Initial Responses to Ill-Advised City Council Vote on ADUs in Encanto

First the bad news:

A divided San Diego City Council approved a controversial housing development in Encanto on Tuesday, July 15, even as they acknowledged the 23-home project was made possible by a since-repealed policy that critics call racist.

The council voted 6-3 in favor of the project after Councilmember Henry Foster, who cast one of the “no” votes, searched unsuccessfully for grounds to reject it that were legally sound enough to satisfy his colleagues.

Council members who voted to approve the project said they had no choice, because the allegedly racist policy that had paved the way for it wasn’t repealed until April — long after the project had gotten far enough into the city’s approval pipeline to be deemed a complete proposal.

People in Encanto are very upset with this vote — which the Rag plans to cover. In the meantime ….

During the hearing, Paul Krueger spoke on behalf of the newly-formed San Diego Community Coalition. Paul is a long-time San Diego journalist, member of the influential Neighbors for a Better San Diego, and occasional contributor to the Rag. Here are his remarks as transcribed by a Rag writer:

I’d like to speak today on behalf of the San Diego Community Coalition which was formed earlier this year in response to concerns about the damage done by the Bonus ADU program. We represent 26 communities in San Diego, and we have given a voice to those are concerned, not only about the Bonus ADU program, but other issues including the Pacific Beach tower and Senate Bill 79, which you just heard Geoff Hueter speak about.

First, I’d like to echo Geoff’s concerns about the Mayor’s use of this legislative proxy to have the City’s lobbyist, who we pay for and who represents all of us, wrongly indicate to the State Legislature that our city supports SB 79. And I want to stress the impact of at least one of you, hopefully, making an issue of the complexity of this matter. We need to have a robust discussion about whether it’s appropriate for the Mayor to put forth a statement that this legislation is in fact supported by the city and all that the wording entails.

Second, I’d like to express on behalf of the Coalition and the countless neighborhood groups that helped persuade you to rein in the Bonus ADU abuse the extreme frustration and disappointment that we feel with now two delays [in final passage]. The predatory developers who are building these things use every day to bring forward another one of these units that are wreaking havoc in our communities. Thank you.