A small street parallel to Torrey Pines Road, while made up of only a few houses, is stirring a lot of discussion in La Jolla.
Coast Walk fronts the entrance to the publicly accessible Coast Walk Trail. But it presents many issues because of the narrow street and because many people traveling to The Village inadvertently pull onto it.
Given that Coast Walk doesn’t provide drivers access to the central Village, many try to back out onto Torrey Pines Road — a potentially dangerous proposition considering the speed and volume of traffic there.
(Bing Maps and La Jolla Light)
Coast Walk was discussed at the La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board’s meeting May 19, when a familiar proposal was broached as a temporary solution: a turnaround for vehicles.
“What’s happened now because of all the people that come is that it’s packed all the time and it’s dangerous,” La Jolla resident Melinda Merryweather said. “A lot of times … people back out onto Torrey Pines Road. And it’s insane. Those cars are going 45, 50 mph.”
While she hopes Coast Walk eventually will be widened, Merryweather proposed that one of its two designated parking spaces be removed to allow for a three-point turnaround area. She said it would help drivers navigate the “incredibly tight” street.
The T&T Board agreed, but the details, including the feasibility, of such a change are up in the air.
“I think a turnaround makes a lot of sense,” Chairman Erik Gantzel said. “I think the orientation of the turnaround is the tough part.”
Though Merryweather argued for removal of one parking spot, others in attendance asked whether removing both spaces or widening the street for a more proper turnaround would make more sense.
Merryweather has advocated a turnaround for years, and such an idea has gained support from some local planning groups, including T&T in 2016 and the La Jolla Community Planning Association in 2019.
However, the plan has not been formally approved by the city of San Diego, largely because of disagreements over the right of way.
Area resident Brenda Fake suggested the board take a firmer stance on other Coast Walk issues rather than “putting the cart before the horse.”
A lawsuit pertaining to Coast Walk was filed against the city in September by a trio of limited liability companies, or LLCs, managed by Coast Walk residents Teall and Carolyn Edds. It seeks a definitive ruling on where property lines begin and end and where the public right of way is.
The Eddses have been trying to remodel and add to the rear of their home at 1585 Coast Walk and link the adjacent property (which they also own) to it. A permit has yet to be approved because of the boundary line question.
The Eddses’ legal counsel, Robin Madaffer, said “there is a dispute between the city and the property owner about the exact location of the right of way and what is public vs. private.”
Coast Walk in La Jolla is the subject of a lawsuit filed by LLCs managed by two residents against the city of San Diego in a dispute over property lines and the public right of way. The dispute is holding up the residents’ home redevelopment project. (File)
An objection to the Eddses’ plan was filed by neighbor Kristin Churchill, who previously told the La Jolla Light that she believes they “are taking a restrictive view of what the public has the right to access.”
She added that Torrey Pines Road and Coast Walk would be impacted during the construction and after the project is complete.
Some on Coast Walk argue that the right of way should be the responsibility of the city, not residents. Fake suggested the T&T Board write a letter urging the city to fight the lawsuit.
Regarding a turnaround, the board voted unanimously to support the idea.
Fake and Churchill agreed that some action is important.
“I think this is a really good temporary solution,” Churchill said. “So I don’t see a reason we shouldn’t support this idea of a temporary turnaround. I think ultimately it would be nice to have a big, round turnaround.”
“I say stay on the strategy side,” Fake said. “We want a turnaround. Details to follow.”
Unrelated to the Edds case, an application was filed with the city in April seeking to develop on another Coast Walk property, including widening the street.
The application calls for neighborhood development and site development permits for work within the public right of way fronting 1595 Coast Walk, including deviations to allow a new driveway and for two existing guest parking spaces to remain. The project also includes widening portions of the right of way to a minimum of 20 feet at that location.
The proposal is undergoing environmental review. A decision on it will be made at a public hearing that has not yet been scheduled.
— La Jolla Light staff writer Ashley Mackin-Solomon contributed to this report. ♦