After years of delays, Normal Street's pedestrian promenade, which began as a grassroots effort in Hillcrest in 2015, is moving forward. What was the holdup? A driveway. Hillcrest Village Square Partners, who have owned the …
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Stories by Sheila Pell
El Cajon planning commissioners last week voted 4-0 to revoke the "deemed approved" status of a motel where adults had rented rooms for minors, and a teen was found shot in the head. The motel …
Housing-starved students in University City say they're fighting for elbow room with older, more established residents. "They're calling us transient - the new word is migratory now," said Aidan Lin at a city workshop last …
A proposal to put a modern sculpture by an acclaimed artist outside the Del Mar Civic Center nearly died last week before the public could even weigh in. "I'd rather just rip the bandaid off …
They're a step closer to landing on a sidewalk downtown, but not an inch closer to universal love: dozens of eight-foot-tall digital kiosks that threaten to end the city's historic ban on new outdoor advertising. …
In January, floodwaters swept away the tents, blankets and clothing of the homeless living along the San Diego River bed from Ocean Beach to Lakeside. Now some say the city is trying to sweep the …
A rooftop battle over radio-frequency (RF) emissions has been won by telecom giant Verizon - for now. It's not over, say attorneys for Carole Sachs, who owns and lives in the uptown penthouse condo that …
Lake Hodges Dam has received the state's worst possible safety rating, leaving the city with another delay in making repairs some say are decades overdue. Last month, the state's Division of Safety of Dams downgraded …
San Diego can't just build its way out of a housing emergency. It has to hold on to its existing affordable homes – an effort the city is slowly phasing in as it grapples with …
When Sweetwater Authority conducted a water transfer last November, draining Alpine's Loveland Reservoir to dead pool status for the first time ever, lake users thought it was the end of the free recreation program. Then …
As housing costs push more people out of San Diego, those lucky enough to own a home or rental property aren't rushing to sell. A study of the state's 30 largest cities by Point2 Homes, …
The city council on Monday unanimously approved the terms and funding of a $2,446,500 state grant that will be used to house 40-50 homeless people in the East Village. Named the E Street Encampment Project, …
A rural housing project that has been in limbo for decades is worrying Alpine neighbors who found out it may be revived. The 152-home zombie, known as the Bell Bluff extension, was to be the …
The most contested update to the land development code has been passed 3-1 by the city's land use and housing committee. Sustainable development areas — the city's new term for places where transit-oriented housing can …
Leucadia funk-removal machine to start up soon Leucadians rallied against the issues of the day on Coast Highway, a proposed 7-Eleven, a drive-thru Jack in the Box, and the terminus of proposed Highway 680 — …
Over 40 new state laws are casting shadows over local control of housing, and cities are choosing their battles. In Del Mar, officials are turning to the Coastal Act to fend off increases in height, …
As Hillcrest considers turning its core into a historic district, gays have lost one of only two sites dedicated to the LGBQT community. The planning commission voted unanimously last week to approve a development permit …
Owners of an endangered Torrey pine have hired a lawyer to try to save the tree, which the city of Del Mar says must be removed. It's the latest move in a battle that officially …
Del Mar will be the next city after Encinitas to install automated license plate recognition cameras, equipment that has sparked privacy concerns in other cities. Del Mar's city council on Monday authorized the San Diego …
Over a recent weekend, the city received 350 sidewalk service requests. With only two maintenance crews, it's no surprise there's a backlog of 9,000 requests for concrete repairs, mostly sidewalks. San Diego's 4,600-mile pedestrian network …
The Coastal Commission has sided with neighbors who say the city's plan to relocate a six-foot tall, 1,000-foot long chain fence topped with barbed-wire would ruin one of the only uninterrupted water views at Kendall …
Encinitas needs a lot of new housing, and in some cases, a few old trees are in the way. At risk, residents say, is a canopy of evergreen along Melba Road, where adjoining roads once …
Planners last week voted unanimously to recommend the city council approve most, but not all, of the changes to the 2022 land development code update. A few still had rough edges - especially the one …
Almost 8,700 apartments have been built in downtown San Diego since 2013, while the state's housing needs assessment has found the city will have to build more than 108,000 units by 2030. A report by …
Imperial Beach has fought oil companies, cross border pollution, the San Diego Association of Governments – who's afraid of a mobile home park? "We've gone out on a limb before," said Councilmember Ed Spriggs last …
