Many Peninsula residents share support for 30-foot height limit in Midway

SAN DIEGO – The Peninsula Beacon did a “shout out” soliciting local opinion via email and social media on whether the recent appellate court ruling upholding the 30-foot Midway height limit was the right call.

Most of the residents who responded favor the limit, but a few do not mind the possibility of taller developments in the sports arena area.

Here’s some of their responses:

“[The city] put it (Measure C) on the ballot looking to sneak this project through, saying, ‘You’re going to get a new sports arena,’” said Save Our Access spokesperson John McNab. “But what they didn’t tell you is that they wanted to put 150,000 to 200,000 people in this area. They think developer first – and public last.”

Three members of the Peninsula Community Planning Group – Eric Law, Mandy Havlik, and Andrew Hollingworth – speaking for themselves, concurred with McNab.

“The tireless efforts of Save Our Access have been instrumental in preserving San Diego for San Diegans,” said Law, the board’s president. “We celebrate their success in protecting our communities from developers who want to turn San Diego into another Miami Beach of soulless shoreline skyscrapers. We look forward to a new Midway Rising development plan that meets the community’s needs while conforming to the character of our community and adhering to the law.”

Havlik, PCPB’s vice chair, who is a candidate for the District 2 City Council seat in 2026, said: “Where we build and how high we build matters. The Midway area sits on reclaimed tidelands and liquefiable soils. This is not a safe or responsible place for dense, high-rise development. Despite these risks, the city continues to push for removing the voter-approved 30-foot coastal height limit, a protection San Diegans put in place to safeguard our coast from overdevelopment and ensure public access for all.”

“I strongly support the court decision that said the developer did not comply with CEQA, thereby reinstating the 30-foot height limit,” said Hollingworth, the board’s treasurer. “The developers of Midway Rising and the Gloria administration have increasingly sought to circumvent the law and local zoning through various density programs to increase housing, which is not affordable, no matter the cost, and the scope of Midway Rising keeps changing.”

Kim Beck of Roseville Heights referred to the 30-foot height limit as a bait-and-switch. “Measure C made it sound like the Pechanga Arena was going to be upgraded and go up a story or two. It did not address the actual plan that Midway Rising wants to build. What happens when you add 4,000 housing units to an already congested area? This creates an escalating series of negative effects on traffic, public services, safety and quality of life.”

Eric Beteille of Loma Portal disagreed with Beck’s perspective, saying maintaining the height limit at 30 feet will “only make the housing situation worse. San Diego restricts the type of properties that can be built (through zoning), and the way they can be built (through land-use regulations like the 30-foot height limit). This all leads to a housing shortage. In an area with limited land, we need to build up. It’s the only way to address the housing shortage.”

Candace Szalay of The Wooded Area in Point Loma agrees with the court, adding that Midway Rising’s plan “creates way too much density in the area, not enough parking and way too much traffic in an area that is already congested.”

Barb Yancey, also of The Wooded Area, said the height limit “keeps San Diego classy.”

“I agree with keeping the 30-foot height limit,” agreed Suzan Villarino of Midway. “I get that the government is trying to get citizens to use more public transportation. But San Diego and the Midway District infrastructure is ‘not’ ready for the traffic congestion that will come. Yes, Midway needs to be upgraded, but not at the cost of ignoring the people who live here and are already dealing with a traffic nightmare. Fix the infrastructure first.”

Luis Gurule of Crown Point noted, though, that “it’s a commercial district and higher buildings will not block anybody’s views. Higher buildings should be allowed, just like they did in the UTC area.”

Large-scale redevelopment plans on the Midway were largely predicated on the lifting of a 30-foot height limit, which has passed two recent votes. The original 30-foot height limit was established by a citywide vote in 1972.

The Oct. 17 ruling against the city on the height limit could adversely impact the former San Diego Sports Arena’s redevelopment by the Midway Rising team.

McNab’s group, Save Our Access, scored the legal victory over the city when a panel ruled that San Diego failed to follow the California Environmental Quality Act by not adequately informing the public of the effects of removing the height restriction.

In response, both the developers and Mayor Todd Gloria said the decision would not stop the project.