www.lajollalight.com particular to higher ceilings to accommodate air conditioning and other features. The market has also reportedly shown that people prefer taller ceilings in residential areas, which is why his project has a higher roof. “We are a product of the economy and the people that are searching for design in development,” he said. “We’re not doing this just because we feel like it.” A motion to support the project passed, 12-3-1. ■ Muirlands Spec House: Residents opposed to a proposed Spec House (short for Speculative House, where the developers do not actually live in the home) at 921 Muirlands Drive came out of the woodwork to discuss the house’s bulk and scale. The project applicants, Zephyr Partners, requested a Coastal Development Permit to demolish an existing residence for the construction of a new 8,885 square-foot, two-story residence with attached garage and a 703 square-foot guesthouse on a 30,056 square-foot lot. Although La Jolla’s DPR committee approved the project, LJCPA voted to send it back to them for further
LA JOLLA LIGHT - APRIL 14, 2016 - PAGE A5
A rendering of the proposed mixed-use project in Bird Rock.
discussion. After neighbors who charged the house would be two or even three times the size of their homes spoke, Zephyr Partners representative Mike Lake said the Muirlands neighborhood has different sub-developments. “Sometimes you’ll have areas of 10,000 square-foot lots next to 20,000 square-foot lots. That’s what’s going on here,” he said. Nevertheless, nearby residents John Dyer and Ruben Islas expressed concern over the size of the house, and the outreach done ahead of the LJCPA meeting. Dyer, who has lived in La Jolla since 1997, said he did
13–MONTH CD
not know the project was underway until story poles, which mark a project’s height at various points on the property, went up near his yard. “I had no idea what was going on until those poles went up, and the concern among the neighbors is that this property appears to be about five times the size of area homes,” he said. Lake said neighbors were notified about the project by mail, but not all said they received the notice. One of them was Islas, who said the project will be “right in my backyard,” and that he was unaware of it until just before the CPA meeting. “These architects have designed an amazing McMansion. It’s going to be humongous,”
Islas said. Lake said he would work with neighbors to assuage all concerns, but Islas said he was extremely worried about privacy and the view of a large house so close to his property. He added that had he known that DPR was discussing the item, he would have stated his opposition sooner. Faulting the required notification system, CPA trustee Ray Weiss said somewhere in the process, something went wrong. “It might have been the fault of the city or someone not reading their mail, but it’s a big deal. The fact that it is a Spec House makes it a bigger deal because the people who build it won’t have to live there and deal with the neighbors. The incentive they have to compromise is less than what would have been there if the builders were living in the house.” Added trustee Little, “The most progress we make is when the neighbors and the developers take the time to negotiate and come to something reasonable. I think that’s the path this needs to take.” LJCPA voted to send the project back to DPR, 13-1-2.
Reporter joins LJ Light staff
M
aría José Durán has joined La Jolla Light as a staff reporter. Duran completed her bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2011, but insists she was a journalist long before. Her favorite pastime growing up was “broadcasting” radio shows using a cassette player to interview imaginary characters. At age 19, she joined a television production company where she learned the ins and outs of the craft. Bilingual in Spanish-English, Durán started her career in Seville (Spain), from where she hails, and then moved with it to London, Santiago de María José Durán Chile, and now San Diego. Durán has worked for TV stations, digital newspapers, media corporate departments and even created an online magazine about music festivals with her friends. She said she is passionate about how politics affect people, social justice, women's issues, and just about everything that can be told with an appalling story. When she’s not writing, she can be found biking, playing guitar, surfing, reading the latest fantasy novel, camping out in the desert or cooking Spanish food. Her closest friends call her MJ.
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