Living Near Otay Landfill

Living Near Otay Landfill

A 44-acre swath of land adjacent to the Otay Landfill has sat undeveloped for decades.

It will continue to do so after Chula Vista planning commissioners last week rejected a proposal to rezone the property to allow for more than 700 housing units.

Efforts to transform the site, located on the southeast corner of Brandywine Avenue and Olympic Parkway, started in January 2020 when developer ACI Sunbow LLC began the process to change the land use from industrial to residential.

Commissioners disliked the idea, however, and voted to deny the project, saying the best use for the land is for industrial or mixed-use purposes rather than solely residential. The commission is recommending the City Council also reject the project.

"I think there's a better use for that property than building 718 units," said Commissioner Javier Nava. "I think we need a combination … not (have it as) 100 percent residential."

Sunbow has owned the site since 1989. There has been no interest from the market to develop the land for industrial use and, over time, the area has developed into a more residential rather than an industrial destination, said Sunbow representative Bill Hamlin.

Project site proposed on the southeast corner of Brandywine Avenue and Olympic Parkway

"Thirty years later, the city has changed, and for the better. We know much more than we did before," he told commissioners. "The property is in a residential corridor, it is economically infeasible to build as industrial, and it is not needed to meet the city's industrial growth over the next 50 years."

In January of last year, the City Council approved a Community Benefits Agreement plan between the city and the developer to consider the land use conversion. The $23 million agreement states that Sunbow would give Chula Vista $15 million for parks or recreational facilities anywhere in the city and $8 million in "job enhancement funds" for city developments, such as an office building along the State Route 125 corridor or in its University and Innovation District.

"This plan provides much-needed attainable workforce housing, much better jobs, much sooner, and many more resources for the city," Hamlin said.

Commissioners said the financial benefits negotiated for the project do not outweigh the lost value of the industrial land.

"I recognize we need more housing, but according to the material that I've read, we do have enough land that we could deliver, at least come very close to the state (housing) mandate, without having to continue to rezone industrial land," said Chair Max Zaker, adding that more jobs are needed locally and keeping the land as industrial will help create jobs and reduce commute times.

Commissioners, as well as residents and Caltrans, also raised concern over a potential increase in traffic in the area and environmental impacts with a project of that size.

Living Near Otay Landfill

Source: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/south-county/chula-vista/story/2021-08-03/chula-vista-commissioners-reject-housing-proposal-next-to-otay-landfill