$3.6-Million Site in Chula Vista : Bates Opposes Plan for Navy Housing

Rep. Jim Bates (D-San Diego) voiced opposition Friday to the Navy’s plans to build a housing project on Telegraph Point, and urged Navy and local officials to work with him to find another site for the project.

Bates led about 60 people on a tour of the area in eastern Chula Vista, which has become the subject of controversy since the Navy announced in November that it had bought the 34.3-acre property and was planning to build a 200-unit housing project. Surrounding residents have expressed fears that the Navy housing will decrease the value of their homes.

“Can you justify (spending) $91,000 for a house?” Bates asked as he walked briskly to the top of the site that overlooks Otay Ranch. “Is this a prime housing site? I think it’s too much money for what they’re getting. I think most of the citizens in the 44th Congressional District will not think this is a good site.”

The land is on the northeast corner of Telegraph Canyon Road and Otay Lakes Road, and was the 13th of 24 sites in San Diego County considered by the Navy. The Chula Vista City Council held a special meeting in November so citizens could voice their concerns about the project, but later found that the city was powerless to halt the development.

At the time of the November meeting, Congress had not approved funds for the housing project, so city officials thought it would be several months before the Navy made a final decision on a site. But a week later, the Navy announced that Congress had approved funding for the project.

Study Conducted

The Navy paid $3.6 million for the site. Construction on the $15-million project is slated to begin in 1986.

Bates said that he had not met with the Navy or local government officials about the project before Friday’s site tour. He expressed concern that 10 of the 24 sites are in his district. The San Diego Assn. of Governments (Sandag) conducted a study and selected the 24 sites for the Navy’s approval.

“I was not contacted by Sandag and I object to that,” he said. “ . . . I never heard from the Navy until they told me what they where doing.”

“We tried to inform the congressman and his staff,” said Sandag planner Michael McLaughlin. “All the material that was sent to the task force and advisory committee was sent to congressional delegations, including Congressman Bates.”

McLaughlin also said that Bates’ district is a relatively large one that includes several naval facilities, so a “substantial area we looked at included the 44th District.”

Sandag officials said they searched for about three years for sites, and that the criteria they used included availability to transportation, schools and proximity to Navy bases.

Bates said, however, that the criteria used were “very poor, and I don’t think you can stand behind these criteria as substantive.”

After both sides finished exchanging opposing views, Bates, Sandag and Navy officials agreed to work on a solution to the problem. Bates said he will meet Feb. 9 with the House subcommittee on military construction.

Housing Shortage

“We will abide by the will of Congress,” Navy Cmdr. Scott Shepard said. But, he added, “we have a critical housing shortage and we want to try quickly to fill that need. We need about another 6,000 (housing units) to satisfy our need, and it continues to grow every year.”

If Congress decides against the Telegraph Point site, Scott said, the Navy will look for another site.

Chula Vista Mayor Greg Cox said the City Council has not taken a position one way or the other on the project. If the Navy had approached the city initially about building on Telegraph Point, “I don’t think it would be my first choice,” Cox said. His goal now is to insure that whatever is built is “compatible with the (homes) in the surrounding area.”

His view was shared by Councilman Leonard Moore, who said, “the Navy must be treated like any other developer. If the Navy housing comes, we want quality.”

Many neighbors of the site say they are not anti-Navy, but they are opposed to the money the Navy is spending on the project.

“If the Navy wasn’t here, San Diego would dry up and blow away,” said Gary Caddell, who lives on Citadel Court near the proposed site. “We’re not against Navy people. We’re against government waste.”

‘Waste of Money’

“I think it’s a shame that people are jumping on a bandwagon without knowing what the bandwagon is,” said Patricia Mangrum, a member of Chula Vistans Against Government Waste, who also said that the residents are not anti-Navy.

“My father was military,” she said. “I lived in Navy housing. It’s not the Navy we’re against. It’s not the enlisted man we’re against. But (the project) is a gross waste of taxpayers’ money.”

Billy Tobin, president of Branch 9 of the Fleet Reserve Assn., said that if communities continue to make it difficult for the Navy to build housing, it could have an adverse affect on enlisted men. The retired sailors held an emergency session Thursday night and endorsed the Navy’s Telegraph Point project.

“I spent 30 damn years in the Navy protecting the rights of that person who says that the young sailor is unfit to live there,” Tobin said. “What would they say if the young people would say, ‘To hell with it, defend yourself.’ ”