San Diego LGBTQ businesses and nonprofits are fighting a city proposal to create a LGBTQ historic district in Hillcrest, saying the district would hold back the neighborhood's growth and development.
The proposed historic district would cover more than two dozen properties surrounding the intersection of Fifth and University avenues. City of San Diego Planning Department staff detailed the proposed district during a presentation last Thursday on a broader plan to rezone much of Hillcrest to allow more high-density housing.
A city survey "found that the district is significant and eligible for designation as a historic district due to its architecture as the historic commercial core of Hillcrest, and for its association with the LGBTQ+ community, containing a concentration of buildings which housed LGBTQ+ businesses and organizations," said Kelly Stanco, deputy director of the Planning Department.
Historic districts impose restrictions on the demolition or renovation of buildings within their borders. Even properties deemed to have no historical significance are harder to redevelop if they fall in a historic district. Preservationists say historic districts an effective way to honor and memorialize both buildings and the history they contain.
But representatives from San Diego Pride, the San Diego LGBT Community Center, the Hillcrest Business Association and several gay bar owners all gave comments in opposition to the historic district proposal, saying it would come at the expense of building much-needed housing in the neighborhood's core.
"A historic district is a well-intentioned effort to save the walls of certain businesses, however it does nothing to save the businesses within those walls," said Brian Jennings, co-owner of the gay bar Number 1 on Fifth Avenue, which would fall within the proposed district. "And for most LGBT people, that's the most crucial part."
Instead of a historic district, the businesses and nonprofits are proposing an LGBTQ cultural or entertainment district that would seek to support LGBTQ businesses but not prioritize historic buildings. Jen LaBarbera, director of education and advocacy for San Diego Pride, said the needs of Hillcrest's current population should trump the desire to preserve buildings.
"We're already facing a pretty significant affordability crisis in Hillcrest with LGBTQ residents and businesses being pushed out," LaBarbera said. "We can do both — we can honor the history of Hillcrest with a cultural district while also honoring, protecting and actively supporting the LGBTQ history that is being created now."
Historic districts are approved by the city's Historic Resources Board, the members of which are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The board's decisions can be appealed to the council only under narrow circumstances such as factual errors committed in the designation process.
The idea for a historic district originated during the city's update to the Uptown Community Plan, which covers Hillcrest, Bankers Hill, Mission Hills and part of University Heights. The City Council approved the plan in 2016.
While the plan made some changes to design guidelines for new development in the area, it did not add any capacity for new housing.
Now, as the city seeks to stimulate more homebuilding to ease the housing shortage, it's preparing a second update specific to Hillcrest that could allow high-rise apartment buildings in much of the neighborhood. The plan also aims to create more protected bike lanes and transit lanes to reduce the neighborhood's car dependence.
The plan update, officially called the Hillcrest Focused Plan Amendment, is expected to go before the City Council for a vote in summer or fall 2023.
-
Both the San Diego Padres and the San Diego Wave FC had major playoff wins this weekend. We take a look into sports fandom and why it matters to people. -
The Biden administration is changing how it processes visa applications for people from Afghanistan. In other news, a large acquisition in the grocery business will change the ownership of many San Diego stores.
