2025-01-28

obrag.org/2025/01/encanto-and-district-4-residents-hope-city-council-will-revoke-infamous-footnote-7-today-tuesday-jan-28/

2025-01-28

hoodline.com/2025/01/san-diego-city-council-to-decide-fate-of-controversial-footnote-7-zoning-amendment-amidst-calls-for-transparency/

2025-01-28

www.kpbs.org/news/racial-justice-social-equity/2025/01/28/san-diego-city-council-repeals-controversial-footnote-targeting-southeastern-neighborhoods

2025-01-27

www.insidesandiego.org/what-footnote-7-and-what-action-city-san-diego-taking

2025-01-24 01:53

Hello and great day Friends of Encanto & Encanto Neighbors,

The cold hard truth is that one of the reasons our neighborhood has been targeted time and again for projects, initiatives, and coding with disparate affects is because we are working, middle class families, singles, and seniors. We don't have the luxury of sitting around all day being busy bodies, we have full lives that are getting fuller by the year just to make ends meet, and to move forward in life. Our elected officials, especially our city councilmember are hoping that they can rely on the fact that we are "too busy" to show up and have our voices heard, and ask in person for our city council to respect Encanto and all of the neighborhoods represented by the Chollas Valley Planning Group by stopping unfair, disparate practices.

Please carve out time on Tuesday to join us at or near 1:30 for the City Council meeting. The City Council has an agenda item to repeal footnote 7 - an issue that only affects the Chollas Valley neighborhoods - including us in Encanto.

We will be discussing this at the upcoming Sunday potluck at the Encanto Recreation Center at 2:00pm this week.

For those of us who are just getting involved in this battle to demand that Encanto neighborhoods and property be treated with equal dignity than every other neighborhood in San Diego, please read Rob Campbell's letter to us to be caught up to speed on this particular issue.

If you cannot join us in person at 202 C Street down town (parking is hard - the Orange Line Trolley goes straight there exiting Civic Center) then please plan on attending virtually - here is their website with the link information: www.sandiego.gov/event/city-council-12 If you attend virtually you can still participate in the public comment.

In preparation for this meeting, we are also asking our supporters to call the members of the City Council - especially Henry Foster to voice your support of Foot Note 7 being repealed, and your support of all current projects under review to be denied, AND your support in the city providing our neighborhoods with the parklands that the city promised us - which the building of 2 of the Foot Note 7 projects would take away from our communities.

If you need any further information, please message me, and I'll be happy to respond. We are in this together, and we cannot do this without your participation, support, and encouragement!

---
From Rob:

Team,

The city just can’t quite tell the truth. In the attached staff report dated the 10th and signed by Heidi Vonblum, an argument is made that Footnote 7 perpetuates Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing by creating additional market rate housing in the Chollas Valley – an insane argument considering the context and history of our neighborhood.

Housing at any cost is not AFFH. To AFFH, housing opportunity must be provided in high and highest resource areas, of which Footnote 7 did not apply.

Additionally, the argument that Footnote 7 was created to make the Encanto Neighborhoods Community Plan “more consistent” continues to be made even though the areas in which it applied have a maximum community buildout of 0-4 dwelling units per acre. Which means, RS-1-4 is the maximum zoning that could potentially be allowed, not RS-1-7 which Footnote 7 is and would allow about 2x the density of up to 9 du/acre. Regardless, the zoning is not measured in du/acre but rather in square foot lot sizes and no rezoning action was undertaken.

It is not enough that the two proposed projects are on designated parkland expansion for our community, they want to defend their illegal action at our sake, for the betterment of nobody but the developers.

Footnote 7 created a clear disparate impact. That in itself, means it’s not AFFH.

We need all hands downtown on Tuesday for the afternoon session. This is critical that we set the record straight and stop the two known project from moving forward using Footnote 7.

Direct link to agenda: sandiego.hylandcloud.com/211agendaonlinecouncil/Meetings/ViewMeeting?id=6379&doctype=1&site=council

With gratitude,

Rob Campbell
---

If you have questions for Rob, please feel free to message me, and I'll be happy to connect you.

In peace, and with fortitude,

Lisa Becerra

2025-01-21

obrag.org/2025/01/revolt-over-san-diegos-housing-policies-gains-momentum-in-encanto/comment-page-1/

2025-01-11 17:45

We have organized a neighborhood meeting at 1467 Gibson Street tomorrow - December 12th at 2:00 p.m. If you are from any of the Encanto neighborhoods, and especially the one that is directly affected by these current proposed building plans, please join us! We plan to host these weekly until we have a resolution to this matter so that we can continue to bring new residents into the conversation. And allow our neighbors a chance to meet each other, and take action together.

For this our first larger gathering, we will have Neighbors for a Better San Diego out with us to share information on the initiatives, the Sustainable Dwelling Area they claim all of our neighborhood is part of, and the Bonus ADU program. They will help us understand what we can do as a community to be heard, and encourage our representatives to repeal or revise this program at the city level, and for our state representatives to add additional oversight on any ADU project that is over 1 additional unit so it's planning and permits have to go through the proper procedure any other multi family unit would need to, and so that the community receives the improvements they need to sustain the additional density.

Then we will have time to hear from you - the neighbors who are impacted just like you've been sharing after signing this petition. And thank you so much for that. We just found out that there is a family of owls who have been nesting in the area for a long time and that they've just surrendered their nest to 2 of their offspring! That's amazing! We also heard from residents who have been here since the 70's one is a retired Naval Officer - our city, state and nation owes him the ability to retain the quality of the neighborhood he lives in. These stories are amazing, and I am so glad that we're getting to hear them.

