The designation could pave the way for sale of the La Jolla lot to private owners, unless it is next declared open space.

The San Diego City Council’s Land Use & Housing Committee declared a parcel of land on Torrey Pines Road in La Jolla “exempt surplus land” Nov 6, allowing the city of San Diego to potentially sell the land to private developers.

The action also included four other city parcels on Boundary and Redwood Streets in North Park. City-owned properties may be considered for sale if they are not currently used by any city department; do not have a foreseeable city use; are non- or under-performing; or, if sold, would provide a greater public benefit than retention or lease.

The Torrey Pines Road parcel, located east of Lookout Drive at the north end of Boulevard Place, is a 0.22-acre site measuring 9,506 square feet. The property was acquired by the city in 1960 to provide residential access to Boulevard Place during the construction of Torrey Pines Road, according to Marc Frederick, program manager for real estate dispositions in San Diego’s Economic Development Department.

There is an existing sewer easement on the lower west corner of the property and a right-of-way easement on the south boundary of the property, a remnant from the property’s past use as an access road to Boulevard Place.

There are no other city needs for the property, Frederick said.

It is one of a number of small, fragmented parcels that “no longer serve an active public purpose,” said Tyler Garland, the property agent for real estate dispositions in the EDD.

These parcels are often leftover from historic acquisitions, are right-of-way remnants, or result from boundary adjustments, Garland said.

“By strategically selling these lots, the city can convert dormant land into value, both physically and operationally,” he said, generating income that can be reinvested into city priorities and relieving the city of the need to maintain the land and reduce liability exposure.

The five discussed properties are not suitable for affordable housing or multi-family housing, Garland said, and are zoned for single-family residential development consistent with their neighborhoods.

As the Torrey Pines Road parcel is within the California Coastal Zone, it must be made available for possible use as open space prior to being placed on the market for sale, Garland said.

Parks and recreation agencies at the city, county and state level “will be notified of the property’s availability prior to it being made available to the public,” he added.

However, the five sites declared exempt are “all on hillsides, so not exactly well-suited for a park,” Frederick said.

Additionally, the properties were all considered by all city departments, with none indicating interest, before being proposed for the exempt surplus status, EDD Director Christina Bibler said.

Noting the properties were not offered to the San Diego Housing Commission, which is not a city department, Councilmember Vivan Moreno said she felt “uncomfortable with this item,” calling the lack of Housing Commission input “a missed opportunity.”

Moreno was the only committee member opposed to the action.

EDD staff will now obtain appraisal reports for each property and identify any potential site constraints, Frederick said, before completing the open space notice of availability for the Torrey Pines parcel.

The department will then return to the City Council to request approval to market and sell the properties at or above the appraised value, with Frederick stating single-family home builders would be the most likely to purchase.