A sea of nearly 100 yellow papers at Bird Rock Community Council’s Jan. 23 meeting indicated many residents’ concerns about the motives behind consultants hired by the city to design a community-friendly business district for Bird Rock.
The bright pamphlets, distributed to residents by members of the No Third Stories organization, asked the council to question the intentions of consultants Michael Stepner and Howard Blackson, who were hired by District 1 City Councilman and Council President Scott Peters to work on a form-based code, which is meant to allow residents to choose the shape and style of buildings in their neighborhood.
“This is a plan that is going to affect the community for many years,” said Cindy Thorsen, a member of No Third Stories. “We don’t want to feel we are guided by a few people who have taken the helm. I’ve heard from a lot of people in the community who do not like the third-story aspect.”
Although the council hoped to vote on the document, the only consensus reached at the meeting was that residents needed more time to make a decision. Bird Rock’s form-based code had been released by the consultants only one week prior to the meeting.
Community members voiced concerns to Stepner and Blackson, who gave a presentation of the code at the meeting, regarding parking, design and enforcement of the plan.
Thorsen and other members asked what benefit adding three-story buildings would have on the community aside from increased density and intensity. Stepner stated the project would add no additional density than the original Planned District Ordinance (PDO).
The consultants were enlisted by Peters to work with the community to map its needs and wants, but a conflict of interest occurred when the two consultants allegedly conferred with property developer Michael Krambs concerning the code, according to No Third Stories members.
Krambs initially sparked the debate over Bird Rock’s business district in May 2006 when he proposed to change the community’s PDO to allow for three-story buildings and an increased floor area ratio (FAR).
At the Jan. 23 meeting, Blackson pointed to a four-day workshop, or “charette,” held in November, which allowed many community members, including residents and business owners, to evaluate what they find both pleasing and unappealing about buildings that already exist along Bird Rock’s La Jolla Boulevard.
Blackson refuted No Third Stories’ claims that he and Stepner have any other interest than the community’s on their agenda.
“We were hired by Council President Peters as a third party and were paid up front, so the council office had no control over this project after that,” Blackson said. “We are not trying to hide anything from anyone. The goal is to get a better Bird Rock, and we feel that through the charette, and everything that was achieved, that it is unfair that tonight the No Third Story people decided to show up.”
Stepner and Blackson showed audience members artist sketches and actual photos of proposed buildings for Bird Rock, with many that included a third story near the center of the buildings.
The sketches and photos were based on a survey taken by 150 Bird Rock residents about what types of buildings they liked and disliked, Blackson said.
BRCC chair Pennie Carlos, joined by BRCC member Joe LaCava, told audience members to remember that although the form-based code is not perfect, it is a work in progress and would not be automatically enforced if the council approved it that night.
Carlos pointed out the plan was only specific to Bird Rock and that fears on the part of residents that three-story buildings might spread to other parts of La Jolla were unjustified.
One benefit in securing the form-based code would be its power to regulate property development within the community, according to LaCava.
“I want to tell the private developers what we want and not have them tell us what’s going in,” he said. “I want to box them in. Some of the language in the code needs to be tightened to make sure nobody comes along and says, ‘Oops, there’s a loophole here.'”
A Feb. 6 meeting will give residents a chance to further discuss the form-based code and will allow for public comment. A vote on the document is also scheduled.
For more information, or to view the Bird Rock form-based code, visit www.birdrock.org. The next meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6, at the Bird Rock Elementary School auditorium, 5371 La Jolla Hermosa Ave.