Council Approves UC San Diego Hillel Center Proposal

LA JOLLA, CA – An 11-year-old proposal to build a community and religious center for Jewish students at UC San Diego was unanimously approved Tuesday by the City Council.

The plan is to construct a nearly 6,500-square-foot permanent facility on a vacant lot at 9009 La Jolla Scenic Drive North. Hillel purchased the property from the city in 2006.

The project has survived a pair of lawsuits and a Planning Commission denial of a previous proposal for a 12,000-square-foot facility.

The center will offer religious programming for Jewish holidays and festivals, programs relating to Israel as the Jewish homeland, Jewish community building and community service opportunities, according to the website ucsdhillel.org.

The project "meets all the planning and zoning standards and that this is a legal use on a legal lot," said Councilwoman Barbara Bry, who represents the area. "I do understand the concerns of the community."

Opponents expressed concerns over traffic, students spilling over into a residential community and the size of the structure being out of character with nearby homes.

Supporters said they're committed to limiting occupancy and traffic impacts. Robin Madaffer, who represents the center's backers, said the lot where the facility would go is on the edge of the residential neighborhood, has a strangely placed cul-de-sac and is backed by already-busy La Jolla Village Drive.

According to a city staff report, the three buildings that would make up the center would vary in height and sloping roof lines and allow for "a harmony of scale" between the project and the existing development pattern of single-family dwellings in the neighborhood. A plan to include 27 parking spaces should be enough to handle the anticipated programming, the report said.

Bry inserted language that would prohibit the center's future expansion, and create a community advisory group in which center officials and neighborhood leaders could regularly communicate.

The City Council was scheduled to hear the item three months ago, but it was delayed because of a public noticing issue. If the project is approved, the Hillel Center would begin a fundraising campaign to pay for construction.

By City News Service / Image via Shutterstock