Scripps Ranch Preschool Rejected by City Council

A proposal for a preschool that bitterly divided Scripps Ranch residents was rejected Tuesday by the San Diego City Council after complaints that the school would harm property values by increasing noise and traffic congestion.

The council’s unanimous rejection of the proposed preschool capped a controversy that began last fall, when plans for a seven-classroom building to hold as many as 170 youngsters were unveiled. The proposal to build the 7,600-square-foot preschool, on slightly less than an acre near Scripps Trail and Timberlake Drive, has since produced a deep schism in Scripps Ranch.

Many working parents with preschool children argued passionately for its development, while other residents--particularly those who live near the proposed site--fought just as adamantly to block the plan.

Even many of the opponents, however, agreed that the neighborhood, heavily populated with young families, needs a preschool. So, after the council’s decision--which reversed an earlier zoning board ruling--the opponents hastened to assure their neighbors who favored the plan that they would work to find another site.

“This wasn’t a case where somebody won and somebody lost,” said Robert E. Dingeman, president of the Scripps Ranch Civic Assn. “I think the Ranch will win in the long run. Emotions have been running high on this, but we’re going to get back together and work this thing out.”

However, attorney Larry Marshall, who spoke in favor of the preschool at Tuesday’s meeting, warned afterward that “there aren’t that many suitable, affordable sites available,” and predicted that attempts to find other locations will produce opposition from other residents whose homes are near those sites.

“No one is very eager to go through this again and end up in the same position with another neighborhood that thinks a preschool is a great idea but doesn’t want it next door,” said Marshall, who represented McMillan Development Inc., the company that owns the site.

Nearly 100 Scripps Ranch residents, many of them waving signs and wearing buttons detailing their divergent perspectives on the issue, packed City Hall for Tuesday’s debate, with opponents appearing to outnumber proponents by about a 2-to-1 ratio. Dingeman also told the council that a survey of 288 households adjacent to the proposed preschool showed that all but 13 residents questioned opposed its construction.

Resident Peter Kaufman, noting that another preschool and swim and racquet club are near the proposed site, contended that it was “unfair to ask one portion of Scripps Ranch to bear” commercial projects that benefit the entire community.

The preschool’s backers argued that the traffic concerns were exaggerated, and noted that the school’s developers had tried to minimize playground noise by agreeing that no more than 36 children would use it at any time.

“I am sorry this is an issue that has divided the community,” Marshall said. “But there is no denying the need and demand. This is not a retirement community. It’s a community . . . with growing families.”

The preschool would be a good neighbor, he said, pointing out that the building would be designed to blend in with surrounding homes.

Other residents complained about having to drive as far as the Mid-City area to enroll their children in preschool programs.

However, the council members, whose offices were deluged with calls on the issue Monday, ultimately sided with opponents who argued that more appropriate sites for the preschool could be found elsewhere in Scripps Ranch.

“I hate to see a neighborhood torn (because) you have a bona-fide need,” Councilman Bill Cleator said. “But the issue is that the neighborhood feels this isn’t the place, and I have to agree with them.”

Ironically, acting Mayor Ed Struiksma, whose council district includes Scripps Ranch, was unable to participate in Tuesday’s council debate because of a city attorney’s ruling. Last year, while visiting the proposed preschool site after a park dedication ceremony that he attended, Struiksma spoke with some residents who were concerned about the proposal. By law, council members are forbidden to discuss proposed developments outside of public meetings.

Struiksma has opposed the proposed preschool site.