A proposed five-story, 71 condo residential project at the corner of Third Avenue and K Street in Chula Vista received the backing of the majority of the Chula Vista City Council after a 3-1 vote Tuesday night.
The Chula Vista Planning Commission approved the plans for the proposed project June 22 by developer Dr. Hamid Mani, but Earl Jentz and Martha Coulson, both members of the Cooridor Coalition, appealed the decision on July 1 with the hope that the city council would overturn the commission’s decision.
The mixed-use development dubbed Vista del Mar, will include one- and two-bedroom condos and a 616-square-feet space for commercial use.
The Corridor Coalition and other residents opposed the project saying it did not fit in with the city’s Urban Core Specific Plan C-1 District which runs along Third Avenue.
James Tingle lives two-streets up from the development on Twin Oaks Avenue. He said the height of the total project will drastically affect his quality of life.
“Our beef is that you have a single-story, two-story structure and now you have a 60-foot structure towering over the neighborhood,” he said outside city hall before the start of the council meeting.
Tingle said the size of the Vista del Mar development lead him to call it “The Canyon” or “The Great Wall of Chula Vista.” Those who opposed the project said tenants on Church Avenue could lose their privacy with towering balconies overlooking their backyards.
The nearly five-hour public hearing drew crowds from both the opposition and supporter. In total, there were 19 speakers speaking against the project and in favor such as members of the Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce and several business owners.
Estella Ruiz, a realtor in Chula Vista for 40-years, said she envisions herself one-day inside a Vista del Mar condo.
“I am thinking that maybe one day I would like to move from my house in the Pepper Tree area into one of those condos because my house is too big for me right now,” she said. “The reason why I also support this is because we need a vibrant city, we need to grow the corridor of Third Avenue. The western part of the city has nothing to offer young people.”
Business owner Randy Bellamy, who owns a cremation business in downtown Chula Vista, said Vista del Mar would add synergy with the transformation of Third Avenue as well as make Third Avenue more of a walkable community.
Councilwoman Patricia Aguilar said it was a difficult decision to make but she ruled against Vista del Mar because it did not comply within the city’s general plan.
Councilwoman Pamela Bensoussan said she could not go against the planning commission’s decision because Vista del Mar fits with in the city’s long-term vision in Chula Vista to have the density and revitalization to take place in the commercial corridor.
An hour before the start of the city council meeting members of the Corridor Coalition, the land use community group Crossroads II and several Chula Vista residents protested on the steps of City Hall waiving signs that read “Say No To Vista Del Mar,” while chanting “It doesn’t fit!,” in regards to the size of the project.
