By Shain Haug
The May 22 Allied Gardens-Grantville Community Council (AGGCC) Town Hall Meeting was devoted to the question of the development of the stadium property.
There are three competing possibilities. The Soccer City/FS Investors initiative would provide for private for-profit development. The initiative placed on the ballot by SDSU West would turn the property over to the California State University system for development with plans conceived by San Diego State University. If neither initiative receives a majority of the votes, the property will remain available for development through the city’s normal planning and development process.
We were fortunate to have the benefit of the knowledge and insight of Roger Showley and Joe LaCava. Showley recently retired from 44 years with the local newspaper as a specialist in real estate development. LaCava is a longtime resident of the neighborhood and is an expert consultant in that field. Whatever their personal inclinations may be, they kept the presentation well-balanced by discussion of the pros and cons of each possibility. The AGGCC will schedule further information sessions if the public clamor so demands.
The next local opportunity to obtain information about this important matter will be at the next Navajo Community Planners, Inc. board meeting at 6:30 p.m. on June 13 at the East San Diego Masonic Lodge, 7849 Tommy Drive, where representatives of the Soccer City/FS Investors will present its proposal.
The next AGGCC Town Hall Meeting will be on July 24 at 6:30 p.m. at the Benjamin Library at the corner of Zion Avenue and Glenroy Street. We are trying to schedule our District 7 Councilmember Scott Sherman to speak on issues relative to companion and junior units, commonly known as “granny flats.” These units are additions to existing single-family dwellings and are a part of the city’s push to develop affordable housing. The city is encouraging this expansion of density in our neighborhood by an abatement of a portion of development fees normally imposed for this type of development.
One of the many important questions we will ask the council member is why this significant change in the zoning configuration of Allied Gardens did not go through public examination by Navajo Community Planners, Inc. and how it is that these units — additions that have typically been built in backyards — can now be put on front yards.
A related issue is the question of the increase in parking that will follow the rental of these units. It appears that Transit Overlay Zones, Transit Priority Zones, and other regulations allow increased residential density in some areas without increases of on-site parking.
The time has come for knowledge and action. Please join us.
The AGGCC board of directors meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Benjamin Library, at the corner of Zion Avenue and Glenroy Street. Our next board meeting will be on Tuesday, July 10 (a one-week delay because of the holiday). Join us!
—Shain Haug is president of the Allied Gardens-Grantville Community Council. Reach him at [email protected]. Visit the AGGCC website at aggccouncil.org. Send suggestions for meeting topics to [email protected].
