La Jolla Light; By Pat Sherman
LJCPA trustees also voted to file an appeal with the California Coastal Commission (CCC) on a project it rejected in August, but which was approved last month by the San Diego Planning Commission.
In August, LJCPA members voted that findings could not be made to approve a coastal development permit for a proposed home remodel at 615 Wrelton Drive, just northeast of Tourmaline Surf Park. The owners are seeking to rebuild a 1,733-square-foot, one-story house and add an additional 4,064 square feet, plus other site improvements. The resulting project would be a five-bedroom, five-bath residence of more than 6,000 square feet that LJCPA trustees feel would encroach on the view corridor.
The project applicant appealed the LJCPA’s earlier vote to the Planning Commission, which approved the permit.
In July, the DPR committee was divided on whether to approve the project — with some members feeling the existing residence was already being illegally used like a hotel, with noise and parking problems accompanying short-term vacation rentals at the site.
The LJCPA has formed an ad hoc committee to address the issue of vacation rentals in La Jolla, and will hold its first meeting next month.
Julie Hamilton, a local land-use attorney representing one of two groups adjacent the property that plan to file appeals with the CCC, said the project has “significant issues under La Jolla’s certified local coastal program,” including the loss of public views.
Mike Costello noted that the view corridor along Tourmaline Surf Park is protected in the La Jolla Community Plan. “If you allow people to just inch their way in … to that view corridor, you’re not defending the community plan,” he said.