Smaller One Paseo project heads toward approval

After a four-year-long feud with Carmel Valley neighbors and several lawsuits, a new scaled-down version of Kilroy Realty's One Paseo development will likely be approved.

On June 27, city councilmembers will be asked to approve the pared-down project, which includes 608 residential units, 280,000 square feet of office space, and 95,871 square feet of retail space to be built on 23.6 acres on the corner of Del Mar Heights Road and El Camino Real.

The new proposal from Los Angeles–based Kilroy Realty is a vastly different project than the one the developer pitched in 2012. Initial plans called for 806,000 square feet of retail and office space — nearly three times the square footage currently proposed. In addition, the developer planned to build a movie theater and a 150-room hotel.

Carmel Valley residents weren't happy with the plans. Nor were they thrilled about the tactics Kilroy used to push the project through.

As reported by the Reader, Kilroy hired a Santa Barbara–based public relations firm that specialized in creating fake grassroots campaigns ("astroturfing") aimed at defeating NIMBY opposition. The developer threw pizza parties for supporters, hired precinct walkers to go door-to-door looking for support for their project, and formed political action committees to influence elected officials.

Kilroy's tactics paid off, at least for a brief period. In February 2015, city councilmembers approved what was a slightly scaled-down version of the development. Neighbors teamed up with Donahue Schriber, the owner of the adjacent shopping plaza, to launch a signature drive with the goal of overturning the council's decision at the ballot box.

Faced with an expensive referendum, the city council agreed to reconsider the project. Meanwhile, attorneys for Kilroy had begun to file a number of lawsuits against the city for their previous approvals of building permits issued to the neighboring shopping plaza.

Then, in May 2015, Kilroy Realty, Donahue Schriber, and residents reached an agreement. Kilroy agreed to reduce the size of One Paseo and drop the lawsuits if residents supported the project. Now, four years after the initial plans, the council has been asked to put an end to the tussle and approve the project during a June 27 hearing inside city hall.