Hello Supporters,

Thank you to everyone who attended yesterday’s North Park Community Planning Committee’s Urban Design and Project Review (UDPR) Subcommittee meeting and shared their thoughts on the petition. Your voices contributed to a thoughtful and engaging discussion.

The petition concerns a parcel of land known as a paper road—a road or right-of-way that exists only on official maps or legal documents but has never been physically constructed or maintained. Adjacent property owners may apply to vacate such land, which would then be split and privately owned. The intent of this petition is to urge the city to deny this application and prevent this land from becoming privately owned. 

The applicant and their land surveyor were present at the meeting and shared their rationale for the application. Because the city does not maintain paper roads, the burden of upkeep falls on neighboring property owners. The applicant cited safety concerns as the primary motivation for the request, including issues with homeless encampments, trash accumulation, fire hazards, and the steep trail posing a fall risk. They also noted a recent incident where a neighboring property owner was held financially responsible for a fallen tree, incurring a cost of approximately $3,000.

The applicant clarified that they do not intend to build a large apartment complex due to existing city easements. Instead, they hope to use the land for a backyard, garden, or parking spaces for their four short-term vacation rental units. If vacated, the land would likely be fenced off and no longer accessible to the public. It’s important to note that the other adjacent property owner has not yet commented on the application. The land surveyor also mentioned that a 15-foot easement would remain in the center of the hill if the application is approved.

While safety and maintenance were the main drivers behind the application, several alternative ideas were discussed to relieve the burden on adjacent property owners while preserving this green space in our urban neighborhood. The UDPR Subcommittee will explore these potential solutions further:

• Designating the plot as a pocket park under city development plans, which would make it eligible for city maintenance.
• Expanding the North Park Maintenance Assessment District (MAD) to include this area, providing resources for upkeep.
• Engaging the urban hiking community or forming a volunteer group to help maintain the space.

Although the city requested a recommendation from the UDPR Subcommittee, the group decided to table any action until the next meeting to allow time for gathering more information.

Thank you again for your continued support and engagement. We’ll keep you updated as this process moves forward. Please continue to add comments to this petition, your voice matters and is making a difference.

For reference, there are 4 findings needed for a public right of way vacation approval according to the San Diego Municipal Code.

§125.0941 Findings for Public Right-of-Way Vacation Approval A public right-of-way may be vacated only if the decision maker makes the following findings:

•  (a) There is no present or prospective public use for the public right-of-way, either for the facility for which it was originally acquired or for any other public use of a like nature that can be anticipated;
• (b) The public will benefit from the action through improved use of the land made available by the vacation;
• (c) The vacation does not adversely affect any applicable land use plan; and
• (d) The public facility for which the public right-of-way was originally acquired will not be detrimentally affected by the vacation.

(Added 12-9-1997 by O-18451 N.S.; effective 1-1-2000.) (Amended 8-4-2011 by O-20081 N.S.; effective 10-6-2011.)