City Council approves AVA Pacific Beach plans to add 138 apartments

PACIFIC BEACH – AVA Pacific Beach on Ingraham Street, the neighborhood’s largest apartment complex, has plans to get bigger.

The apartment complex has proposed using some of its parking space and unused amenity areas to add 138 units, increasing its total number of apartments from 564 to 702.

“We are excited to develop more much-needed housing on the underutilized portions of the existing AVA Pacific Beach community,” said Albert Kao, director of development for Irvine-based AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

“When complete, the new project will feature 138 apartment homes, including seven affordable homes, two parking structures, a surface lot, open-space amenity areas, and landscape improvements, including a linear park along Jewell Street aimed at enhancing the pedestrian experience for the broader Pacific Beach community,” Kao said.

“These positive additions to the neighborhood, as well as its adherence to coastal height limits, have yielded near-universal support for the project,” he added.

The San Diego City Council recently unanimously approved the AVA Pacific Beach project expansion.

“This converts surface parking lots into much-needed dwelling units,” noted District 1 Councilmember Joe LaCava.

The large-scale project would still require approval by the California Coastal Commission, however.

In addition to new apartments, AvalonBay’s plans call for two new parking structures, outdoor courtyards, a bike repair station, seven subsidized apartments, and one surface parking lot. Once upgrades are completed, there will be 756 parking spots on-site.

City spokesperson Richard Berg said the project required a General Plan and Community Plan amendment, and a rezone to increase the density to allow for additional units on site.

“The development of those units requires a Coastal Development Permit. This project also required a decision from the City Council. Additionally, the land-use change and rezone are updates to the Local Coastal Program and Plan, and require the Coastal Commission to take action,” Berg said.  

Concerning what permits the developers need for their apartment expansion, Berg said, “The project includes a discretionary Coastal Development Permit, and the applicant will apply for their ministerial building permits once they are ready to construct.”

He noted the project has already received recommendations from the Community Planning Group and Planning Commission.

Berg added that an environmental impact report was prepared for the project and certified by the City Council. The final environmental document is posted at sandiego.gov.

A project planning consultant noted current parking lots at AVA Pacific Beach were only about 74% used, adding that the parking garage will be built first, so residents won’t be forced to search for parking in the surrounding neighborhood.

AvalonBay Communities has owned the property since 1997, purchasing it for $43.8 million. Built in 1969, the 12.96-acre complex has undergone numerous upgrades and name changes. Initially, it was called Oakwood Garden Apartments, which were advertised as private luxury garden apartments.

The project expansion was previously approved by the Pacific Beach Planning Group in May and the San Diego Planning Commission in October 2025. The AVA Pacific Beach proposal cannot be vetoed by the mayor.