment in OB”
How would any of our neighbors be able to afford rent in those apartments? I have many friends who live in OB who work in blue-collar jobs, service industry, and even professionals who make a relatively decent living. This project is NOT designed to allow Obceans to live in OB. This is designed and packaged to a entice people who live in penthouses in Little Italy to move to OB and live out their faux hippy dream for a lease term until they get tired of it and buy a house in Rancho Santa Fe.
Good points, bobo. I know of six former OB residents that were pushed out of their OB apartments by heavy duty SD rent increases, three were given eviction notices. All ended up leaving SD. Of the six, five moved out of state and one moved to the Bay Area.
These few “affordable” units suggested for PL Avenue will be “affordable” to those that can afford them. The rent increases will begin almost immediately. The shift to STVRs may be swift as well.
It’s a heck of a thing.
I suspect the citys answer will be to put up those parking meters near the beach theyve long been itching to do. Wont solve the problem but they can make a lot of revenue pretending they did. Something govt has turned into an art form IMO.
For the record, their documents state 60-70 residents and 2 pets per residence. And no, I am not making this up. I am only telling you what they wrote in the application. What are they really gambling on?
(Hint: Coastal height limit. They might even put in an elevator when three stories becomes ten).
How is that possible?? (the #s of planned residents)
This is the same situation in North Park with the new 30th Street bike lanes. The majority of business parking on 30th is gone. It’s been pushed over to the residential neighborhood on 29th and on Ray Street. This neighborhood is over 100 years old and many houses have no garage or they have a one car garage, so residents have to park blocks away and hike home….all to accommodate a small number of bike riders who until the bike lane was constructed, rode on quiet residential streets.
With that logic, let’s demo all beach housing and throw up 8 to 10 story high rises, so more people will have access to the beach, eh Lilah? Your arguments have a circular nature, and you’re baiting us and not trying to engage in a enlightened discussion.
I’m advocating for more homes for more people to be a part of a community that’s been so wonderful to me. Meanwhile all of you are very mad that a building that complies with city code, includes onsite parking and affordable housing, is across the street from two apartment complexes (thus fits into the character of the community) and will bring more people into this community is very telling and very sad when it comes to your reactions.
I’m not sure if we can have an enlightened discussion Frank because I know I’m not going to convince you or anyone else about this project. I just don’t want future residents to think that all of OB is fighting tooth and nail to stop any kind of new housing from going in. That’s not very progressive and that’s not the spirit of the OB I’ve lived in for the last 26 years.
Also the above “slippery slope” argument sounds like Rick Santorum saying “oh you want marriage equality? What’s next? People marrying their DOGS??” You’re using the same logic here. I’m just supporting this because it’s right, no more, no less.
No one spends as much time and effort as you have here trumpeting this project unless they have a stake in it. I will repeat, you are a troll, a developer troll, nothing less.
I believe you’re correct and all of their future comments will go into moderation for violating our comment terms of use.
Hmmm. Is it possible that Lilah is some kind of AI-generated bot ? That might reduce the “time and effort” you’ve mentioned.
In any case, I aplaud the decision to moderate her/its comments; and I’m glad we have an editordude with the judgement to do so.
Isn’t “lilah b.” a now-defunct makeup company?
Replying to your comment below. I think it’s misleading to say that the community doesn’t want more “neighbors”. We all want that, OB has historically been affordable for people of all walks of life. This project doesn’t represent that notion but pushes to end it. It is a money grab and it’s obvious. The size of each unit limits AMI household numbers. So the low income communities that they praise to pursue is limited. This project limits access to our community because it caters elitist investors. I mean look at their website. No middle income household can “invest” like that.
Should not be 3 stories plus there’s no parking.
One of the basic problems with these massive ADUs is that their concept is being pushed on neighborhoods from above, without any democratic process, by pols who believe they know what is best for the rest of us. Yes, there is a clique of YIMBY pols in Sacramento who’ve gotten some bills thru the legislature, but Gloria had caught one of their initiatives and ran with it, making it more extreme and radical, the San Diego version of the state ADU law. This then compounds the problem, because these policies and their ADUs are pushed into communities that do not have the needed accompanying infrastructure, the parking, the parks, the schools, the roads for all these new residents from all these Massive ADUs. I’ve seen photos of some of the monster projects being built that have been submitted for our contest, and they’re incredible.
