In a June 3 Planning Commission meeting, board members rejected an appeal from the La Jolla Community Planning Association (LJCPA) to prohibit the demolition of the Neptune Place apartments near Windansea Beach and the construction of a condominium complex in its place. Impressed by several revisions to the plan made by the property owners since earlier phases of the approval process, including efforts to extend public view corridors on Playa del Norte and Playa del Sur, Planning Commission members unanimously approved the project by denying the appeal with a 6-0 vote. Joe LaCava, who presented to the Planning Commission on behalf of the LJCPA, opposed the project on the grounds that its bulk and scale proportions were too massive in relation to surrounding buildings and would “irrevocably change the ambiance” of the area. “The goal of [the LJCPA] is to avoid extreme and intrusive changes,” LaCava said. “We support transitions in scale and with visual harmony.” When Planning Commission members argued that other buildings similar in size and appearance to the proposed project have already been erected nearby, LaCava said that the LJCPA still intends to fight unwanted growth in spite of what it considers previous transgressions. “There is an undesirable conclusion that if there is a bad building, we don’t talk about community character anymore because it’s already happened once,” LaCava said. “That’s unfair to do to any community and that’s not the intent of the community plan.” The property owners plan to demolish the existing two-story, 57-year-old Neptune Place apartment complex and build a three-story complex with 24 condominiums and two levels of underground parking. Devin Burstein, a Neptune Place resident and LJCPA board member who opposed the project, said he was disappointed by the Planning Commission’s decision. Part of Burstein’s objection stems from the lack of affordable housing near Windansea Beach. The Neptune Place complex, which consists of 19 units leased for $1,300 to $3,000 per month, “would be replaced by higher-end housing that will change the socioeconomic character of the neighborhood,” he said. Burstein works as a public defender in addition to serving as a volunteer member of the LJCPA, and rents a Neptune Place unit with his fiancé. “There’s a younger generation here that will effectively be priced out,” Burstein said. “The idea that renters don’t have a stake in the community is a misplaced idea. I’ve taken on a vested interest in this area and just because I’m a renter doesn’t mean I care any less about its future.” Burstein said residents have been told that construction will not likely begin for eight to 12 months, so he plans to look for alternate affordable housing nearby. “We would love to stay in the area, but I’m told there are other similar development projects in the making and it just might not be possible,” he said. The La Jolla Historical Society supported the LJCPA’s efforts to appeal the project. Angeles Leira, a member of the society’s Preservation Committee, said that the group was “saddened” by the fact that no study was completed to determine the building’s historical value. However, Leira said there are other ways to memorialize Neptune Place, which she describes as “very unique” architecturally with elements from both the Craftsman and Modern periods, even after its demolition. “We can preserve elements of it in a museum, or incorporate sections of the building into a new structure,” she said. “San Diego — and La Jolla specifically — have done a number of successful projects like that.” One of the Planning Commission’s concerns included the possibility of striking groundwater during construction that could result in flooding or other negative environmental side effects. Engineering geotechnical consultant David Russell said that the groundwater conditions were “pretty simple” and that “putting 30 feet [of construction] underground is not very robust or difficult engineering.” “It’s done all the time,” he said. “We know where the water is and we address that in the project.” Project manager Diane Murbach said the Planning Commission approved the project because “it met the community plan and the municipal code requirements and the findings could be made to support that.” While the project has been approved by the city, it will endure two final periods of appeal before construction can begin. The environmental document can be appealed until June 17 at 5 p.m., at which point Murbach will issue a notice of final action to the Coastal Commission if no appeals are received. The Coastal Commission will then issue an appeal deadline for the development permit, which usually falls 10 days after the date on which the final action notice was received. LaCava said that the LJCPA currently has no plans to submit another appeal.