A yearslong battle over a twice-rejected development proposal in La Jolla Shores is scheduled to return to City Council for a third time Monday, Oct. 5. Area residents Bob and Kim Whitney want to demolish a pair of single-story buildings in the 2200 block of Avenida La Playa and construct a three-story building — with retail on the ground level and two condominium units above. According to city documents, the proposed project was approved by the Planning Commission in 2010, but an appeal was upheld by City Council. The Planning Commission approved the project again the next year, but the council rejected it a second time because of concerns about environmental impacts.
Since then, the developers revised their plans and conducted another environmental study, which the Planning Commission approved in April, according to a city staff report. The La Jolla Community Planning Association, a group called La Jolla Shores Tomorrow and three individuals appealed the commission’s action to council, contending the project still violates neighborhood design guidelines and offering numerous other objections. A more specific concern from Myrna Naegle, a woman who lives adjacent to the property, is a proposed 65-foot-long, 30-foot-high wall next to her residence that would block light and ventilation. City staff concluded that the separation between the buildings would allow for adequate light and air flow and disagreed with other criticisms of the project. Staff recommended that City Council deny the appeals at the Oct. 5 meeting. – City News Service