Ironing Out La Jolla Zoning

Last year, the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art said it was thinking about moving from its 45-year location, possibly to downtown San Diego.

The museum later decided a move did not make practical sense. But the discussion left its mark, prompting attempts by community groups to preserve the other institutions--St. James-by-the-Sea Episcopal and La Jolla Presbyterian churches, the La Jolla Women’s Club, the Bishop’s School and the recreation center--near the intersection of Silverado and Prospect streets.

What residents fear is that the land’s zoning designation, which allows 43 housing units per acre, makes it too easy for the institutions to sell their prime land to condominium developers. They point to the 1978 sale of nearby Scripps Clinic to developers.

So, proposals were made to create a cultural zone. But agreement faltered on what uses should be allowed.

The institutions say that removing the residential zoning will decrease the land’s worth and make fund-raising and borrowing more difficult.

Others say that only by eliminating the residential designation can La Jollans be assured of keeping the beloved institutions.

The Planning Department will present three plans to the City Council on Tuesday. The one they intend to recommend seems like a sound compromise: It requires a special use permit and public hearings before any of the institutions can convert to residential use. It expands the list of allowable businesses in the zone, permitting the museum to open a restaurant, for instance.

Everyone is trying to protect against the unknown. There are no known imminent threats to the institutions. Even the clinic has remained a scientific laboratory.

We sympathize with those who want to preserve the character of this part of La Jolla. But museums, churches, schools and clubs also have property rights and must be able to change along with the communities they serve. The Planning Department’s recommendation is a good compromise between these worthy, but competing, objectives.