Project Vela: aka Turquoise Tower:
A 23-Story Tower in Pacific Beach
Project Vela aka: Turquoise Tower is a proposed 23- to 24-story luxury mixed-use development at 954–980 Turquoise Street in Pacific Beach. It includes 74 residential units (only 10 of which are affordable) and 139 visitor accommodation units (essentially hotel rooms) and is allowed due to state and local law changes.
A developer is exploiting loopholes in California state laws (including SB 423 and the State Density Bonus Law) to claim this oversized tower must be approved automatically through ministerial (by-right) processing — with no public input or environmental review. If the City accepts this, it becomes the playbook for similar towers across San Diego.
We’re preparing to challenge it in order to protect neighborhood character, enforce state and local laws, and ensure full CEQA review — but legal action requires funding.
See the full comment letter below.
RECENT UPDATE: NFABC COMMENT LETTER
Neighbors for a Better California (NFABC), represented by Chatten-Brown Law Group, submitted detailed comments urging the City of San Diego to halt ministerial processing of Project Vela, the proposed 24-story Turquoise Tower at 954–980 Turquoise Street in Pacific Beach.
Key Concerns:
The project fails to meet SB 423 requirements for streamlined ministerial approval, including the mandatory two-thirds residential square footage threshold (underground parking cannot be counted, and visitor accommodation units are commercial, not residential).
It relies on an inflated base density from the Community Plan that only applies to discretionary projects, resulting in nearly 30 extra units.
Insufficient affordable housing and improper use of State Density Bonus Law incentives for a luxury hotel component.
The City is exercising discretion in its review (geotechnical, emergency access, code interpretations), should trigger a full CEQA environmental review.
NFABC calls on the City to require full transparency, legal compliance, and environmental protections instead of fast-tracking this oversized mixed-use development that prioritizes visitor accommodations over meaningful housing for San Diegans.
Building Housing Solutions That Work for People — Not Just Developers.
From wildfire safety to affordability and ownership, NFABC empowers communities to shape real solutions that protect our future.
