SAN DIEGO — Three adjacent lots in Golden Hill could become an 8-story, 180-unit apartment building in the not so distant future. Neighbors reached out to CBS 8 because they feel like the city favors big developers and has forgotten about the families who live around there.
Joe Sevilla has lived in Golden Hill for 57 years. He and his neighbors feel shut out of the process or developing their community. They noticed 3 lots in a row on A street sold and now stand empty but they weren’t sure what’s coming, Sevilla reached out to CBS 8.
“Normally you get a notice in the mail saying this is what's going to happen to this property," he says. "We want some input. I never got any information.”
CBS 8 looked on the City’s website. There’s a proposed development in the preliminary stage of the process at 2935 A Street.
According to the website, it says the scope is:
"The proposed development (“the Project”) at 2935 A Street is for an 8-story multifamily building composed of a three-story Type I-A concrete podium and five-story Type III-A wood residential structure and a three-story underground parking structure. The project will include 180 for-rent residential units, with amenity spaces on levels 1-2, and a roof deck. The Project intends to utilize the Complete Communities Housing Solutions Program offered by the City of San Diego. Enclosed with this submittal is the preliminary massing study, concept design, and building layout with context and perspective imagery for your reference.
The Complete Communities Housing Solutions Program from the City of San Diego means- the developer can apply for fast tracked permits that can be approved in 30 days, with no public review. It’s a development process people all over San Diego say they feel shut out of. “If those are the rules let's change them. They work for us. They work for us, we don't work for them. If that's the case we need to find a solution.”
CBS 8 reached out to the Chicago-based property owner and developer, CEDARst to get more information about what it plans to do on A Street in Golden Hill. Its PR firm responded and said they would not comment nor would they give us any pictures or renderings of their proposal. But this same developer recently opened a 7-story, 190-unit luxury apartment building on Park Boulevard between Balboa Park and University Heights. It’s right now listing 476 square feet studio apartments for $2400 - $2500/month.
Sevilla says he and his neighbors feel frustrated by the lack of help from the City when they’ve tried to find information about the properties near him.
“Unfortunately when you deal with the City sometimes, and developers that's not from town, there's not much you can do,” he says.
CBS8 reached out to Councilmember Whitburn’s to see what he could tell his Golden Hill constituents who feel they are not represented as the City tries to add housing.
His office sent this response:
"Golden Hill residents know their neighborhood well, and I want to hear their views on all projects. So far, no developers have applied for any permits at this site. I invite residents to send any comments to my office, and we will ensure their comments are heard if a developer submits a formal proposal."
Sevilla says he and his neighbors are not against development. But they’d like to be part of the process and their community concerns addressed. If an 8-story building is going up on this section of A street, neighbors say they worry about the months of loud noise and billowing dirt. Albert Einstein Elementary School is across the street from the lots on A Street. They say they want to know if the developer will mitigate the impact of construction on the schoolchildren.
Any building will also be directly under the Lindbergh Field flight path. Sevilla says he’s concerned about how its height will affect planes coming in, and helicopters that fly around at night.
“A lot of the residents are concerned about being ignored by city council and Mayor Todd Gloria as far as development," he says. "We need to be involved in the process. It's community members. Its residents. it's homeowners. We need to be involved."
At CBS 8, we are always Working for You and our community. This is a station promise that we will go the extra mile to solve a problem our audience can’t solve themselves. We want to hear your ideas on how we can cover and help our community. If you have a story idea, please email us at workingforyou@cbs8.com.