Monty Burns

What was Rancho's Mexican's second restaurant location 10 years ago, the corner of Point Loma Ave. and Ebers St. is where the proposed apartment building will stand.

Ocean Beach hasn't built much multifamily housing in recent years, and now an apartment planned at the southwest corner of Point Loma Ave. and Ebers Street is on hold.

The San Diego Planning Commission last week upheld an appeal of The Point, a project targeted by opponents mainly for its proximity to the Ocean Beach Cottage Emerging District, a designated historic district. 

The cottage district is unique among all the historic districts in the city because it is "thematic."

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Where to draw the "historic" line, however, is still up for debate though the project is paused for the foreseeable future.

"There's not a winner on this one," said commissioner Dennis Otsuji, who hoped there might yet be a way forward to benefit the community. 

The proposed apartments at 4705 Point Loma Ave. take advantage of the Complete Communities density bonus program to build 20 new studios and one-bedroom homes, reducing parking from 30 to nine spaces. Supporters said it has all the right features: schools, amenities, walkability.

"As of this morning there are only ten one-bedroom or studio units available for rent in Ocean Beach," said supporter Wesley Morgan with YIMBY Democrats of San Diego, who called the appeal "frivolous" and a misuse of the appeal process to obstruct housing.

But according to city code, Complete Communities regulations don't apply to projects in designated historic districts. That makes the project illegal, opponents argued.

The building itself, however, isn't among the 72 properties deemed to be part of the Ocean Beach Cottage Emerging District; a voluntary designation made by property owners, not the city.

"It is within the Ocean Beach Community planning area, within the broad boundary of where eligible resources could be located — but it is not designated as part of the district," said Kelley Stanco, a deputy planning director who works on historic preservation.

Nor is the district on the state or national registers of historic resources. A staff report notes that the Ocean Beach Cottage district doesn't have a full intensive survey, and that "conversion of this district to a standard geographic district is not feasible."

City documents describe how Ocean Beach developed as a "seashore resort and vacation home area between 1887 and 1931, by which time it was a full trolley suburb of the city of San Diego."

Stanco said the cottage district is unique among all the historic districts in the city. It is "thematic," including only beach cottages built between 1887 and 1931 whose information is  volunteered by the property owner. 

"In thematic districts like this, resources are scattered throughout that area because of shared history, but there isn't a sense of place you are trying to protect," she said.

Commissioners weren't so sure of the distinction, and cited city code to vote in favor of the appeal. 

"I have a feeling that if this appeal continued on and it got to the courts, that's exactly what a judge is going to look at," said commissioner Ken Malbrough.

Commissioner Dennis Otsuji voiced concern "because there's been a few other projects like this that we felt were beneficial to the community, and then we found out it was challenged."

The Ocean Beach Community Planning Group voted in May to deny the project 8-1-0.