By Paul Krueger
More than 50 Middletown residents and their supporters waved signs, marched, and demonstrated their vehement opposition to a proposed high-rise in one of San Diego’s oldest residential districts.
The scene of Saturday, August 2nd’s demonstration was the 3600 block of Columbia Street, just up the hill from El Indio, the Shakespeare Pub, and other restaurants and businesses on India Street. It’s a quiet, densely populated neighborhood of single family homes and moderately-sized two- and three-story apartment buildings. The streets are narrow. Parking is scarce.
Scott Case, his Middletown neighbors, and business owners on India Street love their neighborhood, and are working tirelessly to stop a proposed 14-story, 161-unit apartment tower that would be crammed into two residential lots on Columbia Street.
At Saturday’s rally, Case explained the threats posed by the project, speaking with passion to his supporters and an impressive number of news crews.
Case blasted the Elda Development and the city’s “Complete Communities” zoning law for trying to plant the 172-foot luxury high-rise in the middle of a low-profile collection of single family homes and older, still-affordable apartment buildings.
While Mayor Todd Gloria claims the “Complete Communities” program is designed to encourage more affordable housing, Elda Development would set aside just six of 161 units for reduced rents (not counting the three affordable units that would be demolished to make way for the tower). Case notes that the developer’s investment prospectus lists estimated rents from $3,000 for a studio to $10,000 for a penthouse. And almost 80 percent of the proposed units would be studios or one-bedrooms, which are too small for families.
“We say, responsible growth, not corporate greed,” Case told the crowd. And aiming his words at the developer, he said, “Elda Development is not virtuous. You are vultures. Your very public, discoverable behavior shows you are untrustworthy.”
Case also noted that Elda Development will avoid paying $1.5 million in Development Impact Fees (DIFs) and $270,000 in school fees by building so many small units, which are exempt from those much-needed fees.
He cited other drawbacks to the proposal, including the lack of parking (70 spaces for 161 units), increased fire risk and lack of access for emergency vehicles, the existence of an earthquake fault directly underneath the proposed high-rise, and the possible obstruction of the San Diego Airport flight path.
Ahmed Eldahmy, CEO of Elda Development issued a statement in response to those and other criticisms. “It’s unfortunate that developers who are working tirelessly to help solve San Diego’s housing are continually bullied by community members who refuse to participate in the solution,” Eldahmy said. “It appears the wealthy neighbors living up the hill do not care about the housing crisis and instead appear only to care about protecting their net worth.”
Protest organizer Scott Case rejected that criticism. “Elda Development has not made any overtures to talk with the neighborhood or participate in a solution,” Case said, “To the contrary, residents feel ignored by the City’s process, which locks them out of any review and comment, and feel that Elda is using its political levers to push this through against the will of the community.”
For more info on the Columbia Street highrise, go here.
For mainstream media reports on the protest, go here for CBS 8 Story:
For Times of San Diego story go here.
For NBC here
A recent article noted how small all of these units are, and how suitable they are for one thing: Vacation Rentals in San Diego. At a convention of developers, Airbnb was a major sponsor for the events there. The units are designed for this ultimate destination use.
Is there a reason the media never mentions the legal troubles Mr. Almehdy has had? Having to surrender his pharmacist license and close his two pharmacies? The state’s case against him revealed he charged patients for more expensive diabetes meds rather than generics, but now he’s “working tirelessly” to solve San Diego’s housing shortage. And progressive YIMBY’s will back him regardless?
Hey Paul, Bonnie, Patti and Marcella, do you ever look around and wonder why there’s no mass support for your anti-housing and anti-human belief structure or is the lack of it a perverse vindication that you’re truly heroes in your own mind for trying to stop more people from living in San Diego? Considering how it’s the same 10 people at the center of all this complaining, I’d be more introspective but I know that’s not your jam because if you saw the true damage you’ve done over the last 20 years of fighting new housing in San Diego – pushing out an entire generation of San Diegans because of your selfishness and inability to handle change – I would think you’d repent and ask for forgiveness, especially when there’s literally no proof supporting your belief stucture. Excited for Frank or Kate to block me again but don’t worry I’ll be back to make you uncomfortable soon! I’ve been kicked off and returned to this website more than I count haha.
How come the crowd opposing this is almost always older, white folks? But the people who are YIMBYS and want housing are younger and more diverse?
