By Geoff Page
On August 29, 2024, the people of OB came away with a rare victory, winning an appeal before the Planning Commission. The appeal involved a proposed, ridiculously dense, project on the southwest corner of Ebers Street and Point Loma Ave.
Because there appeared to be a legal conflict between the Complete Communities plan and the Municipal Code, the commissioners approved the appeal. However, here is what Vice Chair Matthew Boomhower, who was chairing the meeting, had to say in his closing remarks:
(to city staff) I hope you take this as an opportunity to change the Municipal code. I think it is a great project. Normally, I and the rest of this commission would have wholeheartedly supported it and denied the appeal.
There is clearly a world of difference between the people sitting on that commission and the rest of us.
Now, it appears that effort to “fix” this problem for the city is upon us. Here is the proposed change to the Land Development Code that would “fix” this for the city. The Municipal Code the city wants to change is §143.1002 “Application of Complete Communities Housing Solutions Regulations.”
Subparagraph (b) states “The regulations in this Division shall not apply to the following types of development:”
(Current text)
(6) Development located within a designated historical district or subject to the Old Town San Diego Planned District.
(7) Development that includes visitor accommodations, except an SRO hotel.
Item, (6) was what saved OB last year.
(New text)
(6) Development located within a designated historical district or subject to the Old Town San Diego Planned District., with the following exceptions:
(A) Development on properties that are not designated as contributing resources to the Ocean Beach Cottage Emerging Historical District; and
(B) Development on properties that are not designated as contributing resources to the Chinese Asian Thematic
Historical District.
(7) Development that is subject to the Old Town San Diego Planned District.
(8) Development that includes visitor accommodation, except an SRO hotel. (Our emphasis)
The specific wording the city is proposing that will remove most of Ocean Beach’s protection from the mayor’s Complete Communities plan is “(A) Development on properties that are not designated as contributing resources to the Ocean Beach Cottage Emerging Historical District;”
One of the arguments the city staff used to recommend denying the appeal last year was that the building on the site was not designated as a “contributing resource” to OB’s Cottage Emerging Historical District. There was no basis for their argument then but this change fixes that problem.
If this change is allowed, the developer can come right back to the site and get that same project approved. That is how serious this is.
The Land Use Change Process
The Rag received a notice from SOHO – Save Our Heritage Organization – that stated:
The City of San Diego has quietly scheduled a “Preservation & Progress” Virtual Workshop for Tuesday, October 8 at 2pm with less than a week’s notice, leaving the community a shorter window of time to review, strategize, and respond.
The notice was critical of how the city was handling the process stating:
This event appears to be simply another presentation of predetermined proposals presented under the banner of “balancing preservation and progress.” The public deserves transparency and real participation—not last-minute announcements sidelining community organizing.
That sentiment would resonate with a great many people who have dealt with the city.
Bruce Coons, longtime advocate for historical preservation, and SOHO Executive Director attended the virtual workshop and provided information about the proposed changes and the full process to bring the changes into the Municipal Code.
Coons believes that the most serious of the changes has to do with allowing a de novo appeals process. Here is what SOHO had to say in its notice:
De Novo
A de novo process would allow the City Council to rehear historic designation cases from scratch— overriding the determinations of the Historical Resources Board (HRB), a body of trained experts in history, architecture, and archaeology. This politicizes what should remain a fact-based, impartial process.
- It gives developers but not advocates a second bite at the apple
- It creates unnecessary costs, delays, and uncertainty
- It weakens public trust in the preservation program
This is as Trumpian as you can get. Just another way Gloria can cut out the voice of the public.
For the folks of Ocean Beach, the equally serious change would be to let the Complete Communities floodgates open.
Luckily, the process to change land use codes is lengthy providing opportunities to oppose the changes.
The workshop was a start, albeit not much of one, intentionally. Coons said the changes then go to the Policy Subcommittee of the Historic Resources Board next Monday, October 13, downtown at 3:30 p.m.
From there, the changes go to the full Historical Resources Board October 23. The next stop is the Community Planners Committee – the central group of all the community planning groups in the city – in early November.
By early December, the changes will be at the Land Use and Housing subcommittee. Then on to the Planning Commission and City Council with adoption sometime in January.
The public can, and should, voice opposition all along this process wherever possible. SOHO provided the following points about the de novo threat and the threat to OB’s historical status anyone could use when contacting the city:
- Reject the proposed de novo appeal process—keep HRB decisions impartial, expert, and fact-based. A “do-over” process would let the City Council ignore the experts and make historic designation decisions based on politics, not facts.
- Protect and complete San Diego’s historic districts, including Ocean Beach, and create a clear path for National Register Districts to gain local recognition. Historic districts don’t hinder progress, they preserve identity, promote sustainability, and ensure smart growth that respects community character.
SOHO has three other suggested points to make:
- Focus on true preservation: adaptive reuse, infill, and design guidelines—not fast-tracking demolition in the name of new construction.
- Strengthen, don’t weaken, San Diego’s preservation policies.
- San Diego’s historic homes and neighborhoods are a vital part of our city’s identity, affordability, and sustainability.
For more information go to SOHO’s website . They are the best source of accurate information for this. For anyone unfamiliar with the acronym SOHO, they are the preeminent non-profit historic preservation organization in San Diego. The organization began in 1969. Check out their history .
The public can comment to the city on-line at ; https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/e0d989551042482a80386110ae91f92e
The link was set up for the workshop comments but appears to still be working.
Another option is to send an email to historicplanning@sandiego.gov.
This is important reporting by Geoff Page and needs to be read and understood by every OBcean and Pt Loman who cheered when the Planning Commission denied the project back in August 2024.
See there everyone… Editor Dude says PAY ATTENTION!!! IMPORTANT.
The City is trying to hoodwink us all. Again.
TWO big meetings so far voting to maintain Historical Designation for OB. OB will need its citizens in action to prevent new laws from being passed that would essentially redesign our community.
Re: ” Except for: (A) Development on properties that are not designated as contributing resources to the Ocean Beach Cottage Emerging Historical District;” I cannot believe that the Municipal Code explicitly takes away the rights of Ocean Beach only. I think it is also happening elsewhere that only an owner can apply to be a “contributing resource.” That is a double slam on who we are.
Exceptions to exceptions, loopholes within a skanky dodgy City scheme called Complete Communities. At what point is an exception to an exception still in violation of the OB Community Plan and grounds for a lawsuit? So if the City is writing exceptions in to its myriad of often poorly written documents, can we OBceans suggest some edits to the Community Plan that halts these little loophole exception attempts which someone thinks are so crafty?
Thx much Geoff, for writing this. You work will hopefully galvanize community acitivsts to oppose this change, put pressure on your councilmember to do the same, and speak out at city council hearings on this issue.