Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Hillcrest VS High Rises — Judgement Day

Over 50 residents of Hillcrest, Mission Hills, and Banker's Hill attended the July 8 San Diego City Council meeting. They waved five-inch, fluorescent green signs that on one side read "IHO," the other, "YES." Their purpose: to support an interim height ordinance on all newly proposed buildings for the neighborhood. The temporary height restriction of 50 to 65 feet (depending on the area of Mission Hills or Hillcrest) has been a defining issue for both residents of the Uptown district and those in the real estate industry.

Both sides faced off. First the opposition pleaded their case to the city council. They included the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, San Diego Apartment Owners Association, La Jolla Pacific Development (of 301 University fame), and a former city planner and designer of the current 20-year-old community plan.

Those opposed to the interim height restriction say that the ordinance puts unnecesssary restrictions on building and costs the area thousands of construction-related jobs. Instead of what they called a "moratorium on building," they preferred a plan that sends all high-rise construction proposals straight to a discretionary committee.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Next, Uptown residents in favor of the ordinance. There were 28 speaker slips submitted to the council and, nearly an hour and a half later, after several speeches about the community character of Hillcrest and Mission Hills as well as a PowerPoint presentation debunking the opposition's objections, the debate was turned over to the council.

The city's planning department as well as nearly every councilmember (with the exception of council president pro tem Jim Madaffer) were in favor of adopting the interim height ordinance. Madaffer felt -- despite reassurances from the planning department -- that adopting the ordinance potentially sets a precedent for other communities to want something similar, which could hurt the construction industry.

Despite his objections, the final vote was 6 to 1 in favor, and the residents of the Uptown area prevailed in placing a restriction on all buildings over 50 to 65 feet until a new, permanent plan is in place; such a plan could take as long as two years to prepare.

For footage from the meeting go to sandiego.gov/citycouncil/ or visit the Hillcrest Town Council's website.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Too $hort & DJ Symphony, Peppermint Beach Club, Holidays at the Zoo

Events December 19-December 21, 2024
Next Article

Victorian Christmas Tours, Jingle Bell Cruises

Events December 22-December 25, 2024

Over 50 residents of Hillcrest, Mission Hills, and Banker's Hill attended the July 8 San Diego City Council meeting. They waved five-inch, fluorescent green signs that on one side read "IHO," the other, "YES." Their purpose: to support an interim height ordinance on all newly proposed buildings for the neighborhood. The temporary height restriction of 50 to 65 feet (depending on the area of Mission Hills or Hillcrest) has been a defining issue for both residents of the Uptown district and those in the real estate industry.

Both sides faced off. First the opposition pleaded their case to the city council. They included the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, San Diego Apartment Owners Association, La Jolla Pacific Development (of 301 University fame), and a former city planner and designer of the current 20-year-old community plan.

Those opposed to the interim height restriction say that the ordinance puts unnecesssary restrictions on building and costs the area thousands of construction-related jobs. Instead of what they called a "moratorium on building," they preferred a plan that sends all high-rise construction proposals straight to a discretionary committee.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Next, Uptown residents in favor of the ordinance. There were 28 speaker slips submitted to the council and, nearly an hour and a half later, after several speeches about the community character of Hillcrest and Mission Hills as well as a PowerPoint presentation debunking the opposition's objections, the debate was turned over to the council.

The city's planning department as well as nearly every councilmember (with the exception of council president pro tem Jim Madaffer) were in favor of adopting the interim height ordinance. Madaffer felt -- despite reassurances from the planning department -- that adopting the ordinance potentially sets a precedent for other communities to want something similar, which could hurt the construction industry.

Despite his objections, the final vote was 6 to 1 in favor, and the residents of the Uptown area prevailed in placing a restriction on all buildings over 50 to 65 feet until a new, permanent plan is in place; such a plan could take as long as two years to prepare.

For footage from the meeting go to sandiego.gov/citycouncil/ or visit the Hillcrest Town Council's website.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader writer Chris Ahrens tells the story of Windansea

The shack is a landmark declaring, “The best break in the area is out there.”
Next Article

San Diego beaches not that nice to dogs

Bacteria and seawater itself not that great
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader