The controversial One Paseo project is one step closer to construction after the San Diego planning commission unanimously approved its plan Thursday, with some refinements.
The proposal for the $50 million mixed-use village in Carmel Valley, slated for the corner of Del Mar Heights Road and El Camino Real, will now be sent to the San Diego City Council for final approval.
The development would include more than 600 family apartments, a parking structure, retail shops, eateries and a movie theater expansion, filling more than 23 acres across the street from the Del Mar Highlands Town Center.
The city planning commission gave its OK on the condition that 11 changes be made to the master plan, to which developer Kilroy Realty agreed.
“We are gratified by the Commissioners’ acknowledgement that One Paseo clearly implements the General Plan’s City of Village strategy and is the very best use for this last undeveloped piece of land in Carmel Valley,” the company said in a statement.
But many disagree. In recent months, the One Paseo plan has encountered opposition from residents concerned about overdevelopment and the impact it will have on Carmel Valley.
Last month, the Carmel Valley Planning Board voted against One Paseo’s Reduced Main Street plan, but it supported the Reduced Mixed Use Alternative with additional square footage.
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"They've downsized it and they've named it 'reduced,' which is great marketing, but it's really not reduced,” said opponent Ken Farinsky. “It's really three times the size of what's allowed there now and four times the traffic. It's just -- it's not a reduced project."
Others argue the buildings will be too tall and will only add traffic and pedestrian problems.
But resident Virginia Partridge said she has seen developers listen carefully to locals’ feedback and make changes based on it.
"The opponents are very emotional. They're boisterous, and they're heard,” said Partridge. “The people that support the project, I'm finding, assume it will be approved because it's so good for the community."
She told NBC 7 it provides a place for people to be entertained, to meet and to work, and Partridge is in favor of the 24/7 traffic control system in the works.
If approved by the city council, construction on One Paseo would begin in late 2015 and finish up in mid-2017.