So, this project is coming in without enough parking and without sufficient affordable housing — so Lilah — no, I’m Not happy. A few units? It ought to be ALL affordable. And then the project does not fit into OB and is out of character of the community. So, yes Lilah, there are lots of problems.
Well Frank what you dont seem to realize is that this forcing this type of large infill construction on people that dont want it is part of a long time core leftist agenda, and its hand in glove with EV mandates and building bike lanes at the same time they remove parking spots. For climate change mitigation they believe we should all be in walkable cities but nobody wants to give up their cars. So EV mandates would result in their practicality being limited only to those wealthy enough to own a house. There wont be on street parking for the rest of us. Theyll make it so frustrating and expensive to own your own car youll turn to mass transit out of frustration. Thats been a leftist goal for decades. While the wealthy who planned this park their Tesla in the garage. Thats why theyre making such a mess out of nopark and hillcrest. People now drive for an hour at night to find ANY parking spot. Wait till it has to have a charger.
Sorry, John L, it is nowhere near as complicated as you think.
I came to San Diego in 1977 when San Diego was much smaller and there was all sorts of open land everywhere. I got a job as an equipment operator in the Operating Engineers union. I worked all over the county for 12 years on big subdivision projects in those years.
Oceanside is where I remember seeing the most breathtaking huge developments that covered the hills to the east of I-5. I remember working on the beginnings of Tierasanta, Poway, Scripps Ranch, Mira Mesa, Otay, and more.
The point is there was plenty of cheap land available to make money on and the developers loved it. Then one day, they looked up realized they were out of land. While some of this kind of development still takes place, it is far more difficult than it was in the 70s and 80s.
Developers don’t just go away, they look for opportunities and they needed something. That something has become “in-fill.” It isn’t about anything other than money, that is where the money is now. No conspiracy, left, right, or center, just money.
Geoff, I dont need to peddle conspiracy theories when what I spoke of is clearly stated by many and what isnt, is the only explanation that makes sense.
If it was all just about capitalist developers making money why did they relax the parking requirements for these monster builds? They could get that much more money if they just added a few levels of underground parking, but they didnt. Theyre all using the loophole that no parking is needed if mass transit is available. Why have hundreds of parking spots in these same neighborhoods been eliminated in favor of bike lanes that see little use at the same time 5 story apts go up with no parking required? Is that just horrible planning? Im posting this in agreement with Franks bewilderment with the most likely answer. This bad planning IS being thrust upon the citizenry who dont want it. Its going to be the people on the bottom end of the socioeconomic ladder that will be hurt most. If all they have to gather and wave pitchforks and torches at now are capitalist developers, thats not going to alter the future. Theyre going to have to realize that a lot of the mess is going to have been created by officials they voted for and agendas they thought were a good idea, but were so contradictory they were disastrous. Like asking for affordable housing in gentrified condo builds
And we dont have to introduce conspiracy theories to see the elephant in the climate change room. These officials I am partly vilifying, have a huge responsibility on their shoulders. Their actions today or lack of, have the future of the earths ecosphere in mind. Yet very few of their constituants seem willing to change their rat race/consumption ways enough to make a difference. For the good of future generations change must be forced. Im stoic about this, perhaps it must be. How many EV charging stations are proposed for this project? How do you suppose obecians in multi family housing will charge their EVs? With Newsomes mandate of 2035 looming, we are told we can still own ICE vehicles but again the poor will be hurt because speculators will snatch up the existing supply.
Everyone rides the bus but the rich and that poverty will become multigenerational.
Lilah, thanks for commenting, some clarification:
I should have put “affordable” in quotation marks. Two of the units rent for $1,600. The third rents for $2,939.
I didn’t address impact on parking. With no on-site parking, tenants and their guests will park on the street in a beach area where parking is already a challenge.
About the “no elevator” issue. How many of us can walk up and down one or two flights of stairs (often carrying stuff) several times a day? You’d have to be in great physical shape to live there. That seems discriminatory.
Finally, let’s address the concept of “housing crisis.” Does it mean “not enough housing for people who already live and work in the area”? Or “not enough housing for everyone who might want to live there”?
