The call went out to other “SavePB” members, “Gather on October 9th at 5:45 p.m. in the library courtyard, where speakers and media will be present.”
It was all about showing up to protest a planned 23-story building being proposed for 970 Turquoise Street before the PB Planning Group meeting where the developer is going to present the plan to the group.
The meetings, SavePB says, “are crucial because you will hear about the disregard of building rules and coastal height limits and their negative impacts on Pacific Beach.
Join us before the meeting to voice your concerns in public. Taylor Library, 4275 Cass St.”
PB residents are also fighting a 5-story building on Garnet (more of that later). SavePB members were also given this outline:
970 Turquoise: Vela, 23-story building
At the north corner of Cass and Tourquoise, where the German Motors garage, Freddy’s Liquor store, and the French Gourmet, now closed, are located, a 23-story building project is proposed on four lots. 23-story privately funded high rise in Pacific Beach
Height: 238 ft and 4 1/2 inches
4 parcels
Hotel: 139 visitor accommodations on 9 floors
Housing 74 units with 10 units (5 very low income and 5 moderate income)
Waives received by this project (City by law cannot turn down these waivers), 30 ft height limit 1972 Proposition D, 60 ft height limit Community Commercial.
How is this a discretionary permit only seen by the City of SD Development Services Department reviewers, NOT the Planning Commission, NOT the City Council, and doesn’t require notice from the Pacific Beach Planning Group or neighbors within 300 feet? It will look like a skyscraper against the businesses on that block and the neighborhood behind it.
How can a hotel be placed within 23-story buildings with 5% affordable housing?
Traffic congestion: Roads and intersections are not prepared for this much increased traffic during and after construction.
SD Fire Department needs capabilities to combat emergencies in a 23-story building.
Water and sewer infrastructure needs to have the capacity for such a development.
The 5-story building in contention is at 2661 Garnet and has the quaint name of Rose Creek Village. Here’s SavePB:
Remember Wasabi Sushi restaurant at 2661 Garnet Ave on a small triangular lot across from Weinerschnitzel and next to Rose Creek? Despite a 1972 voter-enacted law that keeps building heights at 30 feet or less in coastal neighborhoods, the City has approved funding for a five-story building on that lot. This will be a roughly 60-foot-tall building with 60 units for low-income tenants and only 9 parking spaces. The structure will overshadow Rose Creek. (see images below). We have questions for the developer and the City:
What is the City’s reason for ignoring the coastal height limit of 30 feet? Click here for a thorough editorial on this issue.
Considering the potential risks and negative environmental impacts of building a tall building beside Rose Creek, has the City’s Planning Department carefully evaluated the potential for flooding, soil stability, and ecosystem disruption?
The location is one of the busiest traffic-wise in PB. With only 9 parking spaces, has the City considered Residents’ concerns about increased traffic, noise, and parking?
Please take the time to join us at the rally and press conference. There is power in numbers.
Respectfully,
Suzanne, Scott, Marcie and Marcella at SavePB.org
We don’t want this in Pacific Beach! It does not provide adequate parking. This puts undue hardship on the residents and be a major inconvenience to visitors. Buildings like this should not be built. It will be major eyesore in the community.
Why don’t you let the residents worry about parking and why don’t we celebrate 60 affordable units – something everyone on this website claims is THE thing we need to tackle our housing shortage – coming to a community that has become unaffordable to everyone.
Or is it that when push comes to shove everyone here will find a reason not to support housing because the truth is no one here actually wants this crisis to be solved if it means things changing ever so slightly. I think we know the answer!
“Amelia Anderson” is not the commenter’s true name and he/she have been determined to be a genuine troll – they come on here and harass other commenters and keep coming up with new handles once they’ve been discovered.
Does anyone really believe it won’t stop. My mom and her friends walked PB so there would not only be another Capri. This is frustrating.
Who puts a 23 story building on Turquoise? It will be a mess. I live in Poway, and our city xoubcil has lined
Please keep me updated on fu info on the 23 Story building proposed on Cass in PB. Thank you
So I’m counting 213 total units, 5 of which will be affordable for 15 years.
Because we all know the “moderate” 110% AMI units are basically market rate.
Since when do hotel rooms justify busting the height limit? The hotel portion should be restricted to 3 stories to start.
