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By Christianne McCormick
Screenshot: Mayor Mark Arapostathis
November 6, 2022 (La Mesa) -- Disgruntled and outraged residents of La Mesa at the October 11 City Council meeting voiced their concerns about a five-story, 64-unit apartment complex proposed to be built in the heart of the city’s village. The building would be erected on the same land where the historic Randall Lamb Building burnt down during a riot following the May 30, 2020 protests after the tragic death of George Floyd.
The Planning Commission approved the project on September 21, 2022, which included site development plan approval and approval of a parking modification to reduce the amount of parking required. There was a 10-day appeal period, during which no one filed to ask the Council to overturn the approval. By the time the Design Review Ratification was presented to the City Council, the appeal period had expired.
Resident after resident testified that the new apartment building would change the character of La Mesa.
“It’s changing the historic heart of La Mesa,” commented Kristine Alessio, a mayoral candidate and former Councilmember. “This project is the wrong fit for the village and you’re going to change it all. I think that’s tragic and I think it is terrible for our community. I hope that in the future everyone up on the Council looks at land use patterns, how to protect communities and what you should be doing to incorporate affordable housing, housing with the existing communities.”
Ray Abbott, who has been living in La Mesa for 30 years, stated, “This development makes me sick I personally moved here largely because of the village and the attraction of the village. I’ll be spending less money on the village because there will be less parking.” Condensed and limited parking was another major concern that was uniformly addressed by multiple La Mesa residents.
Councilmembers Jack Shu and Bill Baber asked questions about how the 64-unit complex might affect the city’s parking. Baber indicated that the complex would be located right next to a public parking structure and that it is highly likely the tenants would utilize those parking spaces. A resident mentioned how that could be problematic considering that public parking space is used for the weekly farmers’ market and events like Oktoberfest.
The developer is utilizing incentives and waivers of development standards allowed under state law. The waivers were used for parking standards,building height, and upper-story setbacks. The parking available for the new tenants are just one-half of a parking space per unit. Not every unit will get a parking space, but it is anticipated that many of the new residents will use public transit.
Councilmember Shu asked if there was any data that indicates how many future tenants plan on using public transit. There was not any data that could be provided.
Before the Design Review Ratification was discussed, the City Council decided to have Councilmember Laura Lothian recuse herself from that portion of the meeting, causing disapproval among some attendants. Since Lothian rents an office space in the vicinity, other Councilmembers felt that she might have a conflict of interest. Councilmember Baber brought up the fact that Lothian leases an office less than 300 feet from the site. He then asked Attorney Glenn Sabine if that qualifies as a conflict of interest. After a five-minute recess Lothian recused herself from the meeting.
Such recusals are customary; other Councilmembers have recused in the past from voting on projects close to where they live. However, the action angered some present.
“This is a sham,” Abbott told the Council. “You throw out the one person that voiced any opposition to this. The planning commission gets up and says ‘this is a done deal’ so there really is no agenda item from what I can see. It’s just a sham. We the residents are going to be ruled out of using the village. What you did with Councilmember Lothian was disgusting. I live a half a mile away. Should I recuse myself from commenting on your poor, poor decisions?"
Lothian was the only Councilmember who asked why weren’t La Mesa property owners notified about this project? “I never saw any notification. It sounds like the ship has sailed and this apartment complex is coming. I know that when I talked to La Mesans there is a resistance to more and more apartment buildings,” she said before she recused herself from the meeting.
Councilmember Jack Shu asked if the Council was able to delay the project at all. “Are there any repercussions if we table this for another month or two?” he questioned.
Staff indicated that the development is already entitled and that the presentation was for the structure’s design review ratifications only. The city has very little discretion on any government issued waivers unless the structure poses a danger to the public.
The building would include 8 affordable rental units, classified as suitable for those with "very low income" within the 64 unit property with a total 29 ground level parking structure spaces. Households earning 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI) for San Diego County are considered to be in the ‘very low income’ bracket. In 2022, San Diego Median Income is $106,900.
The new development is an affordable project under the city’s Affordable Homes Bonus Program and Government Code Section.
Mayor Mark Arapostathis, Vice Mayor Colin Parent, Councilmember Bill Baber, Councilmember Laura Lothian, Councilmember Jack Shu, City Treasurer Eldon Vogt, City Manager Greg Humora, City Attorney Glenn Sabine, and City Clerk Megan Wiegelman were all present during the meeting.
The La Mesa City Council decided to withhold from taking any action and will discuss the project further in future meetings—after this week’s election.
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