I am writing to let you all know why I voted with the City Council majority on September 12 to approve the development at 301 University Avenue.
This was a very difficult decision for me and I am sorry that in approving this project I may have disappointed some of you. As I pledged to both opponents and supporters of the project, I remained open to the discussion and didn’t make a firm decision until the hearing last week. I also reviewed the numerous letters, phone calls and e-mails I received on the issue. In the end, I concluded that the benefits of the project outweighed the downside. Following are benefits this project will bring to the community:
1) Revitalization 301 University will replace an abandoned building with a residential and commercial center that will be pedestrian-friendly and bring new life to one of our most treasured neighborhoods. The vitality of the Hillcrest commercial core is important to both the merchants and their customers, many of whom are local residents.
2) Housing Equally important, this project will provide a total of 96 much-needed housing units, 4 of which will be affordable rental units. The developer will also pay a fee to the city’s affordable housing fund.
3) Parking Increasing the availability of parking in an area that desperately needs it is another highlight of the 301 project. The 121 public parking spaces represent a private investment of over $7.5 million for the public’s benefit.
4) Traffic Traffic continues to be a concern for me. A study of Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth avenues is currently underway and I will urge that a similar study be conducted on the east-west corridors of Washington Street, University and Robinson avenues. My hope is that through innovative approaches we can ensure easy access to the area.
I know that many community members are very concerned about the scale of the project. Early on, the developer responded to these concerns by reducing the height from 14 stories to 12. Although that may still seem too tall to many, the project is actually 25% shorter than the maximum allowed by the area’s Community Plan.
I did not make this decision lightly. In fact, it would have been much easier simply to vote “NO” and not address the question of how we accommodate population growth in our communities. I am a strong advocate for protecting single family neighborhoods. I do not want to lose historic structures that define our community’s character. For this reason, how and where we place density becomes a very real issue and not just an academic discussion.
During this process, it has become clear to me that there is much misinformation and many concerns about the current Uptown Community Plan. That is why Councilmember Kevin Faulconer and I are sponsoring a forum where we can exchange information with the community. I invite you to attend this community workshop to discuss your views about the plan and how you might want to seek to change it. The workshop is scheduled for Saturday, October 14, from 9am to noon, at the Recital Hall in Balboa Park.
I hope you will keep an open mind as you review my reasons for supporting this project and that you’ll come prepared in October to have a real discussion about how we balance all these concerns and issues within our community plan.
Toni Atkins, Councilmember, Third District City of San Diego