San Diego families and low-wage earners, like workers in OB’s retail economy, need housing they can afford. These market-rate small units — square footage is 456 to 614, the standard size of resort hotel rooms — clearly are not for them. This project seems elite and exclusionary. Definitely not an OB vibe.
It just seems you’re very upset about a project far from where you live and I’m just telling you – respectfully as a longtime OB resident – that opening up our community to new residents IS an OB vibe, especially as it replaces a retail space that was constantly turning over. I can’t imagine getting worked up about a project going up in, say, North Park. It’s very weird to me, I have to be honest.
Yea, there it is again, the dig at editor dude because of where he lives. That is really trying to go low, lady. I think The Rag has picked up another troll.
What are you talking about Geoff? Kate Callen ran for office in District 3, she clearly doesn’t live in OB and yet wrote this piece, which is why I responded to her. What does this have to do with Frank? I’m very confused.
I apologize, I thought the comment was about where Frank lives. My mistake.
Lilah, the issues at hand here are actually citywide. North Park residents are plenty concerned about whats going on there for the exact same issues being voiced here. And both OB and North Park development planning hoes through the city of San Diego who have taken a citywide stance of runaway development. Its just not as visible here in OB because the height limit makes the block size developments of of North Park less profitable- for now. I agree with Geoff that capitalist investors are driving this but its only possible now that codes were relaxed by politicians.
As for Frank, he has managed this publication for many decades, his soul is in OB even if his body isnt always.
Lilah, you’re right, I don’t live in OB. But like San Diegans across the city, I cherish OB. Shortly after I moved here to join my (then-new) husband, he drove us to OB, we walked down Newport, and he said, “This is the real San Diego.” Like Balboa Park, OB is iconic, a treasured place. Watching outsiders parachute in to wring money out of OB’s “bright coastal vibe” is heart-rending.
Just because they are following the Municipal code does not make a project “right”. These type of development continue to price out residents and even future residents out of their communities. We all want neighbors, and your comment is misleading because we want neighbors who are able to afford house prices and have a livable lifestyle in OB. We don’t have a housing crisis issue, we have an affordability issue. Not only that but low income housing AMI are not attainable for many. Also, it does not fit the surrounding area because let’s face it this type of copy/paste architecture is hideous and does not fit the OB historical cottage homes we all have grown to love.
How does building a multi-family apartment building, with three affordable homes as a part of the plan, where a commercial space once stood price out current residents? Where there was zero homes there’ll be now 20 so it seems like future OB residents will be able to move in a space that wouldn’t exist otherwise (and those affordable units will provide a home for someone who never would have been able to move into OB otherwise).
On opposite sides of the streets of this corner lot are two apartment complexes, one of which is – to me – far uglier than this proposed design but also I’m sorry someone having a home is more important than my personal architectural preferences for a building I will rarely see (I occasionally walk by there). Heck, how would you feel if someone said we shouldn’t have built your home because it’s hideous? I’d tell them to hit the bricks in solidarity with you!
If these are your complaints then I don’t think my comments are misleading. There’s no conversations about what these new residents will add to our community, just surface level reasons why we shouldn’t open more opportunities for them to become a part of it. It’s really sad and I’m disappointed my welcoming beach town has so many people who want to build a wall around it.
Again, very misleading responses. OB is full of housing opportunities, this is not adding anything other than exclusive investment opportunities for elitist who are not part of the community. Each of the 17 units will obviously focus the higher ceiling of rent….. pricing out current/future residents. You are trading and raving about 3 affordable units for 17 luxury units that will price out everyone around.
I think its important to have an architecture perspective specially when most of these cheap builds have been incorporated into our city. Cheap materials and finishes that wont even last 10 years. Most of these homes have been around for 100 years. Lets face it this will not, It will only add to the affordability issue because its adding 17 luxury units. Again, nobody said no homes (misleading), we are all saying lets have something that helps the community and gives people a true home.
Third paragraph also misleading because nobody is saying to close opportunities, we are saying give residents a fair and attainable opportunity.
I am simply stuck on the idea that new housing will somehow price out surrounding residents. That’s just not true! Why do you keep saying such an obviously untrue thing?
