Normal Heights for Smart Growth
San Diego, California 92116
April 28, 2023
In a stunning development, it was revealed that Mayor Todd Gloria signed the
Land Development Code Update with the inclusion of the new Sustainable Development Areas (SDAs) on March 7th with little fanfare or media coverage.
The SDA program adds 5000+ acres to land qualifying for Complete Communities and for ADU unlimited bonus units. This could add more than 500,000 (!) allowable housing units, with no plan for added public facilities. The program reduces Developer Impact Fees, decreases parking and removes height limits.
Increasing the walking distance to high quality transit to a full mile runs counter to state and federal standards. The result will predictably be LESS new development near transit.
This major change should not have been included in a municipal code update package with 80 other items.
“the annual code updates are intended to simplify the land development regulations, make the Municipal Code regulations more adaptable, eliminate redundancies, and increase predictability in the application of the land development regulations” - City of San Diego
The city has not operated in good faith by attempting to bury this change in the code update and rushing the changes through committee and City Council vote without proper analysis. The vote was contentious, with many residents in attendance opposing the SDAs. The Council narrowly approved the update package, including the new SDAs, by a vote of 5 to 4. Repeated queries regarding the status of the new ordinance and whether it had been signed by the Mayor were met with vague answers delaying public knowledge during the 30 day window for legal challenges.
Fortunately a lawsuit has been filed against the SDA (a.k.a. "
Spreading Density Around") by
Livable San Diego challenging it on the shoddy analysis that was performed.
Connect to
Livable San Diego to read more about the lawsuit, link to the
official filing, or
contribute.
The lawsuit by
35th and Adams against the City regarding the Mars Project is ongoing. You can
support that effort here.
Community Garden Grant Application Submitted
The loss of the Vera House Community Garden in 2021 was a devastating blow for open space in Normal Heights and the planned replacement garden at Ward Canyon Park will not be ready for several years. With this in mind, the
Normal Heights Planning Group in coordination with
Normal Heights for Smart Growth submitted a grant proposal to Caltrans
Clean California Grant Program to partially fund a new community garden on Cherokee Ave near the Normal Heights Elementary School. The land is city owned so there will be less risk of losing rights in the future. Additional funding was pledged by
The Selby Team. We applaud The Selby Team for pledging to cover the 50% local funding requirement in the grant and for their commitment to the Normal Heights community!
The documents for the grant submission can be
viewed here.
Meeting with Sean Elo-Rivera
Normal Heights for Smart Growth met with Sean Elo-Rivera (Councilmember District 9) and Ben Mendoza (Digital Communications & Engagement Manager D9) during scheduled office hours for the month of April.
Discussed were changing the methods for replacing trees removed from curbside parkways by the city so the burden is not on the adjacent property owner for ordering a tree from the city and agreeing to provide three years of care. Normal Heights is missing as many as 2000 trees due to this policy. It was proposed to have the city care for the trees until established. This policy appears to be already moving in this direction as sections of City Heights are doing this now.
At our request their office will also be looking into how deed restricted affordable housing is enforced.
Ben Mendoza holding a message from the community at a recent mixer.
AB68 (2023) Will Make Things Worse
Our State Congress Representative, Chris Ward, has authored a bill that will extend high density development anywhere within one mile of any cluster of businesses regardless of transit options.
The bill number can be confusing since it is the same number that authorized ADU builds in 2019. The full text of the draft bill can be
read here.
Chris Ward can be reached at
via his website This message can be used to directly reference the offending section:
AB-68 Land use: streamlined housing approvals: density, subdivision, and utility approvals. (2023-2024) needs to be modified to remove the proposed update to Section 65914.7.5 to include paragraphs 6(b) and 6(c) as these would cause undue burden on families that rely on public transportation and would run counter to GHG reduction efforts.
NHCPG Board Meeting May 2nd
The next monthly meeting of the Normal Heights Community Planning Group (NHCPG) will be on Tuesday, May 2nd at 6 PM. Council for District 9, Sean Elo-Rivera has been invited to share his vision of Normal Heights and is tentatively scheduled to attend to receive input from the community. You can attend either in person at the Community Center or via Zoom.
NHCPG Monthly Board Meeting
May 2, 2023 6:00 PM
4649 Hawley Avenue or via Zoom
Are you interested in shaping the future of our neighborhood? Do you have ideas for how to make our community more vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive? If so, please consider joining the Normal Heights Community Planning Group (NHCPG).
As a member of the Planning Group, you will have the opportunity to work with other members of the community to advise the city on matters related to land use, zoning, and development in Normal Heights. You will be able to advocate for the interests of our community, and help ensure that our neighborhood continues to thrive.
We are especially interested in encouraging participation from members of our community who have been historically underrepresented in local government. We believe that a diversity of perspectives and experiences is essential to creating a planning group that truly represents the interests of all Normal Heights residents.
Joining the planning group is a great way to gain valuable leadership experience. You will have the opportunity to network with other community leaders, learn about the city's planning process, and make a positive impact on your neighborhood.
If you are interested in learning more about becoming a member of the Normal Heights Community Planning Group, please contact
chair@normalheightscpg.org. We look forward to hearing from you and working together to shape the future of our community.
Come, be a part of the citywide protest against the City of San Diego’s destructive high-density housing proposal, with coordinated rallies in University City, Clairemont, Uptown, College Area, and right here in Normal Heights!
The protest will be sending a message to the Mayor and City Hall that the policies and deals leading to overcrowding and ruining our city of villages is not okay.
“San Diego City Hall is not listening to the voices of community residents. Rather, it is leveraging the Strong Mayor System to dictate housing growth in a destructive, irresponsible manner that will ruin communities for future generations while making developers and corporations rich. Residents are tired of being cut out of the planning process and demand that our voices be heard.” - San Diegans for Responsible Growth
Protest times, locations, and contacts are:
For more info visit
https://www.35thadams.com/rally
Thank you for making Normal Heights a better place to live, play, and work!
Maggie Friend
Gerald Schoelen
Caroline McKeown
Paul Coogan
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