The bulk and scale of two residential projects proposed for La Jolla Shores would damage the neighborhood’s image, residents said during the March 1 meeting of the La Jolla Community Planning Association (LJCPA).
A two-story home on Calle del Cielo and a three-story home on Vista del Mar were approved by LJCPA trustees despite strong opposition from neighboring property owners.
“The character of this neighborhood is, one lot at a time, being taken away and destroyed,” John Beaver, a Vista Del Mar resident, said about La Jolla Shores. “This is a case of the continued selling out of neighborhoods in La Jolla.”
Trustees voted 12-1 in favor of recommending the Calle del Cielo project, which was presented by Tony Cristafi of Island Architects, under the condition that the firm make building plans available to the public and turn over an official copy of the document to the LJCPA.
Cristafi and the property owner, who both presented the revised project, were confronted by Avenida de la Playa resident Tom McGrath, who alleged the two had refused to take his phone calls or return calls concerning the project.
McGrath wished to obtain the revised project plan for review but said it was not on record at the City Administration building. The project would violate the community’s planned district ordinance in bulk and scale by creating a wall effect and towering above other homes in the neighborhood, he said.
The resident also alleged the floor area ratio (FAR) of the building was too large for the neighborhood, although both Cristafi and trustee Marty McGee pointed out that many other homes in the area had even larger FARs.
A similar argument against bulk and scale was heard later in the meeting from residents John Northrup, David Little and Sherri Lightner regarding the Vista del Mar project.
The project, which was originally proposed to the Coastal Development Permit (CDP) review committee in January as a four-story building, had since been revised by placing a portion of the first story underground and pushing the building two feet below the maximum height requirement of 30 feet, according to project architect Mark Christopher of Christopher and Kacur Architects.
The project also now complies with side and front yard setback requirements, according to Christopher.
The committee voted 6-1 to approve the project in January, but LJCPA trustee Joe LaCava made a motion to pull the project for further discussion because many residents were concerned, according to CDP chairman Phil Merten.
“This project is totally out of scale with the other neighbors’ houses,” said David Little, a CDP member and resident. “The CPA has the right to ask for a building that is in conformance with the neighborhood plan, and I think you should.”
Lightner alleged that the project appeared the same as that presented in January with the exception of the underground portion, despite Christopher’s claim that many improvements had been made upon the original draft.
In other business, several residents strongly advocated for a temporary traffic stop sign at the intersection of Via Capri and Senn Way until a traffic-calming circle could be implemented “” a measure that posed safety concerns for several LJCPA trustees.
The signs and the traffic-calming circle were approved 8-0 by the Traffic and Transportation committee, which felt the increasing number of accidents at the intersection justified implementing both temporary and long-term devices.
“I’ve met with Lt. [Brian] Ahearn and traffic engineer Gary Pence twice in the last two weeks, and they are highly in favor of the stop signs,” resident Joe Dicks said, adding that his neighbor has had nine cars go off the road and into his yard since recently moving to the community.
Construction for the traffic circles would likely not begin for another six months, making the stop signs crucial for preventing accidents, Dicks argued.
Two planning group trustees, however, argued the stop signs would be a recipe for disaster.
“Stop signs for speed control is a bad idea,” said LJCPA trustee Dave Abrams, with support from McGee, who pointed out that improper placement of stop signs in areas where traffic studies have not been conducted result in people ignoring the regulation and causing further accidents.
The proposed traffic calming circles were approved 12-0, while the stop signs were pulled from the agenda for further discussion at April’s meeting.
The LJCPA meets at 6:30 p.m. the first Thursday of every month at the La Jolla Community Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St. For more information, visit www.lajollacpa.org or send email to [email protected].
In other business, LJCPA’s annual election results showed that Darcy Ashley, Ray Weiss, Sherri Lightner, Todd Lesser, Rob Whittemore and Orrin Gabsch won seats. Trustees Glen Rasmussen and Joe LaCava, the only two current trustees qualified for re-election, were not selected for additional terms.