6 New Sites Suggested for Navy Housing
Six locations were suggested by the Planning Department on Friday as possible alternatives to the controversial site the Navy has selected for a 200-unit housing project.
The City Council may decide at its next meeting whether to recommend the sites to the Navy, the target of community protests since November when it announced the purchase of the 34.3-acre site at the northeast corner of Telegraph Canyon and Otay Lakes roads.
Some homeowners adjacent to the site fear the Navy homes will lower the value of their properties; others say that the site, isolated from naval facilities, will result in a waste of tax money.
City Planner George C. Krempl said the alternative sites range in size from 15 to 23 acres. Three of them--one in the Eastlake area and two in the El Rancho del Rey area--are east of Interstate 805 in the “virgin future development” area of the city, Krempl said.
The other sites are in north-central Chula Vista at E and Flower streets, in the Bayfront area west of Interstate 5, and at Orange and Brandywine avenues in the southern part of the city. The City Council gave the Planning Department 60 days to search for sites that the Navy could use as alternatives to the one at Telegraph Point. The 60-day period ended today.
Each site was chosen based on its proximity to shopping areas and naval facilities, its accessibility and whether it could be easily developed, Krempl said. Most of sites listed by the Planning Department would need to have water and sewer lines installed and roads paved before they could be developed, Krempl said.
“In going to an alternative site, you raise the questions about neighborhood concerns in an equal way or more so than at the present site,” Krempl said, adding that residents are likely to ask, “If it’s not good enough for Telegraph Point, why is it any better for any of these other sites?”
The owner of the site at Orange and Brandywine avenues is willing to talk with the Navy about purchasing his site, Krempl said. But he emphasized that “none of them (owners) came out and said they were excited about the idea, or really jumped at the opportunity, to have the Navy develop the property.”
Some of the areas have stringent architectural designs and controls, and residents are concerned about whether the Navy could build homes to meet the design criteria. In Eastlake, Krempl said developers plan to build a community focused around a lake. El Rancho Del Rey developers are planning a community around several natural canyons, a trail system and other nature features of the area.
A nine-member task force is meeting twice monthly with the Navy representatives to ensure that any project built in Chula Vista is compatible with homes in the area.
“The city doesn’t have any authority over the Navy whatsoever,” Krempl said, “so what they are doing with us at present is really voluntary on their part.”
The location selected by the Navy has already been approved for development, Krempl said, adding, “I think it’s going to have to be carefully proven and documented as to why and how (another site) is better than Telegraph Point.”
The site is located in the northeastern section of the city and was 13th of 24 sites in San Diego County considered by the Navy. The City Council held a special meeting in November so citizens could voice their concerns about the project but later discovered that the city was powerless to halt the development.
At the time of the November meeting, Congress had not approved money for the housing project, so city officials thought it would be several months before the Navy made a final decision. But a week later, the Navy announced that Congress had approved funding for the project.
The Navy paid $3.6-million for the site. Construction on the $15-million project is slated to begin in 1986. Rep. Jim Bates (D-San Diego), in testimony Thursday before the House subcommittee on military construction, called the location chosen by the Navy a poor choice, and he urged the subcommittee to withhold money until a better site is found. Bates said the subcommittee should issue its decision in about two weeks.
Councilman Leonard Moore said he was uncertain how he and his colleagues will act on the Planning Department’s report.
The best thing for the city to do now, Moore said, is to work with the Navy and make the housing project a success. “We can’t please everybody,” he said.
