SAN ELIJO HILLS (KGTV) — A developer is pushing to revive a housing project in San Elijo Hills after the San Marcos Planning Commission rejected it earlier this month, despite opposition from residents.
The half-acre triangular parcel of land sits in San Elijo Hills, where a developer wants to build a new project called the San Elijo Hills Town Center apartments. The San Marcos Planning Commission rejected the project at its Oct. 5 meeting.
The developer, Ambient Communities, is pushing back. The company is appealing at the City Council's meeting on Nov. 10.
"Obviously we're hoping to be approved, um, we're hoping to be approved at the meeting by City Council. We're hoping that once we have the approval, we can start our construction drawings and have a project that gets built, uh, about a year after the approval," Rob Honer said.
Honer is a principal for Ambient Communities. He said the developer previously proposed a preschool on the same parcel, but that was also rejected.
"The opposition, uh, appears to want nothing built on the property. They oppose the preschool. Um, they're opposing this project, and so it's almost we, we see it as no matter what we propose, there's gonna be opposition for it," Honer said.
Local business owners like Mary Maloney say the issue isn't housing — it's where the housing would be built. The parcel is on a corridor the state designates as a very high fire hazard severity zone.
"We are not saying that we, the residents, which there have been 3500 verified signatures on the petition, over 250 letters written to the city, we're not saying that we're against growth. We're just saying build the right project," Maloney said.
Maloney has had her business in San Elijo Hills Town Center for 23 years. She's one of the San Elijo Hills residents pushing back on the potential development.
For now, Ambient is pushing for an appeal to transform the area. I tried to ask the San Marcos Planning Commission about the push from Ambient. A city spokesperson told ABC 10News they want to maintain a fair and impartial process as the project moves to a public hearing before the City Council, so the Planning Commission can't provide additional comment.
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