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

Down the Tubes

Residents of Imperial Beach dig that laid-back Southern California beach vibe of the ’50s and ’60s. So much so, the town's logo has "Classic Southern California" written under an image of a "Woody" station wagon checking the waves at the Imperial Beach Pier with a longboard shooting out the back window.

However, many Imperial Beach residents say zoning recommendations from land-use consulting firm Edaw Inc., who was hired by the city in 2006 to encourage quality commercial and retail development, will bring unwanted density to their small surf community, threatening to wash that casual, beachside lifestyle down the tubes.

At the heart of the controversy are recommendations to raise the height of buildings along certain sections of Palm Avenue, the city's main thoroughfare, to 60 feet, as well as increase height restrictions on the beach from 30 feet to 40 feet in some areas.

Sponsored
Sponsored

In addition, the proposal calls for rezoning the existing single-family residences on the west side of Seacoast Drive for commercial purposes.

At a July 28 Zoning Review Workshop, two years and nearly $290,000 after the city hired the consulting firm, more than 50 Imperial Beach residents crammed inside a conference room across from council chambers to voice their displeasure with the proposal and the process.

"You're putting the cart before the horse, here," said one resident while looking toward the banquet table where members of the city's Design Review Board, three city councilmembers, Mayor Jim Janney, and representatives from Edaw Inc. sat. "The proposed changes are in opposition to the general plan. When you start to increase the density, you're eliminating the small, laid-back atmosphere; the two of them will not coexist. I'm surprised because you're only antagonizing the same people that put you in office."

"[Imperial Beach] residents have not been invited to participate in this zoning review process," said another resident during public comment. "Just learning about this a month ago is, in a word, insulting."

After an hour and a half of public comment, Mayor Janney reassured the residents that the process is far from over. "There's a little confusion. This is a long process and this will not be the only meeting. What the consultants have put forward is a huge amount of information, and some of it won't be applicable. We have to go through it all. We just haven't gotten there yet."

"Well," shouted one resident from the crowd, "next time you need to start with us first."

The latest copy of the Reader

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

East San Diego County has only one bike lane

So you can get out of town – from Santee to Tierrasanta
Next Article

Live Five: Rebecca Jade, Stoney B. Blues, Manzanita Blues, Blame Betty, Marujah

Holiday music, blues, rockabilly, and record releases in Carlsbad, San Carlos, Little Italy, downtown

Residents of Imperial Beach dig that laid-back Southern California beach vibe of the ’50s and ’60s. So much so, the town's logo has "Classic Southern California" written under an image of a "Woody" station wagon checking the waves at the Imperial Beach Pier with a longboard shooting out the back window.

However, many Imperial Beach residents say zoning recommendations from land-use consulting firm Edaw Inc., who was hired by the city in 2006 to encourage quality commercial and retail development, will bring unwanted density to their small surf community, threatening to wash that casual, beachside lifestyle down the tubes.

At the heart of the controversy are recommendations to raise the height of buildings along certain sections of Palm Avenue, the city's main thoroughfare, to 60 feet, as well as increase height restrictions on the beach from 30 feet to 40 feet in some areas.

Sponsored
Sponsored

In addition, the proposal calls for rezoning the existing single-family residences on the west side of Seacoast Drive for commercial purposes.

At a July 28 Zoning Review Workshop, two years and nearly $290,000 after the city hired the consulting firm, more than 50 Imperial Beach residents crammed inside a conference room across from council chambers to voice their displeasure with the proposal and the process.

"You're putting the cart before the horse, here," said one resident while looking toward the banquet table where members of the city's Design Review Board, three city councilmembers, Mayor Jim Janney, and representatives from Edaw Inc. sat. "The proposed changes are in opposition to the general plan. When you start to increase the density, you're eliminating the small, laid-back atmosphere; the two of them will not coexist. I'm surprised because you're only antagonizing the same people that put you in office."

"[Imperial Beach] residents have not been invited to participate in this zoning review process," said another resident during public comment. "Just learning about this a month ago is, in a word, insulting."

After an hour and a half of public comment, Mayor Janney reassured the residents that the process is far from over. "There's a little confusion. This is a long process and this will not be the only meeting. What the consultants have put forward is a huge amount of information, and some of it won't be applicable. We have to go through it all. We just haven't gotten there yet."

"Well," shouted one resident from the crowd, "next time you need to start with us first."

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

Memories of bonfires amid the pits off Palm

Before it was Ocean View Hills, it was party central
Next Article

Aaron Stewart trades Christmas wonders for his first new music in 15 years

“Just because the job part was done, didn’t mean the passion had to die”
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