KPBS Midday Edition

Voters To Decide Whether To Allow High-Rise Developments In Midway District

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Brooke Ruth / Senior Producer, Radio News

Published July 22, 2020 at 11:16 AM PDT

This story was published more than 3 years ago.

Cars drive along a street in the Midway District with the Valley View Casino Center in the background, Aug. 29, 2018.

The San Diego City Council voted Tuesday to place a proposal on the November ballot that if approved would repeal the 30-foot height limit for buildings in the Midway District.

Is it an opportunity to revitalize a blighted neighborhood or a slippery slope that will lead to high rises along San Diego’s coast? It’s a question that San Diego voters will decide in November.

The San Diego City Council voted Tuesday to place a proposal on the November ballot that if passed would repeal the 30-foot height limit on buildings in the Midway District. Proposed redevelopment around the Sports Arena area would include dense high-rise housing units that wouldn’t be possible with the 30-foot limit that is currently in place.

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A simple majority of city voters is required for the ballot measure to pass.

Supporters say the height limit would only be changed in a small area in the Midway District, while opponents say it will chip away at height limits up and down the city’s coast.

San Diego Union-Tribune reporter David Garrick has reported on the issue and joined Midday Edition on Wednesday to discuss the details of the proposed change.

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Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Brooke Ruth

Brooke Ruth is the senior producer for KPBS Radio News. She previously served as a producer for "KPBS Midday Edition" and a web producer. Before joining KPBS, Brooke was a web editor for four newspapers and a local television station. She began her career in news at the Imperial Valley Press. She has also been part of the web teams at the Napa Valley Register, North County Times, and U-T San Diego. While pursuing her undergraduate degree at UCLA in psychology, she worked on the student newspaper, the Daily Bruin.

See stories by Brooke Ruth