VISTA — Vista will soon see the transformation of a former Motel 6 into a single-room occupancy living space in District 4.
On Aug. 9, the Vista City Council voted 3-2, with council members Corinne Contreras and Katie Melendez opposing, to amend the city’s code to allow for a single-room occupancy (SRO) development and grant a special use permit in an R-1 (or single-family residential) zone at 330 Mar Vista Drive.
The Vista Planning Commission unanimously passed the project at its July meeting.
Vista International, which has similar operations throughout San Diego County, proposes to flip the 75 units at the former motel site to market-rate studio apartments. The new designation would end the collection of transient occupancy taxes. The former hotel generated about $140,000 per year in tax revenue.
Renovations to the site include the installation of efficiency kitchens and upgrades to the rooms. On the outside, the developer proposed repairs to the recreation and parks areas as well as new energy-efficient lighting.
Per the conditional use permit, occupancy would have some determination based on criminal background and would require a minimum six-month stay.
Melendez said, generally, the plan presented a unique opportunity to residents. However, she would prefer the applicant prioritize deed restrictions and affordability designations.
The units would be 375 to 391 square feet with rents ranging from $1,350 to $1,500.
“I see this location as being a spot where someone who is looking for a lower cost place to rent can save their coin so they can get into a place where they can spread their wings a little more,” Melendez said. “The market rate reality of this property doesn’t really secure that for me.”
Contreras agreed but also recognized the benefits of single-room occupancies.
“Without a deed restriction, I can’t swallow this for the community,” Contreras said, after learning the units would cost roughly $4 per square foot. “My fear is that if we allow this to happen. What does that do for the history moving forward of what we were charging per square foot?”
Residents from the public also voiced their concerns.
“Projects like this are the things that are making prices and home prices unaffordable in the city, county and state and the rest of the United States,” said Eric Castro, who is opposed to the SRO and zoning change.
While Castro called on the council to build a community space instead of another hotel, other speakers asked the council to consider traffic and safety impacts of longer stays at the site.
Mike Strawbridge, an 11-year resident of Mar Vista Drive, told the council that he’s never walked his street because it’s “too dangerous.” Strawbridge said he’s concerned with the additional traffic from anticipated residents who own cars and the safety of those who don’t.
The site is not within a reasonable walking distance to many city services, including public transportation. Deputy Mayor John Franklin agreed, adding that a public initiative could persuade the North County Transit District to erect a bus stop.
Contreras, the city’s representative on the NCTD board, said the route maneuver was not likely — but she’d ask.
Franklin said he understood the public’s concerns, but he believed the establishment of an SRO hotel on the site is aligned with the city’s goals.
The former motel site has drawn safety concerns from its neighbors in the past, and commenters voiced concerns regarding unwelcome behaviors continuing at the site.
Franklin said he was willing to lose the transient occupancy tax income as he’s seen the decrease in crime in cities with the Vista International developments.
“We dispatched our deputies to [an El Cajon site] … and we verified the reality of the fact that crime was significantly reduced,” Franklin said.
