Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2006 | Re: “Enviros Seek Green as Part of Condo Settlements.” Lemme see if I’ve got this straight. Investors/developers/apartment building owners want to convert their complexes into condos. But they don’t want to have to do an environmental impact report. So if improvements, including parking requirements, need to be done, the new owners would be responsible. So some people/groups are suing to compel EIRs to be done. The owners are howling, crying of imminent bankruptcy. The sky is falling. And to top it off, the market is going soft. Damn. What to do? Why, let’s go after the money-grubbing plaintiffs and their lawyers: extortion!
Housing in San Diego is a crisis for many people. Affordability is beyond reach for too many. Profitability for a smaller crowd is getting squeezed. Surely there is a way out through negotiation. Nobody should be stuck holding the bag. Name calling makes for good reading, but doesn’t do much for resolving the problems. What’s the law here? Let’s find out and follow it. And leave the vitriol in the gutter where it belongs.