Plans for a controversial housing, retail and office project in Carmel Valley are moving forward, and a community meeting was held Wednesday to get input on several new options.
The previous plan for the One Paseo project from Kilroy Realty Corp. was met with much opposition from Carmel Valley residents concerned about increased traffic and large building that would change the North County neighborhood’s aesthetic.
In May, an agreement was reached on a scaled-down version of the controversial development project that reduced the scope of the office and retail components while still providing the needed housing, according to Kilroy Realty Corp.
The changes included a height limit of seven stories on office buildings and the elimination of one traffic signal on Del Mar Heights Road.
Those compromises were discussed in Wednesday’s meeting.
“So we wanted to make sure that we brought down the size of the buildings and oriented them on the property so the larger and higher building were on the lower portion of the property and get the right mix of uses so the traffic would be reduced,” explained Rachel Laing, spokesperson for Kilroy Realty.
The changes to the plan are being well-received by some residents, including Ken Farinsky.
“I think people want more shopping, more housing, more office space,” Farinsky told NBC 7 at the community meeting. “I think all these things are important to the community and I think building a great development in Carmel Valley that includes all those pieces in a proper mix can give us a great center.”
Following this most recent meeting, developers are expected to map out a design that incorporates some of the community’s ideas. Then, a community planning board will need to approve the plan before sending it to the city council.
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In May, as part of the scaled-down deal, the San Diego City Council agreed to rescind an earlier approval of the $750 million project met by opponents with much hesitation, petitions and lawsuits.
The 1.4-million-square-foot One Paseo plan includes the construction of stores and eateries, the expansion of a movie theater and the addition of more than 600 family apartments and a parking structure in Carmel Valley. Sixty of those apartment units will be affordable housing, the city council mandated.
