San Diego City Council voted 6-3 Feb. 9 with council members Gloria, Sherman and Alvarez dissenting, to deny the Point Loma Summit project.
The project proposed splitting two lots into four on the old Jessop estate at La Crescentia Drive to construct three new single-family residences on site.
The motion to grant the appeal challenging previous Planning Commission approval of the Summit was made by Second District Council member Lorie Zapf, whose district includes the beaches from Point Loma to La Jolla.
“I agree there are concerns with fire and medical access issues,” said Zapf in making her motion. “The question is what scale of development is appropriate on steep, unstable environmentally sensitive land.”
The project was denied by the Peninsula Community Planning Board on Aug. 15, 2012 by a vote of 12-0-1. The project, however, was recommended for approval by the San Diego City Planning Commission on June 19, 2014.
The Jessop project has been opposed by grass-roots community group Preserve Point Loma and others. Critics oppose the developer’s plans to subdivide the old Joseph Jessop Estate at 414 La Crescentia Drive. The site includes the Tudor-style home built in 1926 by Joseph and Mabel Jessop.
Preserve Point Loma claims to have 700 members including a wide range of civic leaders.
Numerous Peninsula community leaders testified against the redevelopment project at the City Council hearing.
Former Second District City Councilman Ed Harris exhorted the Council to “listen to the community.”
“What struck all of us who’ve visited the site is (lack of) fire and emergency accessibility, and servicing of the project, particularly in the case of seismic disruption of the hillside,” said Jarvis Ross, a member of the Peninsula Community Planning Board (PCPB).
“The project was rejected because of inconsistencies with the overall community plan and its goals,” testified PCPB chair Julia Quinn.
“There is a fair argument that the Jessop estate is historical,” argued PCPB planner Bruce Coons, who is also executive director of SOHO, Save Our Heritage Organisation. “This project (Summit) should have gone through proper review with the city’s Historic Resources Board.”
“Development on this steep hillside is extremely risky and a lot of liability for the city,” said Robert Tripp Jackson, president of the Point Loma Association.
Attorney Robin Madaffer, representing developers, noted the proposed site’s density is “lower than zoning allows.”
“The pattern of development on this lot is characteristic of much of the whole Peninsula area,” Madaffer argued, adding, “We’re not looking at reinventing something or doing something that’s out of character with the area.”
Jessop detractors have argued that the steep, narrow access and concerns for fire safety with the project could change the community’s character. This, they say, has led to creation of a groundswell of opposition, including several members of the extended Jessop family — Jim Jessop, Anne Jessop Hill, Linda Jessop Fox, Jim Hervey and Matthew Hervey.
“This project violates our adopted Peninsula Community Plan and contains deviations to the existing zoning code regarding access, setbacks and height,” said Bill Moody, a member of Preserve Point Loma.
The mission of Preserve Point Loma is to work to maintain the integrity of the Peninsula Community Plan from ill-conceived development.
For more information, visit www.preservepointloma.org.