San Diego news watchers want to know: Will Mayor Gloria and the City of San Diego say, “Thanks but no thanks” to an elite 239-foot development proposed for Pacific Beach that community activists and a growing number of elected officials feel is an abuse of state bonus density law and could open the floodgates and eventually lead to the Miami-ization of the coast?

Latest Update

It looked for a while that there might not be any recourse for the community activists fighting Project Vela, the 22-story development proposed for Pacific Beach.

But now, after receiving guidance in mid-December from the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), the city has in its hands a roadmap for stopping the proposed development at 970 Turquoise Ave—if the evidence is there to support a denial.

And though the ball is in the city’s court, don’t expect a quick resolution. The Mayor’s office told S-REPORTER that it’s going to take time for the city’s Development Services Department (DSD) to compile the evidence and do its due diligence before it can approve or deny the project.

Rachel Laing, the city’s director of communications, told S-REPORTER that the technical guidance letter “will assist DSD in its review of the project, which will include gathering additional information from the applicant.” She noted that timing “will depend on when that additional information gets to us, but we expect it to be several months from now before a decision is made.”

But Marcella Bothwell, who helped orchestrate community opposition to Project Vela, including founding Neighbors for a Better California, is taking nothing for granted. She urges concerned citizens to send Mayor Gloria a message; on the NFBC website she has posted a template message that can be customized and sent using the link provided.

If you’re not familiar with this evolving San Diego news story, let me get you up to speed:

It’s August 2024.

Real estate developer Kalonymus proposes a Miami beach-like, 22-story high-rise a few blocks from the beach in north Pacific Beach that, critics charge, would not only violate the will of the voters by flouting a voter-enacted, 30-foot height limit but also change the character of the community, hurt the quality of life, and damage the environment by introducing hundreds of new cars into an already congested area.

This leads to a community uprising of sorts including the formation of formal entities like Neighbors for a Better California and San Diegans for Responsible Planning devoted to fighting the proposed development at 970 Turquoise. (Scott Chipman announced today that SDRP is merging with Marcella’s Neighbors for a Better California).

Critics of Project Vela include several elected officials like Senator Catherine Blakespear and even Mayor Todd Gloria—this in spite of his reputation for siding with developers.

Finally, in mid-September, the city seeks a “technical guidance” letter from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). They hope the letter clarifies if this primarily short-term rental project is properly aligned with the state density bonus Law.

The long anticipated HCD letter finally arrives mid-December. (Read it here). “This is as good of a letter as we could have hoped for,” said NFABC Chair Marcella Bothwell. City Councilman Joe LaCava calls it a game changer, as the state appears to be showing San Diego a little bit of deference and flexibility.

The biggest takeaway from the HCD letter, says Bothwell, is that it “gives San Diego the option of denying the permit. It specifically rejects counting the visitor accommodation units as housing, and it says that any waivers given can’t just help the project pencil out, but have to provide affordable housing.”

Yet, while it may give the project’s opponents some reason for optimism, the letter also confirms that the developer is eligible for the waivers they’re claiming.