On Saturday, June 9, there will be a historic Peninsula Community Planning Board run-off election at the Point Loma Library. This election is important to anyone who lives on the Peninsula and who cares about maintaining the great quality of life we all enjoy. This is a unique and beautiful community, and it is under siege by development and real estate interests that see this jewel, our jewel, as no more than a cash cow. Make no mistake about it; this election is not about personalities, as it has been cast. It is a classic clash between pro-development forces who want no obstacles to development and those among us who want responsible, acceptable, sustainable development.
A few years ago, a group of dedicated community activists mounted a campaign to wrest control of the Peninsula Community Planning Board (PCPB) from the development and real estate interests that controlled it. The activists were successful, and they inaugurated a new era of community oversight that refused to grant a blanket pass to any and all development because the activists did not have the same links to, and self-interest in, the development community. They began to question developments and require projects in the Peninsula community be built with reason and consideration for the general public, not just the narrow interests of a few people.
The development community has risen up in righteous indignation and is attempting to retake the PCPB. Much the same as anyone who has questioned the wisdom of invading Iraq, the PCPB is accused of being unpatriotic, anyone who holds development to sense of civic responsibility in this community is branded “anti-development.” The opposition in both cases only sees things as black and white, while reasonable, responsible people see shades of color and some common ground. This community conflict is a microcosm of what is happening nationally and within the City of San Diego: moneyed interests trying to control all levels of government. It is believed that this effort to take over the PCPB is part of a citywide plan to neuter the planning boards by the current mayor and his supporters, the developers who have a stranglehold on this city. It has to stop, and the community level is the best place to make a stand.
If you believe that development on the Peninsula must consider impacts on traffic, infrastructure, safety and parking, you need to vote in this election. These are quality of life issues, not profit issues. If you believe that development projects should conform to the community plan for size, scale, design and preservation of trees and green areas, you need to vote in this election. If you want to prevent the development forces from gaining exceptions to and ways around the established community plan and the municipal code requirements, you need to vote in this election.
The incumbents have fought densification that has come in under a whole raft of new names for building second units on single-family lots, names such as art studios, storage (with bathrooms), game rooms, hobby rooms, and by abusing the guest quarters and companion unit rules. The incumbents fought the city when it wanted to devastate the canyon on Evergreen Street to repair a sewer line and forced it to consider engineering alternatives, which it eventually used to preserve the canyon, and it saved money to boot. Some of the incumbents have concentrated on protecting our historic homes and districts, something most developers have no respect for and consider just an obstacle to unfettered business.
The incumbents have worked hard to preserve and create more parkland in the Peninsula, which often means just keeping small city parcels off the market and out of the hands of developers. This requires constant vigilance. The incumbents have taken a stand against street vacations where valuable city property is routinely given away to adjacent homeowners who apply for the vacation. This is public land that should not pass into private hands for free. More important, this type of land provides a green break in the landscape of homes that is pleasing to the eye and helps break up the density of the housing. The pro-development group does not agree.
If the quality of life in this Peninsula matters to you, then this election should matter to you. Help turn back the developer’s challenge and help re-elect the people who care more about these issues than about making money. It really is that simple.
– Geoffrey L. Page is a sitting board member of the Peninsula Community Planning Board whose term is unaffected by Saturday’s run-off election.