Land Use and Housing Committee Meeting - October 17, 2024
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Land Use and Housing Committee Meeting - October 17, 2024
The Land Use and Housing Committee met on October 17, 2024, at 1:00 PM local time (09:00 UTC). The meeting covered non-agenda public comments, a consent agenda, and a discussion item on proposed revisions to three real estate-related council policies. All items on the consent agenda were approved unanimously, and the committee voted unanimously to recommend the revised policies to the full City Council.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1: Approval of committee minutes from September 19, 2024.
- Item 2: Approval of a first amendment to a leasehold development agreement with San Diego Air Park LLC relating to city-owned property at Brownfield Municipal Airport and second amendments to ground lease and right-of-entry agreements.
- Item 3: Resolution to prohibit parking of vehicles for sale on specific streets in the San Ysidro area.
- All items were approved unanimously on a motion by Council President Pro Tem Lakava, seconded by Councilmember Whitburn.
Public Comments & Testimony
Non-Agenda Public Comment:
- Pacific Beach Development (970 Turquoise Street): Multiple speakers opposed a proposed 23-story building, citing violations of the 30-foot coastal height limit, traffic congestion, parking shortages, and incompatibility with community character. Scott Chipman (co-founder of San Diegans for Responsible Planning) described the project as part of zoning abuses; Thomas Coate highlighted traffic impacts and seismic concerns; Ellen Turkle noted that only 5% of units would be low-income. They urged opposition and called for responsible planning.
- Homelessness and Housing: Joy Sunyata (District 3) expressed concern about remaining homeless individuals after the encampment ordinance and called for kindness. Jan Bourgeois suggested using a vacant warehouse (Aztec Appliance) as a shelter and asked for follow-up. Lori Saldania criticized HG Fenton for a sole-source contract and a deed covenant restricting affordable housing, arguing it violates state law (AB 721).
- Rodeo at Petco Park: Multiple speakers (AD, Valerie Triena, Patricia Bryan, Rach, Brian Pease, Alfredo, and others) opposed rodeo events, citing animal cruelty, injuries documented by San Diego Humane Society, and zoning violations. Brian Pease noted a pending lawsuit. Supporters, including Sophia Ruiz (Sequan band of the Kumiai Nation) and a Native American resident, defended rodeo as cultural tradition and revenue source, stating no cruelty occurred at the 2024 event. The committee limited public comment on this topic to 16 minutes per council rules.
- Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing: Megan Stewart and Madison advocated for smoke-free policies in multi-unit housing, citing health risks of secondhand and thirdhand smoke from tobacco and marijuana, and noted progress in Carlsbad.
- Proposition 36: Becky Rapp (Kearny Mesa Planning Group) urged support for Prop 36 to address crime, drug addiction, and homelessness through tougher penalties and mandated treatment.
- Other Topics: Peggy Walker called for better shelter and treatment facilities for homeless addicts. A speaker (phone ending 7277) raised concerns about marijuana storefronts and youth mental health. Blair Beekman discussed improving public process for LED lighting in Memorial Park and suggested consent calendar threshold limits.
Consent Agenda Public Comment:
- Lori Saldania opposed the consent agenda process, arguing it limits public testimony and criticized the city's failure to address homelessness and affordable housing. Blair Beekman suggested a dollar threshold for consent items and praised the San Ysidro parking resolution.
Discussion Item (Item 4) Public Comment:
- Joy Sunyata thanked staff and supported the policies, but remained uncertain on 700-10. Anselmo Estrada (labor representative) praised improvements including job quality standards and project labor agreements. Lori Saldania opposed unless amended to include review of exclusionary covenants in due diligence checklists. Christopher Gomez (San Diego and Imperial Valley Labor Council) expressed gratitude for job quality provisions. Sergio Aguirre gave general credit to the department.
Discussion Items
Item 4: Proposed Revisions to Council Policies 700-10, 700-12, and 700-32
- Lucy Contreras (Deputy Director, Economic Development Department) presented the revisions, which stemmed from audits between 2012-2022. The updates aim to strengthen protocols, increase transparency, and reflect best practices. Key changes include:
- 700-10 (Leasing and Sales): Prioritize leasing over selling city property; extend appraisal validity from 6 to 12 months; require a Real Property Management Plan (RPMP) presented to council every two years; include criteria for sales (e.g., public benefit, affordable housing, climate action, labor standards).
- 700-12 (Nonprofit Leases): Update definitions, add administrative cost recovery, clarify eligibility criteria, and require committee presentation before council.
- 700-32 (Acquisitions): Clarify roles, require disclosure of conflicts, retain city appraisers, coordinate with IBA, and adopt a due diligence checklist. The checklist will be tailored to transaction type.
