Pacific Beach’s largest apartment building set to become even bigger

Pacific Beach’s biggest apartment complex got initial approval this week to increase by 138 units.

AVA Pacific Beach at 3823 Ingraham St. is the largest apartment building in the beach community with 564 units, and the plan would increase it to 702 apartments.

The San Diego City Council unanimously approved the new add-on at its Tuesday meeting, but it could be a while before construction starts because it still needs approval from the California Coastal Commission.

Developer AvalonBay Communities has owned the property since 1997 when it purchased it for $43.8 million. The building was constructed in 1969 and has gone through many upgrades and name changes. It was called the Oakwood Garden Apartments when it opened and an advertisement in the San Diego Union at the time said it had “luxury garden apartments offering complete privacy.”

The remodel would mainly take place on existing surface-level parking lots and remove some amenity areas largely unused by current residents throughout the 12.96-acre site. In addition to new apartments, plans call for two new parking structures, outdoor courtyards, a bike repair station, seven subsidized apartments and one surface parking lot. Once upgrades are completed, there will be 756 parking spots on the site.

AVA Pacific Beach’s remodel proposal comes as another Pacific Beach project, dubbed the “Turquoise Tower,” has faced heavy neighborhood opposition. The 239-foot-tall building on Turquoise Street calls for 139 hotel rooms and 74 apartments. AVA Pacific Beach will be three stories at its tallest, unlike the proposed Turquoise Tower at 22 floors.

The City Council looked favorably on the AVA project because it is on an existing site, already zoned for multifamily housing, is near several bus stops and a future bike lane, included subsidized housing and did not go above 30 feet.

“This converts surface parking lots into much-needed dwelling units,” said council President Joe LaCava.

Councilmember Kent Lee added that he felt the project served the city well because it had subsidized housing and created housing in an area with strong economic and educational opportunities.

Karen Ruggels, a planning consultant on the project, said the current parking lots were only about 74% used, and the parking garage will be built first, so it should not cause residents to flood the neighborhood looking for a spot.

Plans for AVA Pacific Beach automatically have to be approved by the Coastal Commission because it is in the coastal zone, about three blocks from the ocean. The developer did not provide a timeline for that approval process.

Rent at AVA Pacific Beach is already above county averages, but it’s unclear how much it might rise once a remodel is done. Real estate tracker CoStar said in late January the average rent for a studio at the complex was $2,331 a month; for a one-bedroom, $2,670; and a two-bedroom, $3,490.

The AVA Pacific Beach proposal is not subject to the mayor’s veto. It was already approved in May by the Pacific Beach Planning Group and the San Diego Planning Commission in October.