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

301 Returns

It’s back! The 301 University project is back — bigger and badder than ever, and the Hillcrest community is reeling. Warnings went out to the community during the September 2 meeting of the Uptown Planners, the September 4 meeting of the University Heights Community Association, a press conference held by Stephen Whitburn on September 7, and was commented on at Hillcrest Town Council's candidate forum on September 9 by both Whitburn and opponent Todd Gloria. Both are in opposition to the project.

John Taylor of Save Hillcrest — a community organization assembled to fight large high-rise projects throughout Hillcrest — received a notification stating La Jolla Pacific Development had filed an application for a demolition permit for the buildings between Third and Fourth Avenues at University Avenue. The permit included plans for two towers, one 193 feet tall, the other 170 feet. In January of this year, the developer’s plans for a 148-foot-tall building on the same site was defeated in a court decision that ruled the building’s height didn’t fit in the community plan, dominated mostly by two- and three-story buildings.

The court’s decision was reinforced on July 8 when the city council granted the community of Hillcrest an interim height ordinance, restricting new development from exceeding 65 feet in Hillcrest’s business center until an updated community plan is adopted. The interim height ordinance went into effect on July 29.

Sponsored
Sponsored

So, how is La Jolla Pacific Development hoping to get a project approved that's nearly 50 feet higher than the one that was previously denied? According to Bruce Leidenberger, president of the firm, this new application doesn’t have to go through the same discretionary review that the first one did because the plans have been altered to meet the current community plan, allowing the project to be considered a ministerial project. Most importantly, the application was filed on July 21, eight days before the interim height ordinance went into effect.

Leidenberger says his firm is just trying to protect their rights over the property, and the passing of the interim height ordinance essentially backed them into a corner.

“Of course we are willing to talk to the community," says Leidenberger, "but we had to protect our rights as property owners. It’s not a slap in the face, and we are not being vindictive. We all know that being that way usually comes back to bite you in the backside. We just want our rights.”

Taylor, of Save Hillcrest, says their lawyer is already on the case.

“I hope they’re not thinking they’re going to do this without a fight," says Taylor. "The residents of Hillcrest are passionate about their community.”

During the September 4th community meeting for University Heights, councilmember Toni Atkins, the guest speaker for the night, voiced her concern for the project and the chance that it might pass through the cracks. (“I’m a little concerned how this is going to proceed,” she said.)

For more information go to hillcresttowncouncil.com

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

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

Woodpeckers are stocking away acorns, Amorous tarantulas

Stunning sycamores, Mars rising
Next Article

Gonzo Report: Eating dinner while little kids mock-mosh at Golden Island

“The tot absorbs the punk rock shot with the skill of experience”

It’s back! The 301 University project is back — bigger and badder than ever, and the Hillcrest community is reeling. Warnings went out to the community during the September 2 meeting of the Uptown Planners, the September 4 meeting of the University Heights Community Association, a press conference held by Stephen Whitburn on September 7, and was commented on at Hillcrest Town Council's candidate forum on September 9 by both Whitburn and opponent Todd Gloria. Both are in opposition to the project.

John Taylor of Save Hillcrest — a community organization assembled to fight large high-rise projects throughout Hillcrest — received a notification stating La Jolla Pacific Development had filed an application for a demolition permit for the buildings between Third and Fourth Avenues at University Avenue. The permit included plans for two towers, one 193 feet tall, the other 170 feet. In January of this year, the developer’s plans for a 148-foot-tall building on the same site was defeated in a court decision that ruled the building’s height didn’t fit in the community plan, dominated mostly by two- and three-story buildings.

The court’s decision was reinforced on July 8 when the city council granted the community of Hillcrest an interim height ordinance, restricting new development from exceeding 65 feet in Hillcrest’s business center until an updated community plan is adopted. The interim height ordinance went into effect on July 29.

Sponsored
Sponsored

So, how is La Jolla Pacific Development hoping to get a project approved that's nearly 50 feet higher than the one that was previously denied? According to Bruce Leidenberger, president of the firm, this new application doesn’t have to go through the same discretionary review that the first one did because the plans have been altered to meet the current community plan, allowing the project to be considered a ministerial project. Most importantly, the application was filed on July 21, eight days before the interim height ordinance went into effect.

Leidenberger says his firm is just trying to protect their rights over the property, and the passing of the interim height ordinance essentially backed them into a corner.

“Of course we are willing to talk to the community," says Leidenberger, "but we had to protect our rights as property owners. It’s not a slap in the face, and we are not being vindictive. We all know that being that way usually comes back to bite you in the backside. We just want our rights.”

Taylor, of Save Hillcrest, says their lawyer is already on the case.

“I hope they’re not thinking they’re going to do this without a fight," says Taylor. "The residents of Hillcrest are passionate about their community.”

During the September 4th community meeting for University Heights, councilmember Toni Atkins, the guest speaker for the night, voiced her concern for the project and the chance that it might pass through the cracks. (“I’m a little concerned how this is going to proceed,” she said.)

For more information go to hillcresttowncouncil.com

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

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

Second largest yellowfin tuna caught by rod and reel

Excel does it again
Next Article

NORTH COUNTY’S BEST PERSONAL TRAINER: NICOLE HANSULT HELPING YOU FEEL STRONG, CONFIDENT, AND VIBRANT AT ANY AGE

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