Also most of those homes have NOT been around for 100 years, what are you talking about? Have you been in this part of OB before? Look I love OB but even I can see that so much of this post-WWII housing stock isn’t looking… youthful.
Finally I’m not being misleading. Everyone I’m engaging with in this comment thread keeps moving the goalposts to hide the baseline issue: none of you want more homes in OB. That’s fine! Just say it because at least it’s honest.
Do not know understand basic rentability, pro-formas, housing market appraisals? Why do you think management companies raise prices? These units will easily push prices up in our neighborhood and continue to push residents out.
I don think you know OB real well because there is a lot of history and homes who have been here for quiet some time. Yes, some don’t look great but they have plenty of history for all of us to learn from.
Again, third paragraph is misleading because no one is saying no “more homes in OB”. Why cant developers design a 8 cottage single story project in that lot and price them at 2k max? Because quoting this article they see “OB As a Cash Machine”.
that’s a strawman. i think it’s more like, they don’t want opportunistic, geared up to factory level, cash extracting, colonial style, venture capitalist “property bros”.
these guys are just extracting cash from neighborhoods, because of this sudden 40 acres and a mule ignoring of all zoning rules. that cash has to come from somewhere, and it will come from high non-affordable rents. other foreseeable things will happen too. as this seems obvious, i’m surprised it would be surprising.
the property bros will be long gone after their lemon is squeezed dry.
well, we’ll see.
Homes? Or rentals? What are the price for the beach area rentals? Are they affordable? Do they have parking? Sell to the highest bidder builders.
Great write up. Keep up the good work Kate! I find it surprising there can be a second floor without an elevator for ADA purposes.
Hmmm one can always separate those who grew up in apts, content with no yard, no back yard privacy for friends and family to BBQ in, no gated and locked yard for their kids to play in, vs those had goals to work hard, buy a house with a yard, garage, and achieved their goals. Keep in mind the dictator’s idea of “affordable” housing is you have to earn $110, 000.00 a year to qualify. So the new construction absolutely does not help those who need it the most.
Pats are you really saying that people who grow up in apartments don’t have goals or work hard?
Dumb statement and elitist. The issue isn’t apartments but whether or not these units going up will actually be long term residencies (as being claimed) or end up being vacation rentals.
Home ownership is not for everyone and no one should be opining that it is. Also no one should be judging others whether the choose to rent or own. I don’t care about having a back yard and don’t want to deal with the responsibilities that go with homeownership. Been there done that.
I lived for decades in OB as a renter; I had goals, a backyard, did BBQs, had friends – and importantly, was a contributing member of my community; served on the OB Planning Board and was involved in countless other community groups and causes. I’m not sure where Pats is going ….
I’m not sure Pats himself knows where he’s going with his post.
How about they make 50% (10 units) affordable? That would change community perceptions, and actually do something good for the community. AND they can still make a very nice profit. A much smaller profit. Heck, I’d even be amicable for them to AirBnB some of the less affordable units to subsidize the 10 affordable units. A paltry 20% of affordable units isn’t worth the giveaway to these developers. The City is missing an opportunity to REALLY make a dent in affordability with such a generous and loose requirement.
Wait so if you’re not getting 10 you’d rather have zero affordable homes built there?
Yes. Because developers can (and do) find ways to profit without charging a rate that can only be afforded by a few. So reject this plan and have another, more-reasonable and mindful developer step up.
If it were up to me, ALL housing units would be affordable to any and everyone. The absurdity that a small percentage of these MIGHT be affordable is something that’s been normalized by our society for far too long.
Housing is a right, not a privilege and certainly not one that we (through our local government) should allow a few privileged people with access to cash to profit at the expense of the least privileged of us. This is a free-market economy and there are thousands of other ways to make yourself rich without having to price out people from homes.
I own and live in my home in Ocean Beach and I fully understand how privileged I am to be able to do so. My home is just that – my home. Not an instrument for wealth. I have other ways to generate wealth and try to do so with the least amount of collateral damage as possible.
We should all be of the mindset that homes, like clean water, fresh air, and security are Rights and a premium on them should never be set!
To me, affordability and accessibility for housing are of primary concern. And affordable housing can (and many times does) enhance the aesthetics and “vibe” of a neighborhood.
This project does neither.
If we can’t make housing affordable and to some extent, accessible, in Ocean Beach, then the natural byproduct is exactly what almost everyone here is complaining about. Big, dense, boxes devoid of character and soul.
Of course, OB, being landlocked and almost fully built-out, can’t possibly house all that want to live here. And that sets up a natural price/rate for housing. What is offensive to me is when investor/developers like this exacerbate the problem with buildings designed to gentrify the neighborhood. That’s an unnatural price hike.
Progress to help people is good. Progress for Profit is not. The two aren’t typically mutually compatible. – no matter what the libertarians tell you.
Up-zoning like this leads to increased land value and reduces affordability.
Therefore no pathway to homeownership in any of these policies.
I know none of you are going to quit obfuscating and moving the goal posts on why you’re against this project as every suggestion as to why it shouldn’t happen immediately falls apart when you dig into it a little so I’m going to stop commenting after this post but I do want to point something out.
For all the talk of parking spaces and construction materials and “bros”, not a single person besides me has mentioned the actual people who will be moving into this complex. Which is the point of housing – to provide a home for someone.
All of you moved into Ocean Beach to a home that either was built for you or built for someone else but was more than just setbacks and parking spaces. You built a home and a life in OB that’s not just four walls. You’ve made this community better by being an active participant.
Now however you are looking to deny that same opportunity to others. Who knows who’ll move into these homes. Maybe it’s someone from the neighborhood who’s finally moving back to be closer to their parents after living on the other side of the country. Maybe it’s a young married couple looking to get involved in the town council. Maybe it’s someone who wants to be close to a business they’ll open on Newport.
I guess I wouldn’t want to talk about the people who moved into these places if I wanted to deny them those opportunities too.
I’m glad our community is building something new, especially on a street where nothing new’s gone up in more than a decade, that will be a great home for people who want to be a part of our community.
Your selfishness to deny others what has brought all of you so much joy is so sad. That’s why I urge each and every one of you to really think about what you’re fighting – you’re fighting against our community welcoming more people to it.
I’m not going to do that. I welcome this new project because behind each door that’s put up is a new OB story for someone. I think that’s beautiful and I wish all of you would too.
A home isn’t 450-600 sq ft. Is this the size of your place, miss YIMBY, Lilah, blah, blah? Cramming 20 units is not quality of life, it’s developer opportunists to turn a buck on lower income people with zero sprawl responsibility to the neighborhood. Once you’ve crammed enough clothes in the closet, it becomes full. Duh!
Im curious Lilah, have you been on Sunset Cliffs blvd from the end of 8 to Pt Loma ave or thereabouts during a peak traffic hour? Its essentially gridlocked with cars as far as the eye can see virtually at a standstill.
Its not just an inconvenience, its environmental with all those cars idling on warm summer days, creating air pollution. The city has no plans to improve that infrastructure and its hard to imagine how they could. While I understand the urge to call people NIMBYs when they oppose new developments, can you not understand that people who often sit for 20-30 minutes just to get to the freeway, might have legitimate complaints about their quality of life being negatively impacted by overdevelopment with a lack of planning for the supporting infrastructure? Mot sure if that echoes everyones sentiments here but I do have a friend living at Pescadero and SCB and I wont even bother visiting her on late friday afternoons in the summer, or when soccer practice ramps up at Robb field and backs traffic up all the way to Del Monte.
Ive lived in OB off and on since 1984, and in my experience those working class people and families you imagine want to come to OB arent living in condos like this project. You know who comes to mind? David Stebbins. When he built his house on WPL I watched in amazement as he drove his black mercedes to his office 3 blocks away on Voltaire and back every day. Not fomenting ire for the guy but he couldnt have been a worse fit for the community. More telling was the perception that he couldnt have cared less if he was. Just like the property bros saying they cant be stopped. Such brazen arrogance only seeks to destroy an existing community, not welcome others to be a part of it.
Ill concede your feelings that people dont want a lot more strangers coming here likely isnt far off the mark, but whats wrong with preserving the character and atmosphere of a long existing community? Especially when the strangers, AKA property bros and the clients theyre attracting, are so far away from the mindset of this community? Nobody is stopping them from plundering MB or PB, theyre approaching OB like an innocent sheep the wolves hadnt noticed yet.
