As worries mount in La Jolla over a 22-story residential-commercial building planned for north Pacific Beach not far from La Jollas southern boundary, an even larger housing development is being proposed, this one just over La Jollas northeastern border in University City.
That project, planned for the 10200 and 10300 blocks of Campus Point Drive and the 4100 and 4200 blocks of Campus Point Court, would feature 2,205 residential units across eight multi-level buildings and 5,153 parking spots across four parking structures and surface spaces. The location, on 100.7 acres, is just east of Interstate 5 and just north of Genesee Avenue across from Scripps Memorial Hospital.
In total, the developments floor area would span more than 2.24 million square feet.
The developer, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, a company behind five life sciences campuses in San Diego, is now proposing construction after an initial application was opened with the city on April 4 by San Diego-based Rick Engineering.
The project would be developed under the revised University Community Plan, which was signed by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria in August and is set to go into effect Dec. 1. Among its primary goals are encouraging transit-oriented developments and creating 29,000 new homes in the University City area.
(Bing Maps and La Jolla Light)
Campus Point, which currently is under environmental review, has multiple stipulations allowing it to accommodate more than 2,000 units.
To stand 180 feet, the project would require a planned development permit for surpassing the University City community’s 120-foot height limit. And given its location, it would require a site development permit to increase residential density in an Airport Safety Zone.
The proposal would be built in close proximity to several buildings at UC San Diego in La Jolla, which has seen a surge in enrollment in recent years. This fall, the university reached a record 45,273 students.
To help accommodate its increasing enrollment, UCSD recently opened its latest large student housing complex, Pepper Canyon West, with two buildings standing 23 and 22 stories tall. The $365 million project was built to house 1,310 upper-division transfer students.
A shortage of affordable housing in the La Jolla/University City area has long been a concern for students.
With the potential development so close to La Jolla, the Light asked some La Jolla community leaders for their thoughts. Some said they werent familiar enough with the project to comment.
Harry Bubbins, a Bird Rock resident who also is president of the La Jolla Community Planning Association — though was not speaking in that capacity — said he believes the city should explore “housing of all types.”
He said his curiosity with the Campus Point plan lies in its four parking structures.
“As the [University City] community thoughtfully engages, I will be curious to learn how a proposal with over 5,000 parking stalls — more than double the number of actual homes — can make regulatory, environmental or even financial sense, especially less than one mile from the deservedly touted trolley extension we all invested over $2 billion to build,” Bubbins said.
Chris Nielsen, chairman of the University City Planning Group, said he is reserving judgment on the project until he has more information.
Mike Frattali, a south University City resident since 1996, said he has two key concerns about the Campus Point proposal — density and location.
“I really don’t understand why UCSD keeps trying to add attendance when that campus is literally overflowing with students,” Frattali said. “It’s a great university — it’s a huge asset, not just to the community but to the city and really to the nation — but at some point you just got to spread the wealth and start building out a UC system in other parts of town.”
Frattali also cited a lack of stores, parks and amenities in the area surrounding the project site.
“Just looking at it — and I’m not an urban planner — I can’t imagine a family or couple being really happy there. Because there’s nothing there,” he said.
Commenters on social media who oppose the Campus Point project point to worries about traffic congestion and building heights. Those in favor praise the property’s proximity to the university and its “unheard of” number of parking spaces.
The Compass Point development would include several buildings and parking structures, including along Campus Point Court. (Noah Lyons)
Campus Point is the latest in a series of recent proposals for high-density residential projects in the area around La Jolla.
A permit application with the San Diego Development Services Department plans a 239-foot, 22-story building with 213 residential units over ground-floor shops at 970 Turquoise St. in north Pacific Beach. Ten of the units would be designated for very-low- to middle-income families
The controversial development would far exceed the height limit for coastal communities under San Diegos Proposition D — a 1972 voter-approved measure that restricted new buildings west of I-5 to 30 feet — under a state density bonus law that supersedes local policies.
The project has brought public protest both in Pacific Beach and neighboring La Jolla, and Gloria and San Diego City Councilman Joe LaCava have voiced concerns about the plan.
But the city ultimately is awaiting a decision from the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
Another large residential project in Pacific Beach already has received state approval to bypass the local coastal height limit.
The 60-unit, 60-foot-tall Rose Creek Village is scheduled to break ground in February at 2662 Garnet Ave. Nearly all the units will be deed-restricted for households with very low and extremely low incomes. 