A controversial plan to add 150 sleeping cabins to a vacant lot off of Jamacha Road in Spring Valley for people experiencing homelessness will not move forward.
The project was approved unanimously earlier this year by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, but Chairwoman Nora Vargas announced Friday she will rescind that approval and is looking toward other solutions. She said that in order for such projects to be successful, officials need "to hear community concerns and find workable solutions that prioritize the health and safety of everyone who lives" nearby.
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Vargas released a statement that read, in part, “The cabins project slated for Jamacha Road failed to meet that standard and was strongly opposed by the local residents for health and safety reasons.”
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Over the past several weeks, Spring Valley neighbors have rallied against the project. Jeanette Bolin, who has lived in the area for more than 50 years and is a small business owner, said she is relieved.
“I was thinking, I’m like, 'What am I going to do in two years when this project is done?' ” Bolin said.
Bolin, along with a fellow Spring Valley resident named David who asked not have his last name published, have both been a part of the demonstrations. David also addressed the San Diego County Board of Supervisors directly during public comment at least twice, once in April and another time in late May.
“Actually, I was very surprised,” David told NBC 7 on Friday when he heard that approval for the project would be rescinded. “I was, of course, hoping it was going to happen. I didn’t think it would happen this soon.”
The release from Vargas’ office added that $8.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds have been secured and officials plan to move ahead finding new sites for homeless solutions in the Spring Valley area.
“I will continue to work collaboratively with residents, local businesses and stakeholders to find a solution that addresses homelessness while also respecting the needs and safety of our neighborhoods,” Vargas also said in the release.
The full statement from Vargas reads:
"To my community and the residents of Spring Valley, I want you to know: I see you and I hear you. The fact is, the only way that we are going to find real solutions to addressing our homelessness and housing crisis is to hear community concerns and find workable solutions that prioritize the health and safety of everyone who lives here. The cabins project slated for Jamacha Road failed to meet that standard and was strongly opposed by the local residents for health and safety reasons. I understand concerns expressed by residents about putting these cabins near schools and parks where children play, and believe that we can find better, more thoughtful solutions by working with affected communities.”
