OB Rag Staff Report
The controversial Midway Rising project will move one step closer to being a done deal on Tuesday, September 22, when the City Council receives a closed session briefing “regarding the price and payment terms for potential long-term ground leases.”
As the Union-Tribune reported August 20, “Although not formally docketed, the proposed real estate deal between the city and the development team is expected to be taken up by San Diego’s Land Use & Housing Committee on Oct. 8, Councilmember Kent Lee, who chairs the committee, told the [newspaper].”
City Hall wants to fast-track the project, but the public must still be heard. Tuesday’s closed session agenda notes that “public testimony … will be taken during the 10:00 a.m. Council meeting.”
For San Diegans who fear that the Midway project will result in overcrowding, traffic congestion, air pollution, loss of naturally occurring affordable housing, and flood risks from a rising water table, Tuesday will provide an opportunity to speak that was promised but not delivered at State Senator Akilah Weber Pierson’s shameful August 9 “Community Conversation.”
If you plan on commenting Tuesday, either in person or virtually, be aware that Council President Joe La Cava may look for ways to stop you from speaking.
On August 24, the Council took a formality vote to rescind Measure C, the initiative struck down in court that would have let Midway Rising exceed the 30-foot height limit.
When members of the public tried to voice objections to Midway Rising, La Cava tried to cut them off by insisting they could only talk about Measure C.
To prevent that from happening again, begin your comments Tuesday by emphasizing you want to address negotiations over the Midway Rising lease that the Council is about to consider. Then express your concerns about what the lease should and should not include.
