How a Small OB Neighborhood Rose Up to Fight a 12-Unit ADU ‘Farm’ on a Single-Family Lot

By Michael Hernandez

It was a night like any other for Ocean Beach resident Scott Martinez, who says he was playing Scrabble in the garage of his next-door neighbor in the 4600 block of Del Mar Avenue when another neighbor popped in with news that left their jaws on the floor. A single-family home in the neighborhood was put up for sale, with a proposal for the construction of a 12-unit ADU “farm” in the backyard. Almost immediately, neighbors began to organize, and Scott found himself swept up in the fight to stop the project in its tracks.

The property at the center of this issue is 4637 Del Mar Avenue. Neighbors say the house used to belong to an elderly woman who lived there for decades. After her death, her children sold the house, and up until recently, it was listed as a short-term rental. However, neighbors allege the property may not have had the proper notices required by the City of San Diego for Airbnbs and other short-term rentals.

Melissa Scherer, another neighborhood resident who has lived on the block for about four years now, is deeply involved in the fight against the potential ADU farm. She recounts how early one Sunday morning in September, a maintenance crew arrived and began to do some work on the lawn and the house. By that afternoon, the crew was installing the frame for a real estate sign.

Melissa says she was surprised to see the property go up for sale after only a couple of years and decided to do some investigating. What she found is that the price on the online listings for the property was significantly higher than the typical asking price for a single-family home of that square footage. That’s because the listing pitched the approval of two ADUs in the backyard, but an artist rendering showed the potential for 12 ADUs stacked tightly together.

Word spread quickly among neighbors, who rallied together to attend an Open House at the property the next day. Outside the home, the group put up signs and gathered other residents’ signatures and contact information. As the Open House took place inside, the group held a meeting right outside on the street and made their voices heard. According to Scott Martinez, a subsequent Open House scheduled for the next day was cancelled following the group’s demonstration.

Both Scott and Melissa made sure to note the group is not against the construction of ADUs. In fact, the presence of one or two backyard ADUs in the area is not uncommon. What they are opposed to is the abuse of loopholes created by laws at both the state and city level. Developers use these to build massive ADU “farms” like the one proposed here. Of the issue, Melissa said, “None of us are opposed to building. We’re not opposed to development. We just want to see something appropriate for the nature and character of the neighborhood, and a 12-unit apartment complex is not consistent with what the neighborhood is”.

The number of neighbors joining the movement to stop this project continues to grow. Several group meetings have been held to see what they can do to appeal to the City and ensure whatever does end up being developed is in accordance with the Ocean Beach Community Plan. Moving forward, the group is making plans to meet with the Ocean Beach Planning Board again. The group is also currently vetting lawyers and a property consultant to get an expert’s point of view on the matter.

According to Melissa, for most neighbors, the home they purchased on the block is the home they plan to retire in. She pointed out that many saved up money their entire lives to afford them. Now, this potential development is putting all that at risk. Melissa says next to the property in question lives an elderly couple who have been there for over 20 years. She says the entire community looks out for the couple, and after speaking at length with their families, they are worried that if this level of construction is approved, they will have to move the couple out of their forever home. Another neighbor two doors down in his 90s is allegedly in the same situation. This highlights how the project may not just displace some more senior residents but also cause unnecessary stress to concerned family members.

Another issue, says Melissa, is that the neighborhood simply lacks the infrastructure to support the transition from low/medium-density to high-density housing. In terms of community health, schooling, and groceries: Ocean Beach features a small number of private practices but lacks a full-scale public community health clinic; there is only one public elementary school located directly within the neighborhood; and there are no grocery stores within a walkable distance of Del Mar Avenue. She says transitioning a single-family street to high density requires “unbelievable infrastructure” for it. Which raises other questions, including “is the state going to come in and upgrade the power grid? The water system?”

To any other community facing a similar challenge, Melissa says to be involved in an effort like this one must:

“… put in the time, talk to your neighbors, be vocal, be loud, and share your opinions, and go to your city council and to the planning committees. Because, as tax-paying voters, if we don’t make our opinions known, the people who represent us don’t know what they are, and you really have to express your opinions, but also make sure to hold the city accountable to making sure that the process and regulations are applied to everyone”.

According to its listing on Zillow, the house was pulled off the market on October 8, just one day after the initial story broke. That does not in any way mean developers have given up, however. In the meantime, the group is in the process of creating an official Facebook page and a flyer. They also plan to continue putting out more signs and gather more signatures for an open letter. Lastly, some members are set to raise their concerns at a housing commission meeting on the 5th of November.