Carmel Valley residents displeased with limbo

At a May 18 hearing, San Diego's city councilmembers postponed a decision on whether to rescind their approval of Kilroy Realty's 1.45-million-square-foot mixed-use project, One Paseo, or send it to the ballot at taxpayer cost.

Councilmembers have done their best to toe the line between kowtowing to the developer and going with residents. Rescinding the approval would have meant lengthy delays for the developer; sending it to the ballot would have cost the taxpayers over a million dollars.

Instead, at the outset of the meeting, councilmember David Alvarez dropped a bombshell: Alvarez asked to continue the meeting until Thursday, May 21, in order to give Kilroy Realty and Donahue Schriber time to hash out a deal. Donahue Schriber, the company that owns Del Mar Highlands Shopping Center, put up the money behind the referendum drive that more that 61,000 residents signed in an effort to overturn the council's earlier approval.

The two developers have since filed dueling lawsuits, also naming the City of San Diego.

Alvarez indicated that Kilroy was willing to cut the average daily trips on nearby roads in half, in exchange for a green light from the city.

Councilmembers were largely supportive of continuing the item and of the negotiations.

"It's unfortunate that you had to come downtown and pay the money to park," said District 5 representative Mark Kersey. "It's inconvenient. We’ve heard from a number of people in the community that they just wanted a different development. What we are hearing now is there may be a possibility for that to happen. We all know this land is not going to sit empty; it will be developed."

Residents in attendance, many of whom have fought Kilroy's plans for years, were not as thrilled. Many questioned the council's authority to accept a compromise between the two while neglecting the referendum drive.

The group of residents later issued a statement on the delay and possible compromise.

“We are disappointed the council fails to recognize the urgency of its action and is continuing to leave the community in limbo. For six years, San Diegans have worked to have their concerns regarding One Paseo heard and addressed. To date, these concerns have been pushed aside by Kilroy and the City Council. With the referendum to overturn the project’s approval now certified, the time for the Council to listen to its constituents has past.

“San Diegans are ready to put this issue behind them once and for all or move forward to the next step in the process. The council’s decision to delay its action on the referendum shows a disregard for the community and the time it has spent on this issue.”

The council will meet inside council chambers at 1 p.m. Thursday to make their final decision.

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