Answer my question, why? I can’t figure out why all the NIMBYS are old and white.
Because when you are older you are wiser and know more than most young people.
I’m a professor at UCSD, I did a poll in my class asking who wants density and who doesn’t, the yimby density side only got a few votes and the pro neighborhood character anti developer side got the majority of votes, young people actually support neighborhoods, they do not support YIMBY, it’s just that young people are too busy to go out and support the community coalitions and neighbors for a better San Diego but when they have time they come out and support them. Also most YIMBYS are actually old people, not the other way around.
Thanks for the laugh.
When have the YIMBYS held a rally in support of one of these out of scale projects where 60 people show up on a Saturday morning?
YIMBYS are a building industry front group with no grassroots support from any community. The only YIMBY events people attend are political fundraisers.
I’m a professor at UCSD, for obvious reasons not using my real name but I did a poll in my class asking who wants density and who doesn’t, the yimby density side only got a few votes and the pro neighborhood character anti developer side got the majority of votes, young people actually support neighborhoods, they do not support YIMBY, it’s just that young people are too busy to go out and support the community coalitions and neighbors for a better San Diego but when they have time they come out and support them. Also most YIMBYS are actually old people, not the other way around.
Density = Politico-Corporate Real Estate Market manipulation. Actually having participated Roy, there was a diverse ranging age group protesting this dangerous proposal. Most importantly, the growing San Diego Community Coalition, that is proudly made up of members from all nine districts, SHOWED UP!
In response to your improper generalization:
A lot of our younger supporters have to work three jobs to pay forever increasing rents due to irresponsible, monopolistic corporate housing policies that have flooded tens and tens of thousands of overpriced rentals onto the market for 20 years that you champion.
Catch up with the rest of the class Roy. Younger people are a lot smarter than you credit them for being. Obnoxious use of acronyms and name calling give your profiteering game away. Don’t be that guy man, don’t be that guy.
Nearly 40% of the single family homes were sold since ’08 went to corporations and LLC’s. Forvever removing purchasable housing from the market for young San Diegans. Homeowners didn’t do this. California politicians from the City, the County and the State did nothing but profit from it.
Predatory housing policies have eliminated starter housing that “our younger supporters” should have had a reasonable expectation to purchase. Erased forever by the Politico-Corporate Real Estate Monopolies.
Rentals, cannot be purchased like say a condominium in the absence of starter homes like they were in the late 70s/80s/90s. So constructing more overpriced rentals solves nothing but creates Housing Inflation that is starting to tank the economy.
Nutin has been built for the last 20 years but heinously overpriced rentals built by the tens of thousands in Soviet Bloc Style Warehouse buildings replete with burnt orange and olive green doors. (lease refer to the last 20 years in any West Coast city.)
High Density Apartment projects are so heavily subsidized on the State, City, County and Federal level, that the corporate landlords can maintain artificially manipulated high rents on the mostly vacant units for years and years to come. Thereby creating their own Return on Investment and borrowing against the value of the project to continue buying up all of the naturally occurring affordable housing and repeating the process. Locals be damned!
Naturally occurring affordable housing has been demolished at rate 170 times greater than any, if any, new construction of affordable housing has been built or ever will be. As policy this is a cruel, direct violation of the City charter which specifically states shelter in place and preserve existing affordable housing, not to mention antithetical to their oath of office as “elected” officials.
There are no laws requiring City of San Diego permit issued affordable housing projects be built, ever, off-site or on-site And they never are.
Who’s kids are you worried about? Many of the participants have grown children themselves that were forced to flee their hometown like the all the rest of the Politico-Corporate Real Estate refugees from California.
Roy you should take heart in knowing there are still grown ups in this world actually walking the talk.
Step away from the darkside Roy, you are on the wrong side of history and you know it. Deep, down inside, you fricking know it!
‘ProgressivePam’ is an oxymoron handle if she’s sincere about her comments. YIMBYS are one of two things: naive that build build build will actually solve the housing affordability crisis–the bulk of what’s being built is market-rate rentals. Or they’re paid shills for the tech and developer lobbies. As always, follow the money.
The term “Complete Communities” is such a farce of a
The term when applied to fraud Gloria’s misguided housing objectives. It’s not a Complete Community plan if the community stakeholders have no say in what happens in their established historic neighborhood.