In preparation for what advocacy group Neighbors for a Better California calls “a heated battle” against a proposed development for Turquoise Street in north Pacific Beach, the organization is seeking “big donors” to contribute to a planned fundraising campaign.
At the March 5 La Jolla Community Planning Association meeting, Neighbors for a Better California Chairwoman Marcella Bothwell announced that the organization is looking to raise upwards of $150,000 in the coming months. The issue was discussed as an information item only and no vote or action was taken.
The controversial 239-foot-tall residential-commercial building has been dubbed the “Turquoise Tower” by locals.
Ten of the proposed 214 residential units are designated for very-low- to middle-income households. A large portion — 139 units — is described as visitor accommodations, or hotel rooms, though the developer has said it plans to use those units as market-rate apartments. The plan also includes ground-floor shops and 311 parking spaces.
The project would bypass San Diego’s Proposition D, which city voters approved in 1972 and generally limits the height of new buildings to 30 feet in coastal areas west of Interstate 5. It would do so via a state density bonus law that supersedes local voter initiatives and planning rules, allowing developers to add to their projects for including certain quantities of housing considered affordable for lower-income residents.
In January, the city of San Diego’s Development Services Department determined “the project cannot be approved at this time” because of “insufficient and incomplete information” in the permit application.
Taking advantage of the break in momentum, Neighbors for a Better California has retained legal counsel to review documents as they become available and write letters to applicable city departments.
Bothwell explained that there are currently 38 permits being reviewed that are associated with the project. Should those permits be approved and the project is cleared to proceed, Neighbors for a Better California would file a injunction and take additional legal steps, including a lawsuit. Thus, Bothwell said the organization is looking to fundraise for its “legal war chest” that needs at least $150,000.
“We need big donors,” she said. “We have survived so far on small donations, but at this point for us really going into a heated battle, we need bigger donations … this is a legal battle.”
Bothwell said the organization was also in the process of figuring out who or what it would sue should the project be approved.
“If DSD approves the project as whatever it comes back as then we would be suing the city,” she said. “We have been working over and over and over to try to get the city to do the right thing.”
Neighbors for a Better California Chairwoman Marcella Bothwell addresses the La Jolla Community Planning Association during its March 5 meeting at the La Jolla Recreation Center. (Ashley Mackin-Solomon)
Kalonymus — a real estate investment and development firm that is active in the San Francisco, Los Angeles, Central Coast and Miami markets — filed a permit application in August 2024 for the $185 million project.
Since then, the Turquoise Tower has drawn the ire of community members and political leaders who view the high-rise as an affront to the low-rise neighborhood and believe the developer is exploiting well-intended policies.
State Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) authored legislation, sponsored by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, to close a perceived loophole that the politicians said allowed Kalonymus to misuse the density bonus law to create a supersized commercial project with limited housing.
In other LJCPA news
New trustees: Six trustees were chosen for three-year terms during the LJCPA board’s annual election. They are incumbents Janette Williams and Harry Bubbins, as well as newcomers Michael Sacks, Cameron Etienne, Ryan Amos and Kevin Veno. Winners will be sworn in at the next meeting, where officers also will be selected.
Prestwick project pulled: Although it was approved by the La Jolla Shores Permit Review Committee last month, the applicant team behind a planned development at 8303 Prestwick Drive removed the project from the consent agenda — which typically is approved as a slate without discussion — for a full hearing in April.
Plans for the site include a new 2,578-square-foot second floor, a new 765-square-foot third floor and additions to the first floor and two-car garage. The total building square footage would be 6,169.
Vallecitos project approved: Ratifying the decision made by PRC in February, LJCPA also voted to support a proposed addition and remodeling project at a two-story, 4,905-square-foot house at 2486 Vallecitos Court. The project includes a detached two-story, 1,096-square-foot accessory dwelling unit, a 701-square-foot gym and a new small basketball court.
It was heard in full at the LJCPA meeting because it is considered a “major” project under a recently adopted set of rules. But with no unanswered questions, the board voted unanimously to approve PRC’s recommendation.
Next meeting: LJCPA next meets at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 2, at the La Jolla Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St. The agenda will be posted 72 hours in advance at lajollacpa.org.