Are the 74 housing units going to be condos or apartments or both? Will individual units be for sale or for rent only by the owner of the building? Will the housing units have the option of being used for long term residents or as short term rentals with a tier three license?
The real culprits behind The Pencil are Todd Gloria and Toni Atkins, who changed California Law at the State Legislature to enable their land developer buddies to build any damn thing they want anywhere in California, as long as the menton “affordable housng” in their permit applications. This outrage needs to be cut off at the roots, both Todd Gloria needs to be voted out of office, someone else needs to be elected governor than Toni Atkins and we need a new clean slate in Sacramento.
5 story; maybe? 23 story: no way!
Gloria & Atkins: defeat would be a real treat for all, especially me!
Protect our Coast from this onslaught: it must be stopped!
Give me a posted on this please. I only Leilani’s Café and turbine and Castry thank you.
According to SDUT, the hotel accommodations will be rented out as long term market rate units. The commercial zoning of the parcels allowed the development of hotel rooms. And “The city’s municipal code allowed the long-term rental of visitor accommodations under the version that was effective at the time the developer’s permit application was submitted, the developer said. The regulations were changed in the most recent development code update, which went into effect this month, to specify that visitor accommodation lodging, other than single-room occupancy units, can be no longer be used for stays of more than 30 days.”
“Under the city’s zoning regulations at the time the project was submitted and vested under local and state law, visitor accommodation uses permitted longer-term stays of more than 30 days,” Awbrey, the developer’s spokesperson, said.”
These people find every loophole they can. Maybe they got help.
“Transit and housing advocacy group Circulate San Diego is pleased with the application of the state law.
“The Turquoise project is one of the first in San Diego to utilize AB 1287, and as the principal sponsor of this bill, we’re excited to see it supporting the construction of both affordable and middle-income homes,” said Jeremy Bloom, an executive with Circulate San Diego. “It’s promising to see this legislative tool being used as intended to help address our region’s housing affordability challenges.”
Stephanie – You hit on a very important point: “Transit and housing advocacy group Circulate San Diego is pleased with the application of the state law.
“The Turquoise project is one of the first in San Diego to utilize AB 1287, and as the principal sponsor of this bill, we’re excited to see it supporting the construction of both affordable and middle-income homes,” said Jeremy Bloom, an executive with Circulate San Diego. “It’s promising to see this legislative tool being used as intended to help address our region’s housing affordability challenges.”
And David Alvarez, of all people, is the author of AB 1287.
I don’t live anywhere near the beach, but the 30 foot height limit is important to me. The 30 foot limit means that I can see, and enjoy the expanse of our great and beautiful blue-gray ocean without actually having to wade through the streets and crowds of the coastal communities. It’s a public benefit that all of us can enjoy that our politicians are in the process of selling off. It’s shameful.
Why is the protest scheduled on a Padres playoff night?
I don’t think it was intentional as it was planned to be just before the PB Planning Committee met on their regular meeting night.
It’s PB, not downtown. I can’t believe they’re proposing 23 stories. Absolute insanity.
Why put a 23 story building on Turquoise? The congestion will be a nightmare.
My mom and her friends walked PB to prevent another Capri from being built. I thought there was a height limit. If one or two are built do you really think that will be the end?
I live in Poway now, our city decided to build more housing using catch words like “affordable housing”. Poway Rd is ugly. Driving east I can’t see the mountains like I use to.
PB was a quiet little beach town in the 70s. It can’t go back, but people can prevent it from turning into an eye sore.
if this happens in Pacific Beach, it won’t stop in Pacific Beach…
everyone in San Diego better watch out or a mega story hotel/luxury apartments with a couple “low-income housing units” with no parking is bound for your neighborhoods too…
It’s already happening everywhere else. University & Nobel Drive is getting two 40 story towers and one 23 story tower, with only about 3% of the units low income. There are going to be fewer units of affordable housing on that site than is already there!
When is the next meeting to oppose this monstrosity? Excessive height blocks air flow & view: STOP IT!
A thought came to mind, the mayor and city council of San Diego will do anything for money. What they want developed in PB. for instance.
The solution to stopping the run-away development we are experiencing begins with stopping Todd (who never met a millionaire developer he didn’t like) Gloria. A vote for Larry Turner is a vote against this project.