Ocean Beach residents are rallying against a building under construction they claim is oversized and out of character with its surrounding neighborhood.
The structure involved is at 2269 Ebers St.
“The OB Planning Board is requesting the city to issue a stop work order,” said John Ambert, chair of the OBPB. “We’d also like the applicant to submit a full set of plans for OB Planning Board review, as well as having the applicant submit for a Process 2 Coastal Development Permit.”
In an email, Ambert said OB planners “do not accept the ‘Inspections Corrections Notice’ as an acceptable mechanism to ensure the (Ebers) development is in line with the local zoning and municipal code. Similar to the controversial project on Emerson Street in Point Loma, this project is trying to game the system. The developer is attempting to maneuver around the Land Development Code to build two units on a parcel large enough to support only one dwelling unit.”
Ambert added that, from the “2-on-1 signs” removed from the front of the property, to the descriptions of the MLS listings on Zillow and Redfin, to the images and renderings posted on social media websites, “the intent of this developer to build two units can not be any more clear.” The project’s developers released the following statement:
“Nelco Properties is a strong supporter of the Ocean Beach community and its residents. With this project we are working to beautify the community and bring increased home values to the surrounding neighborhood. The project conforms to all required municipal codes, city development regulations, and has obtained all required permits; it has been approved by City and County agencies.”
Nelco added, “We take our duty as responsible developers seriously. We have complied with all regulation necessary to construct this project. To ensure compliance, we have enlisted independent licensed land surveyors to survey the property. They have certified that the height of this structure is within the allowable 30-foot height limit. All components of this project have been stamped, approved and signed-off on by the City of San Diego to move forward with this project.”
In an email, Xavier Del Valle, a project manager for San Diego Development Services, said his department “was informed by the senior inspector that a hold has been placed on the Ebers project (resulting in no further inspections) pending further investigation. Planning and inspection staff will be meeting to review the plans against the issues that have been raised by several members of the community.”
Neighbors of the controversial OB project held a public forum Oct. 19 at OB Rec Center.
“The people who organized a protest of the horrible project at Ebers and Greene asked me to speak,” said Jon Linney, chair of Peninsula Community Planning Board (PCPB). “I explained the formula on how our community came together and defeated the four-story Emerson project in Roseville. How we worked with the city on a solution. The community has won. “The bigger problem is that horrible projects are being approved by the city without any public hearings or resident input,” continued Linney. “The Development Services Department is out of control and not serving the public. As chair of PCPB, I’m working with John Ambert, chair of the Ocean Beach board, and reaching out to other civic leaders in Ocean Beach, Midway and to Clark Anthony of the Point Loma Association. We need better rules.
“We need public hearings on projects that dramatically affect our community,” concluded Linney. “Like Emerson, like Ebers, like Barnard Elementary where 180 condos were built without a public hearing. Roseville is being destroyed one teardown at a time with no public hearing. That’s wrong.”