By Olivia Clark, Voice & Viewpoint Staff Writer
Following the repeal of the controversial zoning policy known as Footnote 7, as previously reported on by the Voice & Viewpoint, Southeastern San Diego continues to be a battleground of neighbors coming together to protect their communities from dense development approved by the City of San Diego.
Now, a new fight has emerged in the neighborhood of Jamacha: a proposed multi-unit ADU project at 1441 Woodrow Ave.
Jamacha is a lower-income, culturally diverse neighborhood made up almost exclusively of single-family homes. Residents say City regulations are once again being used or ignored for the benefit of development that threatens safety, stability, and equity.
ADUs, or Accessory Dwelling Units, are smaller housing structures built on the same property as a primary residence and often promoted by City officials as a solution to the affordable housing crisis. But many residents argue that unaffordable, large, multi-unit ADU projects such as the one proposed on Woodrow Avenue, are being forced into low-income neighborhoods without proper oversight.
The Jamacha Neighborhood Council is calling on the City to halt the housing project, citing errors and false information in the development application submitted by a privately owned construction company on behalf of current property owner Godavari LP, proposing six two-story ADUs. They warn that the potential addition of up to 12 residents would negatively impact the street, the neighborhood, current community members, and the City’s housing landscape.
“It’s not just disappointing, it’s dangerous. Our community of Jamacha, it expects at a minimum that the City will protect our environmentally sensitive areas and uphold its own San Diego municipal code standard,” said Dorene Dias Pesta, Chairperson of the Jamacha Neighborhood Council during a phone interview in February 2026.
The project application describes the property as an “empty lot” with no building older than 45-years-old on the site. Neighbors say that this isn’t true, noting that a house built in 1965, making it approximately 60-years-old, and a large shed sit on the property. According to the Jamacha Neighborhood Council, who held their first protest against the project in October of 2025, this is just one of many inaccuracies in the application the City has ignored. “Apparently, accuracy is negotiable when it comes to our neighborhood,” said Ms. Dias Pesta.
What the Community Has to Say
“We have legally defined boundaries in our community plan, and the City is not respecting our area, because it’s majority Black and brown,” said Ms. Dias Pesta.
U.S. Census data shows Jamacha is home to predominantly families of color. About 85 percent of the housing in the neighborhood is classified as a single-family home, with roughly 70 percent homeownership.
The majority of Jamacha, including 1441 Woodrow Ave., falls under an RS-1-7 zoning designation intended for single-family residential use. City municipal codes state that RS zones, or Residential Single-Unit zones, are meant to encourage the development of housing for all citizens of San Diego while also minimizing negative impacts to the surrounding homes and neighborhood.
As outlined by numerous memos published by the Jamacha Neighborhood Council and echoed by concerned neighbors, this proposed ADU project would severely impact the neighborhood – something the housing structures are not meant to do.
The Jamacha Neighborhood Council also notes that the project application failed to disclose any code violations or Get It Done complaints tied to the property. City public records show an active Get It Done complaint and numerous prior code violations for everything from the dilapidated roof to vandalism and excessive trash to squatters.
Get It Done is a service provided by the City of San Diego that puts San Diegans in touch with the City to report non-emergency problems related to City assets, to schedule appointments for Passport services, or to schedule time at the City’s Household Hazardous Waste Materials drop-off facility. Due to the non-emergency nature of Get It Done requests, it may take months for the City to take action on a reported issue.
The Neighborhood Council had more concerns: Additionally, information pertaining to fire hazard severity levels, geological risks, paleontological importance, and other environmental considerations were inaccurately reported in the application. These conditions would make construction not only on the property but in such a dense neighborhood inappropriate, unsafe, and disruptive.
Concerned about the safety and wellbeing of the families of Jamacha, Ms. Dias Pesta pled that “We should matter to the City of San Diego as much as developer profits and campaign donations. So we demand immediate, uncompromising, regulatory action and real accountability.”
The Neighborhood Leaps into Action
After finding out about the proposed project in August of 2024, Ms. Dias Pesta reignited the Jamacha Neighborhood Council and started looking deeper into the issue. Neighbors began to organize and advocate for the preservation of their neighborhood by sharing information at public meetings, through letters, media outreach, and protests.
The most recent protest on October 7 2025, saw neighbors coming together to raise awareness for the proposed project.
Longtime Woodrow Avenue resident Holly Hedgecock detailed the property’s decline and its impact on the community in a memo sent to City officials and developers.
As Mrs. Hedgecock wrote in early October 2025, the previous homeowner of 1441 Woodrow Ave. vacated the home in 2021, which “unexpectedly set us on a battle to save our neighborhood.” She explained that squatters moved in, prompting years of property damage and requests for help through the City’s Get It Done service. “After a very long battle at the end of 2023 the squatters were removed by the Sheriff’s department but the home was in shambles,” she continued.
Mrs. Hedgecock said she hoped to purchase and restore the home for a family member, but probate prevented the sale. Shortly after, the home owners sold the property to Godavari Enterprises LP and Godavari Properties LLC in 2024 for more than she or her family could offer.
Along with many of her neighbors, Mrs. Hedgecock urged the City to deny the project, writing that the six two-story ADUs “would completely change the look of our beautiful street, blocking our view, taking away our privacy, causing potential fire hazard with so many units in a small area.” She also noted that on their already full streets, there would be nowhere for these new residents to park. All of these issues would “seriously depreciate our home values,” she continued.
“We love our neighborhood and home,” Mrs. Hedgecock wrote. “If this huge complex is built, we are concerned we will not be able to stay in our home.”
The Fight Continues
Due to the constant changes and updates to ADU regulations, supposedly with public interest and comment taken into account, rather than being limited to any updated regulations construction companies are able to get around regulations by quickly filing applications within 30 days of any provided updates. Godavari and their hired third-party construction company were able to do just that, submitting their proposal for the six two-story ADUs before the regulations were updated to the currently permitted one attached or detached ADU and one ADU converted from an existing structure.
“Only through a very rigorous scrutiny and enforcement can the public interest, scientific resources, and community safety be protected,” said Ms. Dias Pesta. “Understanding that these projects for ADU bonuses are ministerially approved, that does not waive the obligation to be accurate. It does not waive the City’s obligation to hold these parties accountable.”
Zoning policies marketed as housing solutions are disproportionately reshaping Black and brown neighborhoods while threatening generational wealth and affordability. “No more creative storytelling, no more empty promises from Mayor Todd Gloria and the City Council for equities in communities of concern. We’re clearly not valued as human beings. Jamacha is a community of concern that has received injustice,” said Ms. Dias Pesta.
Ms. Dias Pesta said more protests and public actions are being planned in hopes of halting construction before it begins.
Residents are calling on the City to correct false statements, enforce safety and environmental regulations, bring transparency to the approval process, and ensure applicants are held accountable for any false and misleading information.
Neighbors propose that rather than proceeding with the current construction plans, that the developers instead build no more than two ADUs, or donate the property to the community for conversion into a pocket park. If the company decided to sell the property, the Neighborhood Council would ask them to disclose that development on the site was vehemently opposed.
For Jamacha neighbors, this fight is about more than one property. It’s about preserving the beauty of diverse neighborhoods for future generations and preventing dense development from being pushed into already vulnerable communities.To learn more about housing advocacy and updates to current housing regulations in San Diego, visit Neighbors for a Better San Diego at www.neighborsforabettersandiego.org.
