The Chula Vista City Council voted 4-1 last week to approve a $4 million funding commitment for an affordable housing development on a church-owned baseball field, ending a months-long debate over density, parking and neighborhood compatibility — and adding a condition reducing the project’s unit count from 68 to 62.
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The development, known as the Park Hill UMC project, would place income-restricted units on a field at 545 E. Naples St. owned by the Park Hill United Methodist Church. Developer Wakeland Housing and Development Corp. would enter a ground lease with the church and serve residents earning between 30% and 60% of the area median income.
The $4 million includes $3 million from the Chula Vista Housing Authority’s Low- and Moderate-Income Housing Asset Fund — legacy redevelopment dollars that had to be committed by June 30 or returned to the state — and $1 million from the city’s local housing trust fund.
The item had come before the council twice previously, on May 19 and June 2, with neighbors citing concerns about drainage, privacy and parking. At the June 2 meeting, the council directed Wakeland to hold a community meeting before returning. That meeting took place June 9, but according to Housing Manager Brian Warwick, produced concerns broader than those previously raised, including general opposition to the project’s density and traffic impacts.
Several residents repeated those concerns Tuesday. Stephanie Rodriguez, a neighbor of the site for more than 50 years, said residents are “anti-erosion, anti-overdensity, anti-loss of privacy.” Armando Gallegos, who lives directly adjacent to the site, said the area “is not designed for so many people.”
Supporters countered that the need for affordable housing is urgent. Eric Rind, a homeowner who grew up near the site, said the project would give families “the opportunity to remain in Chula Vista, walk their children to school and build a stable future here.”
Wakeland CEO Rebecca Louie said her team had heard neighbors clearly. “We believe we have a better understanding of the concerns that matter the most to the neighborhood and we have a lot of ideas around solving them,” she said.
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A key exchange came when Councilmember Michael Inzunza questioned Louie directly, extracting on-the-record commitments to reduce the unit count to 62, explore shared overnight parking with the church, and consider a solid masonry wall rather than a wood fence to address sight lines and headlight intrusion from the parking lot. Inzunza then moved to amend the resolution to include the 62-unit cap as a loan condition.
“Park Hill is going to be built,” Inzunza said. “There is nothing that can stop this project from being built. So as a legislator, my job is to listen to the residents and have Wakeland do the best they can to mitigate these issues.”
Mayor John McCann cast the lone dissenting vote, arguing the project belongs in a transit corridor rather than an established single-family neighborhood. He favored redirecting the funds to a competing proposal, the 101-unit Bayview Family Apartments development at the E Street trolley station.
“I don’t want Sacramento making decisions for my residents,” McCann said. “My residents should have a voice.”
McCann expressed concern the city would be in violation of state law under Senate Bill 4, the Affordable Housing on Faith Lands Act, if the project was moved forward in the manner revised by the council. Under SB 4, the project qualifies for by-right land use approval and can proceed without council action regardless of the funding decision.
City Attorney Marco Verdugo clarified that under general contract law, the city can include conditions — including a unit reduction — in the loan agreement without running afoul of SB 4, as the developer would be agreeing to those terms voluntarily to receive the loan.
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