- Amy Lee (IBA) noted that 11 recommendations were addressed, but two needed discussion: 1) Specify that the RPMP be presented at a public hearing (staff agreed to add language); 2) Request a timeline for completing the RPMP. Council President Pro Tem Lakava asked for a timeline; staff indicated it depends on policy adoption and budget, possibly in 2025 pending consultant funding.
- Councilmember Lakava and Councilmember Whitburn praised the collaborative work, especially the emphasis on lease over sale and inclusion of job quality, equity, and climate action criteria. Senior Deputy City Attorney Kevin Rush clarified that 700-32 applies to both purchases and leases, though due diligence may be scaled for simple leases.
Key Outcomes
- The committee voted unanimously (with Councilmember Moreno absent) to recommend the revised policies 700-10, 700-12, and 700-32 to the full City Council, as moved by Council President Pro Tem Lakava and seconded by Councilmember Whitburn.
- The committee requested that the IBA's recommendation to specify that the Real Property Management Plan be presented at a public hearing be incorporated into the policy language.
- The committee discussed the need for a timeline for the RPMP; staff will include a request for consultant funding in future budget cycles.
- The meeting was adjourned to the next regularly scheduled meeting on November 21, 2024, at 1:00 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon and welcome to the land use and housing committee meeting of October 17th, 2024. Our committee liaison, Natalie Kessler will go over instructions for today's meeting. Thank you, Chair. All members of the public are able to attend the meetings in person. This meeting is being televised and live streamed on the city's website, and the council administration will continue to mark to make arrangements for the public to comment using the Zoom webinar platform. Members of the public who wish to provide virtual testimony must enter the virtual queue by raising their hand before the virtual queue closes. The queue will close when the last virtual speaker finishes speaking or five minutes after in-person testimony ends, whichever occurs first. Additionally, during the consent portion of the agenda, speakers will have one minute per item up to a maximum of three minutes if there are three or more items in the consent in the portion of the agenda. This will allow for better meeting management between the two platforms and ensure the committee is able to manage and conduct city business. We appreciate the public's cooperation. Chair. Vice Chair Council President Pro Tem Lakava. Present. Councilmember Whitburn? Sure. Councilmember Moreno. And Chair Councilmember Lee. Here. Also attending the meeting today, Chris Ackerman of Villa with the Mayor's Office. Corinne Newfer from the City Attorney's Office. Amy Lee with the independent budget analyst office, and Angeli Hoyos, committee consultant. If you're in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of chambers and place it on top of the box indicated at the speaker's lecture at the front of the room. Please do so in a timely manner to ensure proper meeting management. In-person testimony will conclude before virtual testimony begins. Members of the public can also join the webinar by computer, tablet, or smartphone by accessing the link which is listed online in the preamble language of the agenda on the city's website. To join the Zoom webinar by telephone, please dial 1669-2545252. The webinar ID is 161-286-5933 pound. This information is also available on the agenda and will appear on the screen during the public comment period for each agenda item. Please note that if you are watching via City TV 24 or online, there may be a delay. Please participate via the audio on your phone and mute your TV or computer when it is your turn to speak. If you wish to speak on a particular item, wait for that item to be called and then raise your hand to speak by tapping the raise your hand icon, or if you are a column participant, please press star nine on your phone. If you raise your hand during a non-comment period, your hand will be lowered. Chair. Thank you, Natalie, for reviewing this instructions for the benefit of the public. A quorum is now present. Uh, we will now take up non-agenda public comment. The council members respect and appreciate the public's input and are fully committed to protecting every participant's free speech rights. Um at council and committee meetings. Natalie, will you please proceed with non-agenda public comment? Thank you, Chair. Per rule 2.7, non-agenda public comment is an opportunity for members of the public to comment on items that are not on the agenda, but within the subject matter jurisdiction of the committee. Each speaker will have two minutes as a reminder to our speakers for non-agenda public comment. Per rule of council 2.7.2. If there are eight or more speakers on a single issue during non-agenda public comment, the maximum time for the issue will be 16 minutes. If you have joined the Zoom webinar on the Zoom webinar online or by phone and have non-agenda public comment, please raise your hand at this time if you wish to speak. And if you are an in-person, please complete or please come to the reserve seats at the front of the room when your name is called and be prepared to come up to the lecture and the order called. And Chair, we have received six speaker slips for non-agenda public comment here in chambers, and there are currently 13 hands raised in the virtual queue. We will begin with those in chambers. Scott Chipman, please approach the lector, and you'll have two minutes, and you will be followed by Thomas Coate and Ellen Truckle. Co-founder of Sandy Agnes for Responsible Planning.
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