Neighbors opposed to the citing of a new lifeguard tower in South Mission Beach continued to press their case before Mission Beach Town Council, arguing they were denied due process in vetting plans for the new facility, which is larger and located elsewhere than originally planned.
Project construction on the new lifeguard station started this spring, and a foundation is being built on the north side of the current tower. “As the number of visitors to our beaches increase, the facilities that afford protection to beachgoers become more important,” said Rick Wurts, lifeguard chief at San Diego Fire-Rescue. Construction will stop from Memorial Day to Labor Day due to the city’s annual beach area construction moratorium. Lifeguards will be using the old tower until the new one is finished next summer.
“We’re not against the lifeguards; they’re the heroes of the beach, or their lifeguard tower, and we want them to have the best equipment and so on,” said Mission Beach resident Ken Giavara, speaking May 13 for some neighbors.
Opponents claim that, as presently configured, the tower will negatively impact their views and property values.
“Our argument is with the (approval) process and the lack of honesty and transparency,” said Giavara.
The existing, outdated South Mission Beach lifeguard tower is a temporary 900-square-foot facility constructed in 1974. City officials say it no longer meets the needs of lifeguards or the public.
Recently, the city rolled out a new strategic plan that includes the following goals: to protect lives, property and the environment through timely and effective response in all communities, and to invest in infrastructure. According to Wurts, the South Mission Beach lifeguard tower project will achieve those goals once the project is complete, and for many years to come. Specifically, the South Mission Beach lifeguard station will address many important public safety and operational needs.
“The station will be more centrally located on the beach, improving water observation (i.e., lifesaving opportunities) and overall beach management,” Wurtz said. “It will provide much needed space to house critical emergency equipment and vehicles. It also addresses minimum facility standards for employees, such as separate men’s and women’s locker rooms,” he added. The new nearly 4,000-square-foot, three-story lifeguard tower would have a ground floor with a first-aid room and storage for rescue vehicles and equipment; a second floor with an observation deck and an administration area; and a third floor housing the main observation tower.
The new tower project will include repair of adjacent sidewalks and curbs, installation of an erosion control barrier, improvement of American with Disabilities Act accessibility, restriping of parking spaces, installation of new signage and installation of a sidewalk from the parking lot to the station entrance.
According to Wurts, the new tower was designed in a way that minimizes the impact to public views, and the project was also reviewed and approved by the San Diego City Council, which follows the standards for public noticing. After the May 13 meeting, Giavara said a lawsuit, yet to be filed, is planned to block the project until or unless it’s properly vetted.
“Why are you (city) building the hub (tower and ancillary boat and equipment storage, men’s and women’s locker rooms) in the middle of the beach?” asked Giavara, noting neighbors are not offering a solution, just insisting that the project “go through the proper legal channels.”
Noting the project is decidedly different now than when first approved back in 2004, Giavara pointed out community planners back then “rejected the building at 3,500 feet as being too big.” He added they also wanted the lifeguard station “to be built on the same spot as the previous one.”
“This (proposed) building has never been approved at any level of government at any hearing and was rejected in 2004,” said Giavara, noting, “The city is breaking its own laws.”
According to Wurts, city staff has worked diligently to communicate lifeguard operational priorities with members of the community, attending meetings of the Mission Beach Precise Planning Board and the Mission Beach Town Council in addition to mailing out notification letters at various stages of the project.
Tower opponents claim the city didn’t issue proper notification of the changes to the project or its new timeline for construction.
“In 2006, when the city had a hearing on this project, they didn’t notify anyone not within a 300-foot radius of the project,” said Giavara, who said the rule actually applies 300 feet from the property line.
“And the property line is the boardwalk,” said Giavara. “There are 300 to 400 residents and property owners who should have been notified.”
Giavara pointed out many people in the affected area who’ve invested in rental income property will be adversely impacted by a huge lifeguard tower obstructing their view in the middle of the beach.
Originally proposed in 2002 at an estimated $1.1 million, the cost of the long-delayed South Mission Beach lifeguard project escalated to nearly $5 million. Information about the project can also be found on the Capital Improvements Program website www.sandiego.gov/cip and on the California Coastal Commission website www.coastal.ca.gov/.