SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Middletown neighbors and a community activist joined forces Monday morning to try and put the brakes on Mayor Todd Gloria's proposed 1,000-bed homeless shelter in downtown San Diego.
The newly formed Kettner and Vine neighborhood group and Shane Harris, president of the People's Association of Justice Advocates, held separate press conferences outside a warehouse at 3554 Kettner Blvd., where the mayor wants a massive shelter.
Gloria announced plans for a new shelter during an April 4 press conference, which neighbors say blindsided them.
They told Team 10 that city officials have done little to get their input, and they are concerned about the tens of millions of dollars in startup and operating costs.
Ed Moore, who has lived in the neighborhood for three decades, said the proposed shelter is about two football fields away from three rental houses he has restored.
"I retired on the rents from my properties that are 200 yards from this homeless shelter," Moore said.
Moore added that he was terrified that a 1,000-bed shelter could be so close to his homes, and he's concerned that the developer could reap a windfall with the deal.
"With my three little houses up the street, if I lose one-third of my property value because of this, I personally am going to lose a million dollars," he said.
If approved by the City Council, the nearly 65,000-square-foot warehouse located at the intersection of Kettner Boulevard and Vine Street just north of downtown would provide 1,000 homeless beds, according to Gloria's office. The plan also would provide on-site security, meals, housing navigation and case management services.
- RELATED: San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria announces plan to convert warehouse into 1,000-bed homeless shelter
However, since Gloria unveiled his plan, the site has come under scrutiny for the potential millions of dollars that could be made for developer Douglas Hamm and the costs for the city.
Efforts to reach Hamm on Monday were unsuccessful. The mayor's office did not respond to questions.
The City Council on Monday morning met in a closed session with the developer. City records show the price and payment terms for the property were under consideration.
Harris, meanwhile, said he was concerned about a potential 35-year lease for the property, which he said was "far beyond" any comparable lease.
He also said the proposed rental rate of $2.45 per square foot a month was considerably higher than the average $1.50 per square foot rate for the area. And, he was concerned about published reports that the city was on the hook for $18 million in improvements for the site.
Harris said the city needed to slow down and schedule community input meetings over the next two months on the project.
Moore and his neighbors, meanwhile, said they would continue to put pressure on Gloria to find a new location for the shelter.
"This is all happening so fast that we are barely able as residents to organize and put a resistance together and have our voices heard. So, the timeline is terrifying for us. We feel like we are being railroaded," Moore said.
