Planners question Sabre Springs facility
Early plans for a senior living facility being eyed for the last undeveloped parcel in Sabre Springs have hit a snag.
The San Diego Planning Department has said the use would not be compatible with the rules that currently outline development on the parcel, on the southeast corner of Poway Road and Springhurst Drive.
A consultant for Sunrise Senior Living said the company is not ready to throw in the towel.
“It’s a blow, obviously,” said Mike While a consultant who spoke about the project to the Sabre Springs Planning Group.
“I don’t think Sunrise Senior Living wants to give up right away. They want to really evaluate all avenues.”
At the same meeting, held Thursday, March 21, some residents who live near the site said they would oppose the building of any four-story building at the location.
“We don’t have any other buildings that are four stories,” said Lynn Lutz. “It would stick up like a sore thumb.
Planning Group Chairman Rick Smith said talk about heights and designs may be premature.
“All this is preliminary,” he said. “We haven’t seen any designs.”
Representatives from the company have said they’re looking to construct a four-story building with an underground garage.
At a meeting in January, the advisory group said that in concept, it would agree to have a senior living facility in that location.
Known as Parcel 31, the 2.3-acre site is graded, but has long remained vacant. Because of its slope and a sewer access easement, only 1.5 acres can be built on.
The lot was designated for institutional use in the Sabre Springs Master Plan. At the time, the belief was that a church that was located in the next parcel over would buy the property. The plans changed when the church moved out.
The city changed the land designation to specialty commercial last March. In addition, in response to the community, an added set of guidelines were established, banning certain uses.
In particular, the community wanted to exclude any projects that would lead to added traffic and entice children from Creekside Elementary School across the street.
Senior Planner Maxx Stalheim said that Sunrise Senior Living went through a preliminary review process, allowing it to receive feedback from a number of city departments before moving forward with the project.
Stalheim said that during the preliminary process, the planning department determined that the senior living facility is a form of a residential housing, which is prohibited under the added guidelines, stated in a planned development permit.
Stalheim said that while it’s clear that a senior living facility does not create all of the same impacts as traditional housing, technically the project would be considered as such.
“The bottom line is that the San Diego Municipal Code ... defines that type of use as a residential use, which puts it in conflict with the (planned development permit.)”
Stalheim said that in order to move forward, an amendment to the community plan would be required, a process that requires a public hearing before the planning board and approval by the City Council.