In a recent Coronado News Q&A, candidates for City Council said they will challenge state mandates for more housing, citing the need to protect Coronado’s “neighborhood character.”
What does that mean? I live on a block (on 3rd Street between B & C avenues) with apartments and condos, yet I find my neighbors and their residences to be very pleasant. Why do our politicians feel the need to campaign against the kind of places in which so many of their constituents live?
This leads me to Measure D, which will be on the ballot on Nov. 3. On one hand, I could tell you that rejecting the state mandate to raise the building height limit on Orange Avenue to four stories could lead to decertifying Coronado’s Housing Element and open us up for “builder’s remedy” projects much taller than four stories — Santa Monica has 16 such applications totaling over 4,000 proposed units. Or I could tell you about the expensive lawsuit opposing the Builder’s Remedy that the town of La Cañada Flintridge lost.
On the other hand, I would prefer to convince Coronado voters that the best way to address the housing affordability problem is to simply allow the building of more housing. The possibility of taller buildings would not require public subsidies, it could generate additional property taxes, and if it leads to something new, it would give renting residents more living options. I’m voting “Yes In My Back Yard” on Measure D because it is more realistic to celebrate the “character” of new residents (teachers, police, sailors) than to advocate for stunting Coronado’s growth.
Glenn Hopson is a Coronado homeowner and a member of San Diego County Yes In My Back Yard (YIMBY) Democrats.
