Save Our Heritage Organisation v. City of San Diego

239 Cal. Rptr. 3d 231, 28 Cal. App. 5th 656
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal, 5th District
DecidedOctober 24, 2018
DocketD073064
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 239 Cal. Rptr. 3d 231 (Save Our Heritage Organisation v. City of San Diego) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal, 5th District primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Save Our Heritage Organisation v. City of San Diego, 239 Cal. Rptr. 3d 231, 28 Cal. App. 5th 656 (Cal. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

MCCONNELL, P. J.

*660I

INTRODUCTION

Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) appeals from a judgment denying its petition for writ of mandamus challenging the approval by the City of San Diego (City) of an environmental impact report (EIR) addendum for revisions to the Plaza de Panama project (project) at Balboa Park. SOHO contends we must reverse the judgment because the City's approval of the addendum violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA; Pub. Resources Code, § 21000 et seq. )1 in two respects. First, SOHO contends CEQA Guidelines section 15164 (Guideline 15164),2 which authorizes the addendum process utilized by the City, is invalid because *234CEQA contains no authority for the addendum process and the addendum process conflicts with CEQA's public review requirements. Second, SOHO contends the City approved the project revisions without making new findings under section 21081.

We conclude SOHO has not met its burden of establishing the addendum process is invalid. We further conclude the City was not required to make findings under section 21081. We, therefore, affirm the judgment.

*661II

BACKGROUND

This case has a lengthy record and litigation history. We summarize only the facts and history relevant to an understanding of the issues on appeal.

A

Balboa Park is a large urban park in San Diego. Included within Balboa Park's Central Mesa are the buildings and plazas designed and constructed for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and the adjoining buildings and improvements later constructed for the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. From the west, visitors access Balboa Park's Central Mesa by the Cabrillo Bridge. Most of Balboa Park's Central Mesa is a National Historic Landmark District and the Cabrillo Bridge is a National Historical Landmark. ( Save Our Heritage Organisation v. City of San Diego (2015) 237 Cal.App.4th 163, 168, 187 Cal.Rptr.3d 754 ( SOHO I ).)

B

The City approved the project in 2012. The purpose of the project was to restore pedestrian and park uses to Balboa Park's Central Mesa and to alleviate vehicle and pedestrian conflicts. As described in the administrative record, the project "proposes to remove vehicular access and parking from the Plaza de Panama, El Prado, Plaza de California, the Mall, and Pan American Road East and allow these areas to be used by pedestrians only. A new bridge, 'Centennial Bridge,' would connect the eastern end of Cabrillo Bridge to the western side of the Alcazar parking lot. From that point a new 'Centennial Road' would traverse through the Alcazar parking lot exiting to the east, continue to the south past a new Organ Pavilion [underground] parking structure and then connect to Presidents Way. Additional parkland would be provided atop the new parking structure. A tram would provide service from the parking structure to the Plaza de Panama with possible expansion to serve other areas of the Park. Excavation activities required for construction of the underground parking structure would require that the project dispose of excess soils within the inactive Arizona Street Landfill."

SOHO opposed the project and filed a petition for writ of mandamus challenging the project on multiple grounds related to the project's effects on the environment, historical resources, and land use. The superior court granted the petition on some of the asserted grounds and entered a judgment directing the City to rescind the project approval. Real party in interest, The Plaza de Panama Committee (Committee), which was spearheading the *662project, and SOHO each appealed aspects of the judgment. We reversed the judgment, ultimately concluding the City had not abused its discretion in approving the project. ( SOHO I , supra , 237 Cal.App.4th at pp. 168-169, 172, 188, 192, 187 Cal.Rptr.3d 754.)

The Committee subsequently filed a motion seeking an award of attorney fees *235under Code of Civil Procedure section 1021.5. The superior court entered an order denying the motion and we affirmed the order on appeal. ( Save Our Heritage Organisation v. City of San Diego (2017) 11 Cal.App.5th 154, 157-158, 217 Cal.Rptr.3d 360 ( SOHO II ).)

C

While the appeals were pending, several physical changes to the project's environmental setting occurred. The City removed all parking spaces, signage, wheel stops and plants from the Plaza de Panama and reconfigured traffic to allow for nearby tram, bus, and valet drop off. The City then resurfaced the Plaza de Panama and added planters, benches, umbrella tables, and chairs. The City added 27 accessible parking spaces to the Organ Pavilion parking lot, created a tram service yard, and replaced existing trams with new trams capable of moving 50 to 100 people at a time. The City also completed maintenance on the wooden deck on the east end of the Palm Canyon pedestrian bridge and reconstructed the north portion of the Alcazar parking lot to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) ( 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq. ) by adding 14 accessible parking spaces and a path of travel through the Alcazar Garden.

Unrelated to the project, but within the Central Mesa, the San Diego Zoological Society (Zoo) constructed a 600-space parking structure with accompanying pedestrian and ADA parking improvements. The parking structure is only for use by Zoo employees, but the Zoo has an agreement with the Old Globe Theater allowing the theater's patrons to use the structure after 6:00 p.m. for a fee.

D

In 2016, the City adopted an addendum to the EIR addressing several modifications to the project.3 The modifications included: (1) changing and reducing the number of the supports for the Centennial Bridge to comply *663

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Bluebook (online)
239 Cal. Rptr. 3d 231, 28 Cal. App. 5th 656, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/save-our-heritage-organisation-v-city-of-san-diego-calctapp5d-2018.