Apartment complex plans near the village in downtown La Mesa are in limbo as the City Council faces the decision to ratify them, but some residents are concerned about the current designs.

The plans for an apartment complex on the 0.49-acre lot (where the former historic Randall Lamb building once sat) located at the southeast corner of Palm Avenue and Allison Avenue include a 5-story building with 64 units, 8 of which would be affordable, low-income units. There would also be 29 off-street parking spaces on the ground floor, and various landscape and hardscape improvements, according to a report presented to the Planning Board.

Joel Christman, a resident of La Mesa since 1996, said he was shocked when he first heard about the plans.

“Normally, when a project like that is done, they notify residents close to the project so the residents can go and speak at the meeting when it’s up for approval,” Christman said. “I’m not aware of that happening with residents.”

Willy Naylor, currently a resident of Encinitas but previously a resident of La Mesa for 40 years, owns rental properties in the same area as these prospective plans. Naylor said he also was unaware.

“I heard it never hit the street. It never went on any docket; it never was anywhere to be found. And it had to have been,” he said. “If I lived right across the street from there, I would’ve been one the first people to get a letter saying this is what we’re doing and we never received it. That’s the scary part about it. This thing went through and nothing was ever said.”

And it was not only residents who were surprised. Laura Lothian, a current La Mesa City Council Member, said “The only question I’m trying to ask is why doesn’t anyone know about this project? No one knew this was coming. If you wanted to dig for it, you could find it but that’s not the way city government should work.”

However, these plans have been under consideration for 10 months, including review by the Design Review Board and the Planning Commission, according to statements received from the City’s Community Development Department via Carlo Tomaino, the Assistant City Manager. The plans have been updated online on the Active Developments Project website and an interactive map which contains the project’s renderings.

Stated in a report to the La Mesa Planning Commission, “The project design was reviewed and approved with conditions by the Design Review Board on June 13, 2022.”

The next step in the approval process required ratification by the City Council. Therefore, the plans were on the City Council’s agenda on Oct. 11 under the consent calendar. However, a decision was not made on that date.

“The City Council was not required to act at this meeting and chose to defer its decision regarding the project design to provide the developer with an additional opportunity to consider public feedback received during the meeting,” the City’s Community Development Department said.

Individuals of the public spoke during the City Council meetings about this development on Oct. 11 and Nov. 8, respectively. Some of the concerns voiced included traffic flow and compliance with the Downtown Specific Plan which has been in effect since 1990.

In regard to parking and traffic flow, the plans are utilizing the CD (Downtown Commercial) zoning designation and the City’s Afforable Homes Bonus Program. According to a statement from the City’s Community Development Department, the Affordable Home Bonus Program implements the State’s Density Bonus Law, allowing reductions to parking. The State Density Bonus Law has been around since 1979 but amendments went into effect Jan. 1, 2022, according to the California Legislation Information website.

“Developments proposed under State Density Bonus Law are eligible for a parking ratio of 0.5 parking spaces per unit,” the Community Development Department said. “The typical requirement would be 1.5 parking spaces per unit. The project is eligible for this reduction because the site is located less than one-half mile of a major transit stop and the project exceeds an affordability rate of 11 percent very-low income.”

The developer, Palm Street Ventures LLC, said they’ve worked with the city to ensure traffic flow concerns are addressed.

“We have worked closely with the City to plan a development that does not disrupt the flow of the village area,” said Brain Garmo, Palm Street Ventures LLC partner. “We also have worked to ensure parking and traffic will not be an issue by conducting individual parking studies by engineers and working with reports by the City’s own Parking Commission. All have indicated that this project will not have a negative impact.”

However, the other issue that has surfaced is the designed look and size of the complex. “Currently, the renderings show a modern and asymmetrical building with a flat roof and a variety of wall projections and recesses, according to a report submitted to the Planning Commission by an associate planner.”

“I was really shocked that there would be that type of a building put in the downtown La Mesa village area,” Christman said. “I think a smaller project could be done with a design that matches La Mesa craftsman style or other styles from that era that you see in a lot of the homes in downtown La Mesa.”

Individuals like Christman, Naylor and Lothian said that these plans are not consistent with the Downtown Specific Plan which outlines a series of planning objectives to maintain the image of Downtown La Mesa.

According to the Community Development Department, the developer has requested a waiver that would allow an increased building height to 56 feet and five stories. This waiver, if approved, would override height restrictions cited in the Zone CD designation and the Downtown Village Specific Plan.

Despite the requested waiver, the Community Development Department said the plans are still consistent with the Downtown Specific Plan.

“The Downtown Village Specific Plan encourages and emphasizes residential uses in this part of the community,” according to the Community Development Department. “The Downtown Specific Plan encourages and allows for residential development in this area. The applicant consulted the Specific Plan when designing the project and the Specific Plan was the primary guide for staff review of the project.”

Lothian said this plan was not intended to be voted on at the Nov. 22 City Council meeting. She said she predicts it will be on the agenda at the Dec. 13 meeting.

To stay up to date on these plans, the Community Development Department recommends visiting the Active Development Projects website and the interactive map. Residents can also sign up to receive alerts regarding agendas for any of the City’s boards and commissions, including the Design Review Board and Planning Commission, through the City website.

Photo credit: Kendra Sitton

– Elaine Alfaro is a journalism student at Point Loma Nazarene University and a former intern for the La Mesa Courier.