Encinitas residents just passed a ballot measure, Proposition A, that gives voters the power to decide the fate of proposed development projects that are bigger, denser or higher than current law allows.
Ballot box zoning has been a common practice in San Diego going back to the coastal vertical height limits set by voters in the early 1970s. Proposition D has dictated the look of the San Diego's beach communities in the 40 years since.
Proposition D has also made height limits an ongoing topic of discussion in the last 40 years in San Diego, said Mike Stepner, a professor at NewSchool of Architecture and the former city architect for San Diego.
Stepner says he's not sure if ballot box zoning ever works really well.
"It's a reaction to something that's happened in the neighborhood despite objections by the community," he said. "Sometimes it's a sledgehammer solution to killing a fly."
Bruce Ehlers is a proponent of ballot-box zoning and was the main spokesperson for Proposition A.
He notes the importance of Encinitas holding on to its small town community character.
One of the reasons Ehlers supports ballot-box zoning is that he doesn't trust city leaders to stand up to developer interests.
He is frustrated that developers can use a state law that allows them to build taller, denser development if they include affordable housing.
Stepner says ballot-box zoning doesn't necessarily give you the quality of development that you want.
"What we've ended up with in the coastal areas is 'squeezing things in' to get the maximum return on investment. Every time people talk about raising something three feet or five feet, it becomes a major discussion," he says.
