A San Diego hearing officer has signed off on a sweeping remodel and expansion of a house at 2486 Vallecitos Court in La Jolla Shores, clearing the way for a project that adds a detached accessory dwelling unit and a standalone gym structure to the property.
The hearing officer's decision is final unless it is appealed to the San Diego Planning Commission. The project involves a remodel and addition to the existing house, which the newspaper described in its coverage as a two-story, 4,433-square-foot home.
The project was reviewed through the city’s Process Three permit track, which includes a public hearing. San Diego’s rules allow a Hearing Officer’s decision to be appealed to the Planning Commission by an applicant or interested person, generally within 10 business days. The city’s hearing agenda also classifies this site’s Coastal Overlay Zone as “Non-Appealable,” distinguishing the city appeal process from an appeal to the California Coastal Commission. San Diego’s Process Three rules set out the local appeal procedure, while the hearing agenda identifies the site’s coastal-zone designation.
Whichever starting point is accurate, the scope of the addition is substantial. The proposed remodeled house will have 6,769 square feet over a 3,610-square-foot basement, the Union-Tribune reports, along with a detached two-story, 1,096-square-foot accessory dwelling unit and a detached two-story, 701-square-foot gym structure. The project sits on a lot measuring approximately 22,215 square feet.
The city classified the project as categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under Section 15303, the exemption for “New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures.” That determination appears in the Hearing Officer’s agenda alongside the city’s recommendation to approve the permits; it is the city’s stated environmental review outcome for this application. The city’s agenda identifies the exemption and its statutory section.
Fire Hazard Zone
The property falls within the City of San Diego's Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone.
Advisory Board Agenda
The La Jolla Shores Planned District Advisory Board listed the project as a March 18 action item.
The project had already received favorable recommendations from two local review groups. The La Jolla Community Planning Association voted 15-0-1 on March 5 to recommend approval without conditions, and the La Jolla Shores Planned District Advisory Board voted 6-0 in favor on March 18. Those recommendations preceded the Hearing Officer’s review and were recorded in the city’s project presentation.
The project could move forward if the decision is not appealed.