I’ve avoided going to areas just bc of the area impact, the density, the lack of parking. Can’t support those businesses or restaurants. Silly to even think to take mass transit there. Character and atmosphere is gone. Oh yeah, just pile more people in. Great ambiance.
Whooooosh!!
Kate’s post yesterday, Tuesday 8/20, had nearly 1,000 views alone. There’s a lot of interest in this topic and proposed development in south OB.
Use your full real name, Lilah, and maybe you’ll get back on.
Oh dear, I was going to post something but I better not
Get into the conversation, CZ, and be on the civil and courteous side of the convu (not to say you aren’t normally). You’re a known person by me personally and I know you’re not a developer’s troll — just we have disagreements and we agree to disagree.
Anyone who uses their full name like Carl does is ok with me. We may not agree but at least the discussion is with a person – unless you are impersonating Mr. Zanolli – and not a troll.
Heard these bros said they want to make OB the next La Jolla and “dobt give a shit” what the community thinks,
Apparently the old bank and Niagara and cable is in their sites but they want that whole block up to the apartments behind Raglan. Luckily they are meeting resistance from current owners in that strip……
As a life long OB resident I have one word for the developers….NIMBY
What rules did ahe violate?
Ha! Thank you Todd Gloria. Fourteen units going up in single family neighborhood in Bay Ho. 4578 Jicarillo Ave, no parking. Neighbors started go fund me, hired some hot shot attorney firm which cost a fortune for some letters and emails. Waste of money. You can’t stop these developers. Trust we, we tried.
We are all going to die. Would you rather die on your feet, with a sword in your hand, or on your knees, with the oppressor’s boot across your neck? Your words of defeat ” You can’t stop these developers. Trust we, we tried.” are words of a person without hope. We NEED hope to make our existence meaningful. Much of this mess is the result of Todd Gloria’s policies. Want some hope? Let’s elect Larry Turner as Mayor of San Diego. https://larryturnerformayor.com/
Wars are not won or lost based on one battle. It takes perseverance.
Why do we need more homes in Ocean Beach. Parking is terrible, and it’s already jammed full. Where do the friends park? Leave OB alone. Plenty of space inland all the way to the Arizona border. Want to go to the beach? There’s this thing called highway 8. I’ve tried it and it works.
Wayne: I agree with what you’ve said above. But you have succinctly stated exactly what our current state and city politicians want. I can hear them cheering now.
I don’t believe they will change their minds until well after the damage is done in their own neighborhoods. Voting them all out and putting in a bunch of republicans may not fix the problem directly, but might “scare them straight” into finding out what their current constituencies want.
How about electing an Independent as Mayor?https://larryturnerformayor.com/
No elevator in a 3 story building?
Where’s that guy in a wheelchair who came thru this very ‘hood and brought wheelchair accessibility charges against all the businesses?
Can we have him (I think it was a him, pardon my mistake if it wasn’t), make another visit after this is built? After all, my magic 8ball says that in 2 years time, most of these units will be businesses, err, oh, sorry, I spelled ADU’s wrong.
You’re funny. Yeah, it was a guy. I don’t know of anyone in a wheelchair but I know there’s one lawyer who does only that; it’s a racket but unfortunately legal.
The message is: given a choice, people would rather live in Ocean Beach than Otay Mesa. This hearing is not just about these 20 units. It sets the model for everywhere a small business or a house with a big back yard is near you. Please try to attend IN PERSON on August 29. It is important to anyone – if nothing else, you will see how the planning commission works.
What has me chuckling is that for the most part, OB Rag readers and contributors are liberal progressive democrats.
The legislatures who passed these laws (Newsom, Gloria, et al) are supermajority democrat bodies, people who we have supported in the past. So this is a problem that we, as OB Rag readers, have caused ourselves. Yep, you can’t blame Donald Trump for this one.
If I could urge my neighbors to do one thing it would to be an informed voter. Get to know and understand who you are voting for. What is their history, what are their beliefs? Don’t vote emotionally or along strict party lines. Vote for the person who represents your views.
If you don’t want high density in your single family neighborhood, vote for the candidate who supports your view.
*** Some “ OB Rag readers and contributors are liberal progressive democrats.”
Corrected. You’re welcome in advance.
Just trying to keep it real Vern. And thank you! :-)