The new build on a vacant lot would also use excess city property, if vacated to the homeowner, to create a park-like space for the community.
On its second review, a project to build a home at 1510 Soledad Ave garnered La Jolla Development Permit Review Committee approval and will now move to the La Jolla Community Planning Association for presentation.
The applicant has asked the city of San Diego for a coastal development permit and public right-of-way vacation (when the city relinquishes property to an adjacent property owner) to construct a new, 4,494-square-foot, two-story single dwelling unit with 1,205-square-foot basement and an attached, 780-square foot, two-story accessory dwelling unit on a vacant lot located east of Cowrie and Soledad avenues.
The vacated land was originally intended for street purposes but will now be used for the homeowner to build, project architect Haley Duke said Sept 16 at DPR.
When DPR first reviewed the project Sept 9, trustees asked the applicant to return with information on issues pertaining to topography, drainage and elevation with respect to the current neighbors’ houses.
Applicant representative Patrick Vercio showed drawings Sept 16 to illustrate that the grading plan will “work within the existing topography,” he said, utilizing the slope to assist with drainage and landscaping that features drought tolerant and low maintenance plants.
Drainage plans further detail the applicant’s plans to reroute a drain that currently runs under the property around the new build, addressing neighbor concerns about blockage.
Property neighbor Jim Mittermiller said he’d wanted the city land to become a pocket park as Soledad Avenue is narrow and dangerous at times for pedestrians.
After meeting with Mittermiller, Duke said the team’s proposal for the project has been modified so part of the lot is dedicated to the home construction but some of it closest to the intersection of Soledad and Cowrie will “act as a pocket park but be funded privately by this applicant.”
The park-like space will be for pedestrians to “step off” onto a new sidewalk and resting area with trees and perhaps a bench that create “a good community asset.”
The motion to approve the project passed with trustee Angeles Leira opposed without comment. Because of the vacation, the project will require a full presentation at a future meeting of the CPA, which meets the first Thursday of the month at the La Jolla Recreation Center.
