Whether Community Plan Updates in Mira Mesa or Historic Lamps in Kensington, City Rides Roughshod Over Neighborhoods

April 3, 2023

It’s becoming all too apparent, now, that whether it’s community plan “updates” imposed from above like in Mira Mesa or the removal of historic street lamps in Kensington, or the painting of bike lanes in Point Loma, or the killing of palm trees in Ocean Beach, or allowing illegal ADUs in the College area, the City of San Diego is riding roughshod over neighborhoods.

Take Kensington. The City wants to remove 56 antique and historic street lamps and replace them with replicas. But residents say they would prefer to have the antique lights retrofitted, which they claim would cost less than replacing them with new versions. In fact, residents formed a maintenance assessment district eight years ago for the specific purpose of raising money from individual property owners to spend on preserving and maintaining the antique streetlights.

That’s why residents said they were shocked to learn just recently of the city’s plan to remove the lights — a plan they say was sprung on them without warning. Residents also contend city officials skipped several key steps needed to get clearance from historic review panels and to comply with state environmental law. And now they’ve hired an attorney known for having success in historic preservation cases.

Read more: Whether Community Plan Updates in Mira Mesa or Historic Lamps in Kensington, City Rides Roughshod Over Neighborhoods