La Jolla

Two La Jolla community groups Tuesday joined opponents of a plan to build a 4-story, 400-room Sheraton hotel on the Torrey Pines Golf Course. The groups are trying to stall the project by forcing a rehearing before the San Diego Assn. of Governments.

The Town Council and La Jollans Inc. will appear with other opponents before the association board Friday to argue that the new environmental impact report was completed without input from 30 of the 41 groups that participated in hearings on the initial EIR study in 1981. Sandag board members, in 1981, approved the Torrey Pines hotel project but limited its size to 400 rooms.

Michael Poyner, attorney for the Friends of Torrey Pines, distributed evidence at a news conference Tuesday that major organizations opposed to the hotel construction have not been given notice of the new environmental report or a chance to respond.

Also opposed to the hotel development and seeking a re-hearing before Sandag are officials from Miramar Naval Air Station, who protest any development below Miramar flight patterns. The proposed hotel development on Torrey Pines Mesa lies within the accident potential zone.

In a split vote Monday night, the Del Mar City Council ordered its Sandag representative, Councilman Scott Barnett, to vote in favor of rehearing the hotel proposal Friday. Del Mar’s objection to the hotel stems from concern that the Navy may permanently change its flight patterns to the north over the seaside community, as is done during the nationally televised professional golf tournament held at Torrey Pines each February.