The Latest on ‘Protect Point Loma’ and 1004 Rosecrans

By Tyler Faurot / Point Loma – OB Monthly (SDU-T) / July 9, 2025 

A community that already has several civic activism groups now has another one — Protect Point Loma.

The 501(c)(4) nonprofit and self-described grassroots organization was formed earlier this year, spurred primarily by opposition to a plan to develop the lot at 1004 Rosecrans St. into a four-story, 56-unit apartment building with 1,700 square feet of commercial space on the first floor and basement parking with up to 45 spaces.  The site was formerly occupied by the San Diego County Credit Union.

Residential and commercial neighbors of the site argue the project lacks enough parking, which would further compound traffic along Rosecrans and Talbot streets and create safety problems for nearby Cabrillo Elementary School.

Others have voiced worries about the building’s size and how it would impact businesses during construction.

Protect Point Loma leaders say they seek to put pressure on the city of San Diego to address community concerns.

The group’s president, Eric Law, also is chairman of the Peninsula Community Planning Board, a group that advises the city on local land-use issues.

The new group, he said, can work differently than PCPB.

“With the planning board, we’re serving the community but as part of the city apparatus within the Community Plan,” Law said. “Our bylaws are accepted by the city and we operate under city guidelines as part of the project review process.”

Law said he has to “segregate” his work with Protect Point Loma to avoid an ethical dilemma.

“It would be ethically challenging at best to be an advocacy group opposing the city under [city] auspices,” he said.

Protect Point Loma co-founder Margaret Virissimo — a former nine-year member of the Peninsula Community Planning Board — said she suggested forming the new group as a conduit for community members who feel ignored by the city.

“We started another group called Point Loma Cares,” Virissimo said. “That group was pretty much focused on H Barracks [the city’s new ‘safe parking lot’ for homeless people across the boat channel from Liberty Station]. I suggested that we start a group that not only focused on 1004 Rosecrans but would have a bigger picture to stick around longer and follow up on some of the other issues that may be coming through the pipeline in Point Loma.”

Protect Point Loma joins other local civic organizations such as the Point Loma Association and Point Loma Assembly.

The Point Loma Association conducts landscape and landmark maintenance, informs residents about community projects and events and collaborates with community organizations and public officials “to voice our vision, concerns and support on behalf of residents.”

The Point Loma Assembly promotes social, educational, philanthropic, civic and artistic work and hosts Point Loma Playhouse at its more than century-old building on Talbot Street.

Opposition to the proposed development on Rosecrans stems largely from what many residents see as a lack of community input.

The application for the project was submitted last August to the San Diego Development Services Department on behalf of the property owner, a business entity called North Star Homes LP.

It proposes to designate eight of the building’s 56 units as affordable for lower-income people in order to qualify for a density bonus and ministerial, or city staff, review through the city’s “Complete Communities” program, which aims to bolster housing and mobility. It could allow the building to exceed the city’s 30-foot height limit for coastal areas as well as constraints on floor area ratio (the size of a building in relation to its lot).

With ministerial review, the city is not required to gather public input or hold a public hearing. Historically, developments of the type on Rosecrans have been subject to discretionary review, meaning the public gets an opportunity to weigh in.

The Peninsula Community Planning Board, as an advisory group to the city, typically was able to make what Law described as “suggested edits” on projects in the peninsula area. But ministerial review has effectively kept the planning board, and the community at large, out of the discussion about 1004 Rosecrans, he said.

Richard Berg, a spokesman for the Development Services Department, previously told the Point Loma-OB Monthly that the Rosecrans project’s permit review includes whether it meets city parking and traffic standards.

But Protect Point Loma has been spending the past few months working to raise awareness of the project through town hall meetings and rallying community members in protest.

Leaders also have focused on potentially bringing a lawsuit against the city over the issue.

In March, San Diego land-use attorney Julie Hamilton wrote a letter to Development Services Department Director Elyse Lowe on behalf of Protect Point Loma, listing concerns that could be grounds for litigation if the DSD issues permits for the development.

The letter questions the grounds on which the project qualifies for the Complete Communities density bonus, saying that because there is no “existing or proposed major transit stop” within a mile walking distance of the project site, it cannot qualify as a transit priority area or sustainable development area.

“Therefore, this project is not eligible for [Complete Communities],” the letter states.

Development Services confirmed it received the letter but did not disclose any response.

“The foundation for a sustainable development area and transit priority area is high-quality transit,” Law said. “‘High-quality transit’ has a legal definition. It used to be a service of a particular type with frequency which, up until the beginning of this year, was every 15 minutes.

“What they don’t tell you is that type of service doesn’t have to exist — it’s a promissory note, it’s an IOU. So, according to the city, if they promise to put in transit that meets those conditions by 2035, they can call it sustainable development. But there is no bus actually planned by MTS [Metropolitan Transit System] and it’s not funded. So there’s no foundation for calling this a sustainable development area other than an IOU that’s never going to be funded.”

The Rosecrans project is still marked as “in review” by the DSD. Protect Point Loma cannot litigate it until a permit is issued.

But if permits are approved in the project’s current iteration, the group feels there is enough material to legitimately challenge the permits in court, Law said.

“They’re being diligent in going through the process,” Law said of the DSD review. “It’s not going any faster or slower than we would expect of a project of this scope and scale. They look to be doing their job. It’s the decision-making process that comes alongside that. That’s what would be at fault.”

In the meantime, Virissimo said she’s networking with community groups across San Diego with similar grievances toward Complete Communities. She said the density bonus program affects each neighborhood differently.

“We’d like to see a dissection of Complete Communities and we’d like to see legal action taken against it so we can see what makes up for each neighborhood,” Virissimo said. “We would like to see it being tailored for each community like the coastal community plans were at one point.”

“I used to see projects come through for Point Loma through the city planning boards and I was able to go back to the community and say ‘Hey, we’re reviewing this project, come tell us your thoughts’ and also open it to the neighbors to give their input, and it worked out really well,” Virissimo added. “The city was really listening to our suggested edits and feedback. Nowadays, you see a project come through the pipeline and then it gets built with tons of issues and no one can provide their input.”

Yard signs prepared by Protect Point Loma express opposition to an apartment/commercial building planned for Rosecrans Street. (Margaret Virissimo)
Virissimo and Law emphasized that they do not oppose new housing in the peninsula area.

“I want young people moving in on my street, but they can’t afford it,” Law said. “It’s not ‘Don’t build in our backyard.’ It’s ‘Build the right thing in our backyard.’”

“We need development, and development is going to come whether we like it or not,” Virissimo said. “But at what capacity?”

Virissimo said she anticipates Protect Point Loma will last beyond the battle over the Rosecrans project to act as a support group for community members who have other challenges.

She said neighborhood groups similar to Protect Point Loma are considering the idea of holding a rally to bring awareness to those issues.

For more information about Protect Point Loma, visit protectpointloma.com.