Mayor Unable to Block Destruction of Plunge

A behind-the-scenes effort by San Diego Mayor Maureen O’Connor to stave off the proposed commercial development of the Mission Beach Plunge failed Tuesday when her council colleagues voted in closed session to issue building and demolition permits to the developer as soon as possible.

O’Connor tried to persuade council members during the closed session that the city should hold off on the permits at least until Monday, when the council holds a public hearing on a November ballot measure aimed at foiling the development.

But council members voted against her and directed City Manager John Lockwood instead to issue the necessary permits before the hearing. O’Connor announced the vote as 7-2, with herself and Councilwoman Abbe Wolfsheimer in the minority.

The question of when to issue the permits is crucial in the battle over what to do with the historic indoor swimming pool next to the Belmont Park roller coaster.

In June, the council voted to allow three of developers to demolish part of the Plunge building and replace it with 70,000 square feet of shops and restaurants, a proposal that drew considerable opposition from the beach communities.

Under the banner of the Save Mission Beach Park Committee, the opponents gathered more than 80,000 signatures and succeeded in placing a measure on the November ballot that would designate the Plunge and surrounding property as park land, instead of property for commercial purposes.

Although the initiative is clearly opposed to the Plunge development, it also includes language that exempts projects that are under construction at the time of the November vote.

Issuing the permits now, therefore, would allow the developers to begin demolition and construction within weeks, long before the citywide vote.

O’Connor told reporters after the closed session that she asked council members to agree to hold off on issuing the permits at least until Monday, when the subject of the initiative comes before the council for consideration.

“I felt very strongly that we should let both sides have their fair hearing in a public meeting, that we don’t do anything to misconstrue the situation,” said O’Connor. “For example, to issue a permit before the hearing on Monday would look like we were trying to do something behind closed doors.

“What I’m for right now is to not have anything done with the Mission Beach Plunge or the property until such time as the voters vote on it” in November, she said.

But council members, led by Mike Gotch, voted against O’Connor. Gotch said an opinion by the city attorney left the council no choice but to issue the permits or face paying the developers for the millions of dollars they have invested in the project so far.

“The mayor’s position was clearly politically pragmatic but legally indefensible,” Gotch said.

Graham MacHutchin, a developer of the Plunge project, said Tuesday that he expects to pick up the permits either today or Thursday. He said demolition of portions of the Plunge building will not begin for at least two to eight weeks.

In the meantime, backers of the initiative are planning to file suit--possibly as early as today--against the city to obtain a temporary restraining order to halt the project until the November vote, said Cathy Scott, a member of the Mission Beach Town Council. The community group has hired attorney Mike Gibbs to file the suit, she said.

Scott, also a member of the Save Mission Beach Committee, said she was disappointed that council members ignored O’Connor’s request.

“I think there is an initiative out there and 80,000 people want to see it on the ballot,” Scott said. “What’s the hurry?”

The city clerk’s office has ruled that the initiative qualifies for the November ballot, but the council could negate the citywide vote by simply adopting the measure at the public hearing Monday. If the council rejects the proposal, it automatically goes on the November ballot.