Overview: Celine Residences
Unlike most developers, ELDA Development pulled the original 14-story, 161-unit building design, named Celine Residences, in Middletown to create a new design following public outcry
A neighboring building on Columbia Street posts a sign in support of the community group Stop Columbia High Rise on Tuesday, July 29. (Photo by Drew Sitton/Times of San Diego)
A community is rallying against a proposed high-rise apartment building, citing concerns about traffic, parking loss and safety.
It’s a story that’s played out across dozens of neighborhoods in San Diego, with activist groups forming and now networking with each other.
The concerns sound pretty similar whether in Encanto, Pacific Beach or Clairemont, as neighbors look for ways to oppose dense, infill construction, as the process to approve the projects has been streamlined by state laws meant to curb California’s housing shortage.
A rendering of the original 14-story design of Celine Residences, which included a rooftop pool and three floors of parking. (Photo courtesy of ELDA Development)
Unlike most developers, ELDA Developments pulled the original plan for the 14-story, 161-unit building, named Celine Residences, to create a new design following public outcry from Middletown residents.
Ahmed Eldahmy, CEO of ELDA, made the decision to take the financial hit from a six-month pause, hoping it would be an olive branch to the community. “I like to go in with the least amount of enemies and highest number of allies,” he said.
The redesign has not yet been unveiled and the community continues to rally against the original proposal.
Neighborhood opposition
In Middletown, a block above restaurants on International Row on Columbia Street, neighbors cite multiple issues with the development: New residents taking parking spots from out-of-town customers, a fire lane removing current free parking, not enough units designated for affordable housing, obstruction of ocean views for homeowners and its proximity to a fault line and the airport.
Cars parallel park for free on Columbia Street next to two lots occupied by families in the gray house and white building on Tuesday, July 29. The lots were purchased by ELDA Development. (Photo by Drew Sitton/Times of San Diego)
Scott Case, who was elected to represent Middletown homeowners on the Uptown Community Planning Group, founded Stop Columbia High Rise after receiving a letter from a subcontractor asking to drill tiebacks beneath his property to hold up the retaining wall. Through that request, he learned about how tall the project would be.
“We are very supportive of development here,” said Case, who has lived in Middletown since 1986. “Unfortunately, some of the arguments become binary.”
One of the lots bought by ELDA Development contains an aging single-family home, which stands out among the duplexes, split lots and low-rise apartments surrounding it. Liz, who rents the home and did not want to have her last name published, said the process so far has been “a nightmare.”
In addition to losing parking, she fears the personable nature of the neighborhood could diminish.
“I actually know a lot of my neighbors; this is a very unusual,” she said, naming residents in each of the nearby buildings who had helped out with her child and dog. “We would watch out for each other.”
In six months to a year when she must vacate the home, Liz does not believe she will be able to stay in the neighborhood. Instead, she will move to wherever is affordable.
Another member of Stop Columbia High Rise, Mariana Aguilar, who represents Middletown renters on the Uptown CPG, said, “I’m not saying this doesn’t need a makeover. It’s clear that it does. But I think that there are other ways.”
She envisions a three-story building with around 12 units and underground parking, in line with the low-rise apartments already on the second lot bought by ELDA and other structures in the surrounding neighborhood.
The second lot has a few units currently, which Case said are naturally affordable.
The community group has rallied Middletown residents and business owners alike to oppose the luxury apartment building from ELDA.
In partnership with the neighborhood network, San Diego Community Coalition, which supports “responsible growth,” a rally is being held on Columbia and Winder streets from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
Developer response
This is ELDA Developments CEO Ahmed Eldahmy’s third project on Columbia Street. He just completed nine studios in a three-story ADU on Columbia Street in Bankers Hill.
Between his son’s school, his office on San Diego Avenue and home in Mission Hills, Eldahmy spends 95% of his time in the area. “I love the neighborhood personally,” he said.
This third project was more ambitious than ever before at 14 stories with a rooftop pool. The design was made using the flexible Complete Communities Housing Solutions policy, passed by former mayor Kevin Faulconer in 2020, that allows developers to surpass zoning limits blamed for insufficient density near transit.
By including a three-story parking garage, Eldahmy did not expect the design to raise so much ire.
“When we understood that there is a huge resistance against it … we decided to hit the brakes a little bit and evaluate the situation,” Eldahmy said.
He expects to receive a redesign in the coming weeks with fewer stories, but still including parking options.
Aguilar remains wary. She wants to see if a new design is acceptable to the community before praising the six-month halt.
Between city officials pushing for more housing, rising costs of construction and community opposition, Eldahmy is in a tricky position— all in a neighborhood where most people know each other.
“We have to walk a fine line as a developer, as local developers in San Diego, between cater for investors, cater for the community, and making sure that we’re producing the housing that is needed,” Eldahmy said.