The impending demolition of six vacant homes in North Park, San Diego, has elicited diverse reactions from local residents, prompting dialogues on the area's heritage and affordable housing issues. Kicking off this week, the teardown stems from Makers Church's move to sell off a 35,000-square-foot slice of residential land on Bancroft and North Park Way, bordering its main campus according to 10News.
Through the sale of this land, still in escrow, Makers Church seeks to renovate its century-old building. The identity of the buyer is not yet disclosed by the church, but it is confirmed that the future developer will focus on providing housing options for those in low and middle-income brackets. Residents like Larissa Chaney expect that the fresh housing scheme will "look nicer" to spice up the neighborhood, while others express concerns over preserving North Park's historical allure.
Residents opposing the project have started an online petition trying to put a halt to the development plans. Ironically, Danielle Batakis, a resident across the street, voiced her disappointment, reasoning that the "houses are so cute and quaint… there's so much character" is at risk of being lost in North Park per 10News. The project's critics have launched a website, "STOP THE MAKERS CHURCH," accusing the church of exploiting its religious nonprofit exempt status to evade restrictions on razings of historically designated homes; these allegations, however, face disputes by some residents as Fox 5 San Diego reported.
The church's century-old building and the land across the street are slated to undergo renovations. These include a new 10,000-square-foot childcare center, event venue, co-working space, and a 1,000-square-foot coffee shop, according to Makers Church's website. An upcoming plan for the land across the street will showcase a seven-story luxury development comprising 193 units, with 7% of them allocated for low-income housing and an underground parking system.
Echoing concerns about the area's overcrowding and the development's impact on parking is long-time resident Brittany Delacruz. Yet, she underscored the importance of housing construction, arguing that it would be "sort of hypocritical for San Diegans to complain about housing shortage and not enough housing for as many residents as we have, but then to complain when these large structures go up" as quoted by Fox 5 San Diego.
