LA JOLLA — A hearing officer approved the long-disputed Whitney project on July 28, deeming that a code variance the city asked the applicants to request was not necessary. The project consists of demolishing two one-story buildings at 2202 and 2206 Avenida de la Playa and replacing them with a three-story building with commercial space on the ground floor, two apartments above and an underground parking lot. Project opponents have 10 days to appeal the hearing officer’s decision, which would then be heard by the city’s Planning Commission. Lynne Heidel, an attorney who has represented the Whitneys for the past eight months, said that she expects the project opponents to file an appeal. “Our opponents feel that the project is not consistent with the La Jolla Shores planned district ordinance and the La Jolla community plan, and we believe that the project is consistent,” Heidel said. “That’s the real issue.” The code variance requested by the city would have required the applicants to provide visibility triangles at the driveways and corners of its north face bordering Calle Clara, if Calle Clara was determined to be a street and not an alley. “The variance, in my opinion, is a red herring,” Heidel said. “We worked very hard to be consistent with all the rules and regulations. The Planning Commission will have to make that decision if the project is appealed.”