“Cookie cutter” was among the adjectives that of the La Jolla Development Permit Review Committee used to describe a five-townhome development planned for the Windansea area that went before them at their meeting Feb. 13. “Brutal” was another.
The proposal calls for demolition of existing houses at 338-346 Gravilla St. and construction of five two-story, 1,682-square-foot townhouses on five separate parcels, each with a roof deck, garage and 754-square-foot accessory dwelling unit.
Applicant representative Scot Frontis said the layout would have a ground-floor ADU and a single-family residence on the second floor, plus a “loft space” and a roof deck. The five units would be shoulder to shoulder in one row with six feet between them, whereas the current development is more staggered.
“We’re trying to have some consistency yet differentiate … by using different materials and colors,” Frontis said.
However, some DPR trustees took issue with the similarity and closeness of the units.
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Frontis said the floor plans for the proposed homes are the same but have different exterior materials.
Trustee Diane Kane asked whether “a more interesting layout” was considered, “because that is brutal.”
Frontis replied that the owners considered having one big lot but wanted to provide opportunities for individual homeownership.
“We have had a lot of problems with this type of development,” Kane said. “It is not favorably looked upon by locals. You could do it, but we don’t like it, to be blunt.”
A plan to build a 13-unit project called Adelante Townhomes in the Bird Rock area that was revised to include about 1,100 square feet of ground-floor retail space on La Jolla Boulevard was hotly debated before La Jolla boards for a year before proceeding to the San Diego Planning Commission for review.
In addressing the Gravilla Street project, DPR trustee Greg Jackson said “it is interesting that you characterize the separate things as having ‘individuality,’ because from the picture, that is not what we see. … There are a bunch of developments like this [on surrounding streets], but they are at least staggered a little bit or there is a theme with facade differentiation. This looks like someone took a cookie cutter and went bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.”
Jackson noted that “this is probably in compliance [with local building codes] and we probably don’t have much choice.”
Still, he called the proposal “unfortunate” and said he wished the project “were more creative about its contribution to the community.”
DPR Chairman Brian Will suggested that trustees provide recommended changes that the applicant could consider. Many suggestions involved aesthetics, windows and spacing between the buildings to further differentiate them.
The project will return at a future meeting for a vote.
Other DPR news
After lengthy discussions, two projects to build houses in Bird Rock got the committee’s . Both, presented by architect Tim Martin, were being heard on a preliminary basis, but any preliminary review can be made final by unanimous vote, which was the case at the Feb. 13 meeting.
Chelsea Street: One project calls for a coastal development permit to demolish a two-story house with a detached garage at 5323 Chelsea St. and build a new two-story house with an attached garage, new landscaping and a new driveway.
The neighborhood has a style of curb that Will said he hopes will remain. “It’s a community-defining character and it would be nice if the city [of San Diego] didn’t just slap on their city standards and make the neighbors pay for it to have a [curb] that doesn’t fit with the neighborhood,” he said.
Martin said he would welcome that recommendation. Soon after, a motion ed 7-0 to the development with the recommendation that the city retain existing neighborhood characteristics such as curb and sidewalk locations.
Abalone Place: The other project seeks a coastal development permit to demolish a 1,731-square-foot one-story house and build a new 2,773-square-foot two-story house with retaining walls at 5616 Abalone Place.
Martin said the property has “peculiarities,” including that it used to be one lot that was divided, with a house on each new lot. A garage straddles the two lots and cannot be altered without the consent of both property owners, Martin said. “So we’re saddled with deg around that box.”
Given the design constraints and the narrow street, several trustees said they liked the design of the proposed house and the overall plan. A motion to it ed 7-0.
The DPR’s findings will proceed to the La Jolla Community Planning Association for ratification or further review. The DPR Committee meets the second and third Tuesdays of each month. Learn more and view agendas at lajollaa.org. ◆