A high-density housing project in Leucadia that will include low-income rental units has been approved 4-0 by the Encinitas City Council, overturning a decision to deny it. Spurred by angry neighbors, the city's planning commission …
A series of reforms to community planning groups the San Diego City Council will make on Tuesday could be good for housing and diversity, bringing more balance to decisions about what gets built where. But …
In Oceanside, like many cities, tattoo parlors have been nudged away from schools and neighborhoods. The city prohibits them within 500 feet of a residential district. As with cannabis outlets, they were long seen as …
The Encinitas city council has voted unanimously to deny an appeal of a seismic monitoring project at Beacon's Beach, which followed a cliff collapse in May. As neighbors see it, the overnight landslide didn't warrant …
As early as the end of next month, some housing projects in the backcountry would be able to skip a step on the road to approval. The San Diego County Planning Commission has made its …
Fentanyl leaves a deadly trail, but overdose spikes and clusters in an area can predict where the drugs will show up next, and police are turning to an app for that. The Overdose Detection Mapping …
To help fund city services, Imperial Beach voters approved a one percent sales tax increase last year. This November, they'll vote on raising the hotel tax, too. The city council on August 3 unanimously passed …
On August 1, the City Council approved Mayor Todd Gloria’s Build Better San Diego, an initiative that will improve services and infrastructure in lower income communities. Last summer, the city took action on parks. This …
The city of Encinitas has taken a step toward banning all public smoking of tobacco, leaving only private property or inside a moving vehicle for lighting up. Smoking is already prohibited on beaches, parks, and …
Market on 8th, National City's sprawling food hall that opened almost a year ago in its emergent downtown, is growing. While its flagship brewery, Novo Brazil, is leaving, the goal is to make way for …
As temporary outdoor dining winds down in San Diego, Solana Beach is looking to extend the permits until next year. Tomorrow, July 13, the temporary outdoor dining permits that helped restaurants stay open during Covid-19, …
A lawsuit that would force the city to abide by its own tree protection policy was lost this month, which may make it even harder to stop the removal of other mature, greenhouse gas-trapping trees. …
The city council on Monday voted 5-4 to amend an ordinance that would put "guardrails" on police use of surveillance technology. After two years of work on the ordinance, which had broad support among the …
Plans to create 113 low-income homes in Del Mar are finally taking shape. The city needs them to meet its state-mandated fair share of affordable housing, but there isn't much room left to build, and …
A multi-phase project to armor the Del Mar bluffs has reached another crossroad. Today (June 8), a series of controversial repairs will be reviewed for approval by the California Coastal Commission. Del Mar Bluffs 5, …
A project proposed for Presidio Park would make the historic Junipero Serra Museum more accessible to visitors with disabilities - but archeologists are afraid it will harm a site still in discovery. "Only about one-third …
The San Diego City Council on Monday overturned the historic designation of a small, nondescript commercial building on the southeast corner of 4th Avenue and Palm Street in Banker's Hill. Built by master architect Charles …
As they've done for years, El Cajon is moving to place liens on homes that are at least two months behind on their refuse, collection and recycling charges. Although it's been routine practice in El …
A few years ago, residents of Siesta RV park in Imperial Beach caught a lucky break when plans to sell the land to a developer fell through. Now, after a surprise change of ownership in …
A pair of prefab toilets, bestowed with an Onion award last year for their undistinguished design, are now being recognized as an American Public Works Association project of the year. The nomination has nothing to …
A dispute over an addition to the Salk Institute in La Jolla has ended. Last week, the Planning Commission denied an appeal claiming the proposed design ruins the historic integrity of the East Torrey Pines …
Del Mar may be the next city after Solana Beach, Encinitas, and Carlsbad to ban gas hookups in new construction. On April 18, the same day the city heard a presentation on San Diego County's …
Call it a bathroom desert. Nearly half the county's census tracts have no permanent public restrooms. At the same time, using the great outdoors in lieu of a loo could lead to a fine. The …
It's illegal to harass sea lions, but even warning signs haven't stopped La Jolla beach-goers from petting and feeding them. Troubles ramp up during pupping season, when the animals spend more time on the beaches …
During the pandemic, open days at the county's 24 reservoirs were slashed, prompting a petition to restore the only water access available to many backcountry residents without a long drive. Last November, the county agreed …