Then we're going to be able to hopefully hear a response from Henry Foster - he's been asked to join us and we're hoping that we matter enough to him that he will show up and participate fully in this gathering.

At the end we'll talk about our next steps - which will include going to the State of the City Address on Wednesday! Hope to see a lot of you down there 2:00pm for public comment, 3:00pm for the state of the city.

Please reach out with any questions you have!

We are Encanto!

2025-01-09 19:25

Our neighborhood group had come up with an initial name of Encanto Estates, because this particular area of San Diego has large lot sizes that ARE affordable for entry level buyers. However, these are not rolling estates where you can subdivide and never notice an extra 43 units, this is RS1-2 zoning with parcels of close to a half acre to somewhere near an acre where participating in the Bonus ADU program will have a huge negative impact.


New petition description:

Please join Neighbors for Encanto Estate members in fighting back against greedy real estate investor/developers who are trying to use loopholes to create apartment style complexes out of ADU's (Accessory Dwelling Units). Say NO! to these investors who have never lived in our neighborhood, and whose construction and permit costs will not include any funding to improve our neighborhoods while they cram 40+ of these ADUs onto parcels zoned for single family dwellings, and expect our inadequate crumbling infrastructure to provide enough parking, road safety, traffic control, trash pickup, water and electricity.

Sign this petition to tell these investor/developers we will not stand for them ruining our quiet neighborhoods. Tell them NO! They cannot build these units on Tarbox, they cannot build these units on Hilger and they cannot build these units on Plover.

How would you feel if out of the blue and with ZERO notice an apartment complex was being built next door to you? Our Neighbors for Encanto Estate members were shocked and appalled to realize that this is exactly what investor/developers have applied to do at multiple locations, all on connecting streets. Currently we are looking at the proposed building for 1348 Tarbox St, and at least 2 properties on Hilger, and 1 at least property on Plover.

With no notice, no public hearing, no postings of proposed building plans, an investor/developer has filed permit number PMT-3326620 Project ID PRJ-1127220 with the city to build 43 ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Unit) and one Single Family Dwelling right in the middle of a neighborhood where the lots sizes are close to a half acre or more all zoned for single family housing.

We don't want anyone in our neighborhood to feel we are against owners constructing an ADU. An ADU is what many of us know as a granny flat - a smaller detached dwelling that many people choose to build for an older parent, other relative, or to rent in order to help with their family finances. Recent changes to the laws have allowed each homeowner the ability to build 1 ADU unit and one JADU ( junior accessory dwelling unit) on their properties. This is not the type of construction proposed for 1348 Tarbox St. The permit was not for 1 Single Family Dwelling, 1 ADU and 1 JADU.

How is it legal then? As part of an incentive to push AB 671 (approved by Governor Newsom on October 9th, 2019) which required cities to plan to “incentivize and promote the creation of accessory dwelling units that can be offered at affordable rent for very low, low, or moderate-income households”. The incentive San Diego came up with was the bonus ADU unit. Where - if you build one ADU or JADU, you may build an additional unit to rent to a very low, low, or moderate income person. On top of this, our city has decided that if an owner's property is within a Sustainable Development Area instead of just 1 additional ADU/JADU, you may build however many you desire (space permitting, with no height restrictions).

According to the city, the Sustainable Development Area has replaced the Transit Priority Area of the original plan, and allows properties with unlimited bonus ADUs/JADUs "if the development is accessible to a major public transit stop up to a 1-mile walk." Per the city this means that now these projects can reach an additional 5,200 acres of neighborhood land.

1348 Tarbox St. is more than 1 mile in walking distance to both of the nearest trolley stops (Encanto/62 Street & Massachusetts Avenue); and it is over 1 mile away again in walking distance from both of the intersections with 2 MTS Bus Routes as there is only 1 MTS Bus Route that serves this community - the 916/917. And the 916/917 bus route does not run every fifteen (15) minutes or less during the morning and afternoon as specified in the Transit Priority Area definition. 

So it's not legal. And they still want to do it because they think we're not looking, and won't be able to organize ourselves and afford to pay to fight back against them like other communities are doing in higher socioeconomic communities. Yes, we are middle class families, and yes, we deserve to live in the neighborhood we invested in when we purchased our properties - not what some investor/developer wants us to have to "put up with".

Even if this were a legal project, that doesn't mean it's good for our community. Imagine it, 43 additional housing units filled with occupants walking around our unmarked and undefined dilapidated streets that have little to no lighting during the morning and evening hours. Not to mention their additional cars that they will expect to be able to park on a street (the ADU building does NOT require them to provide off street parking) with no defined curbs, no designated parking spaces, without designated no parking zones for public safety. 

Most housing construction projects have to take into the account the impact the construction will have on traffic patterns, storm and drain water, the environment, wildlife, and the neighborhood as a whole - and if approved stipulations require them to bringing their property and the surrounding area up to code for the proposed building density, and property taxes are assessed in order to ensure our schools, parks, police and other community service needs are able to keep up with the demand of the increased population in the neighborhood. This bonus ADU program allows builders to drop ADU apartments into our neighborhood and walk away with the residents absorbing all the negative repercussions, and dealing with the fallout. This is not a win-win this is a big LOSS for Encanto. Add your name to tell these investor/developers NO. We DON'T want your ADU Apartment Complexes!

2024-12-19

www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/san-diego-commissioners-recommend-to-repeal-footnote-7-zoning-policy/3705333/

2024-12-19

inewsource.org/2024/12/19/footnote-removal-vote-zoning-laws-san-diego-land/