Residents of Middletown are uniting against a proposed 14-story apartment building, dubbed Celine Residences, expressing concerns over traffic congestion, parking loss, and safety issues.
This situation echoes across multiple neighborhoods in San Diego, where community activism has surged in response to dense, infill construction proposals.
Eliminating bureaucratic hurdles to streamline project approvals, state laws in California have aimed to address the housing shortage, yet they have spurred local opposition.
In a notable contrast to many developers, ELDA Developments has withdrawn its original plan to redesign the project, seeking to alleviate community concerns.
CEO Ahmed Eldahmy took this step, willing to absorb a financial setback during the six-month pause, hoping it would help mend relations with local residents.
“I like to go in with the least amount of enemies and highest number of allies,” he remarked about the situation.
Although the redesign is still under wraps, protests against the original proposal persist.
Residents have expressed a variety of grievances regarding the high-rise, particularly its potential impact on parking availability and local businesses.
Scott Case, a representation of Middletown homeowners, founded Stop Columbia High Rise after discovering the ambitious scope of the project through a contractor’s proposed work on his property.
“We are very supportive of development here,” Case said, emphasizing the importance of finding balance.
Liz, a renter in a nearby home, voiced her struggles, citing the loss of parking and the threat to the neighborhood’s close-knit community feel as major concerns.
“I actually know a lot of my neighbors; this is very unusual,” she said, sharing how residents have come together to support one another.
Facing displacement in the coming months, Liz fears she may have to seek affordable housing elsewhere, losing her cherished community connections.
Meanwhile, Mariana Aguilar, another member of Stop Columbia High Rise, echoed the need for redesign, although she believes there are better avenues for development.
She suggested a more modest three-story building with an underground parking facility, which would be more consistent with the existing low-rise structures in the neighborhood.
The mobilization of residents and business owners has gained momentum, as they come together under the banner of the San Diego Community Coalition, advocating for responsible growth and development practices.
A rally is scheduled for Saturday at the junction of Columbia and Winder streets, allowing community members to voice their opposition.
Eldahmy, who is undertaking his third project on Columbia Street, recently completed nine studio units in a three-story accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on Columbia Street in Bankers Hill.
Having a strong connection to the neighborhood, he spends much of his time in the area, making the situation particularly poignant for him.
His vision for the Celine Residences project was groundbreaking, featuring multiple amenities, including a rooftop pool, while leveraging the Complete Communities Housing Solutions policy.
This policy allows for increased density near transit in an effort to combat ongoing housing shortages.
Unexpectedly, the proposal has drawn significant backlash regarding its scope and implications for the community.
“When we understood that there is a huge resistance against it, we decided to hit the brakes a little bit and evaluate the situation,” Eldahmy explained.
Looking ahead, he anticipates that a redesign will be shared in the coming weeks, striving for a structure that aligns with community expectations, while still providing adequate parking.
Aguilar, however, remains skeptical of the process.
She wants to see community input truly reflected in the new design before judging the pause as a meaningful gesture.
This ongoing conflict illustrates the complexities faced by developers like Eldahmy, who must navigate the demands of city officials, rising construction costs, and community pushback in a tight-knit neighborhood.
As Eldahmy concluded, “We have to walk a fine line as a developer, as local developers in San Diego, between catering to investors, catering to the community, and making sure that we’re producing the housing that is needed.”
The coming weeks will be critical, as residents await the unveiling of the new design that hopes to reconcile the differences between community needs and developmental ambitions.
image source from：timesofsandiego
