As you may know, Mayor Sanders’ Development Services Dept. was found to have granted a developer 9 extra units above the number allowed by the zoning. The City’s notes for this project describes the problem. “The 22,390 s.f. lot would therefore allow a maximum of 28 residential units. Due to a typographical error the project was…allowed the 37 units.”
If we use a figure of $160,000 for the market value of land suitable for a condominium in Hillcrest, then the DSD “error” can be seen to amount to a $1.4 million giveaway to the developer.
The developers on the DECA project (corner of Robinson & Park Blvd) are Bruce Leidenberger and Michael McPhee. Interestingly, these two are also the developers of the 301 University project in Hillcrest, dubbed the “Monster Building” by opponents. After the City staff represented that the project complied with all applicable laws, and a lawsuit was initiated by Hillcrest residents and business leaders, the Superior Court ruled that the City had violated the law on seven counts. Why did the City staff break the rules a second time to aide these two developers? The clincher was the revelation that Leidenberger and McPhee have a business relationship with Jerry Sanders. These developers provided office space to Sanders for his last election, and Leidenberger was one of the many developers who contributed to Sanders’ campaign.
— Tom Mullaney, Friends of San Diego
