SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV) - A proposal to build a four-story, 48 unit apartment complex in Carmel Valley has riled some neighbors, to the point where hundreds of them have now signed a petition asking the San Diego City Council to abandon the project.
The complex would be at 10211 Rancho Carmel Drive, just off the 15 Freeway near Ted Williams Parkway. It's less than a half-acre. Right now, a two-story parking structure sits on the plot of land.
Plans from developer New Pointe Communities say they would build the complex on top of the parking garage, essentially creating a six-story building.
People who live in the nearby Provencal community say it doesn't fit the neighborhood. They've started an online petition to stop it.
"That’s pretty tall, and that just doesn’t fit in" says Eric Von Waldner, who signed the petition.
"It’s going to take away our view, take away our privacy. There will be balconies looking right at us. I just don’t like the idea of it," he adds.
Von Waldner says neighbors worry the added units will overwhelm the area's electrical, water and sewage grid.
They also say it will cause traffic headaches at the signal light on Rancho Carmel Drive and Provencal Place.
"You got Starbucks over there. You got people that live in my community. If you add 48 more units, it’s going to be crazy," says Von Waldner.
They plan to send the petition to District 5 City Councilmember Mark Kersey, asking for a new plan. The Council already has an agreement with New Pointe to sell the land.
“A number of residents have contacted me about the proposed project on Rancho Carmel Drive, and I continue to welcome feedback from my constituents. Any redevelopment plans for the site will go through an extensive public process with numerous opportunities for input from the community,” Kersey said in a statement to 10News.
According to Eric Edelmen, the chair of the Carmel Mountain Ranch Community Council, the developer still has to submit a formal proposal to the city. They also have to ask for the area to be re-zoned to allow the extra units.
Right now, Edelman says the land is only zoned for eight units.
He says the last time they heard from New Pointe was at a November 14th meeting. The Community Council would have to approve the proposal first. Then it would need to pass through the Planning Commission and finally the full City Council.
