City’s proposal for more housing could overturn OB Historic District decisions

OCEAN BEACH – Some residents fear the casualties of the city’s budget-cutting efforts to reduce a projected $258 million deficit could include the elimination of the Ocean Beach Cottage Emerging Historic District.

That district consists of 72 historically contributing properties, Craftsman bungalows, cottages, and other structures typical of the American Arts and Crafts movement, built in OB from 1887 to 1931.

However, the Planning Commission has ruled that while the Ocean Beach Cottage Emerging Historical District was formed to include and regulate only those 72 designated properties, the entire area of the Ocean Beach Community Plan instead is within the Historic District, including OB’s other 7,800 dwelling units.

Retired attorney Craig Klein is advising OB residents, helping them navigate through the city’s complicated set of zoning regulations, which are now being amended to accommodate building more affordable housing.

“It took us the better part of two decades to finally get the Ocean Beach Cottage Emerging District adopted and recognized by the city,” Klein said. “It was argued to the Planning Commission that the Historic Cottage District includes every parcel located within OB’s Community Plan.

“Because of that, we’ve been able to defeat proposed Complete Communities’ projects in OB, like the 21-unit, 3-story project at the corner of 4705 Point Loma Ave., only three units of which would have been affordable.”

Complete Communities is a multifaceted city program encouraging development near public transportation, combining housing, mobility, parks, and infrastructure. Program detractors claim Complete Communities is being utilized to allow greater housing density than what is allowed and is appropriate in some areas.

An update by the city of its historic housing rules is underway, balancing preservation with the need to build more housing. Proposed reforms are part of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s “Preservation and Progress” initiative.

Some proposed changes are relatively noncontroversial, such as allowing more flexibility in which types of experts can be appointed to the Historical Resources Board. However, others are considered more onerous by some.

One proposal would give the City Council more authority to overturn decisions made by the HRB. That would allow for a “de novo” appeal, allowing the City Council to consider all aspects of a decision, rather than limiting what it is allowed to review.

Historical preservation groups like Save Our Heritage Organisation contend such de novo appeals would “politicize” decisions, arguing the council doesn’t have the expertise to make its own decisions on historic preservation.

Reacting to the city’s proposed historical reform package, SOHO wrote in a letter to the Planning Commission: “SOHO supports the city’s intent to make the preservation program clearer, more equitable, and more accessible to the public.

“Unfortunately, several provisions undermine those objectives. Rather than improving transparency and fairness, they introduce new procedural obstacles, restrict public participation, and reinforce or even expand existing inequities. For these reasons, SOHO respectfully urges the Commission to withhold its recommendation for approval in its current form.

The letter added that SOHO was “deeply concerned” about the risks of allowing the City Council to substitute political judgement for the determination of experts, “undermining the professional integrity of the designation process.”

“This represents a fundamental issue of democratic accountability and citizen participation. Recommendation: Reject this proposed new ground for appeal.”

OB’s development history

Ocean Beach was developed as a “seashore” resort and vacation home area between 1887 and 1931. The first maps developed wide streets running from the hillsides to the ocean, and narrower service streets parallel to the ocean.

The second development, Ocean Beach Park, brought streets and lots to the edge of False Bay, where the long-term road connected the area with Old Town and Roseville in Point Lorna. A trolley in 1909 confirmed the use of West Point Loma, on False Bay, as the permanent access.

The area has wide sand beaches, bluff and cliff formations, hillsides with ocean views, City Park and Recreation active athletic fields on the Robb Field fill of the river channel, a Dog Beach, and grass passive parks.

Until the 1980s, it was a self-sufficient community with a civic center, post office, library, elementary school and City Recreation Center, and a three-block commercial retail center.