Concern over potential San Diego Unified housing development in Serra Mesa

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- As San Diego Unified works toward its goal of building more affordable housing for employees on district-owned sites, neighbors in one community have some concerns about what more development might do to the area.

"The response I’ve got is everybody is up in arms. They don’t know about this," Claudia Haines said.

Haines says a potential housing development in Serra Mesa is taking her neighbors by surprise.

The Instructional Media Center on Cardinal Lane is owned by the San Diego Unified School District.

It’s one of five properties throughout the city designated for possible affordable housing, set aside for district employees.

A feasibility analysis was presented to the school board at a meeting on Dec. 3. At the IMC site, 81 moderate income units are proposed on the 1.9-acre property.

"They have YIMBY and NIMBY, I am a 'RIMBY'. That is a responsible in my backyard," Haines said.

Haines explains the neighborhood is already congested, with just one way in and out.

"We have so many people in this neighborhood who, if there is a fire or some major disaster, how are you getting your car to go out? We will be sitting just like up in Pacific Palisades in traffic and having to abandon our cars. We will not be able to get out. There is just no safe way to put any more housing in this area."

The district has said it’s goal over the next decade is to build about 1,500 total units on multiple district properties to house about 10% of the workforce.

A spokesperson for San Diego Unified says this particular development is still very early stages, but "all projects would be carefully designed with extensive public input and the expertise of professional traffic consultants and engineers."

The district also says there is a plan to schedule listening sessions and different opportunities for community input in the next few months.