Voters will decide Tuesday whether to keep or remove San Diego’s 30-foot height limit for buildings in the Midway District.
Measure C’s passage would exclude the 1,324-acre Midway-Pacific Highway Community Plan area from the existing 30-foot height limit on buildings, which supporters say will spur housing opportunities and revitalize a rundown neighborhood.
Opponents say removing the height limit would block coastal views and cause density issues leading to traffic congestion in the area.
In 2020, voters approved an identical measure to remove the height limit, but opponents sued the city and a judge ruled in their favor, stating that the city did not conduct proper environmental analysis before putting that measure before voters.
Opponents have sued again to block Measure C, alleging the city’s latest environmental impact analysis only studied the measure’s effect on views, and not other factors such as traffic, air quality, and water quality, among others.
Measure C’s supporters include San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, Councilman Chris Cate, and the Midway Community Planning Group. In their ballot statement, supporters say the measure “is the key to creating a pedestrian- friendly, transit-oriented community with entertainment, shops, and outdoor recreation.” They also say the Midway District is not a coastal area and should not have been included in the Coastal Height Limit Zone established in 1972.
Opponents, including environmental group Save Our Access, say the measure will force “high-rise development into existing beach communities” to the benefit of developers. Save Our Access, which filed both lawsuits challenging the height limit ballot measures, say more parks and open space would be beneficial, rather than high rise development projects.
–City News Service