If you’ve taken a stroll to the beach lately, you’ve probably seen the signs:

“Stop the 23-Story Turquoise Tower.”

And like any loyal PB resident, you’ve probably thought, “Yeah, fuck that tower,”

...without actually knowing anything about it. Well, that changes now.

Not only are you about to learn the lore, you're also walking away with enough facts to impress your next Porchlight coffee date.

The Lore: PB’s Tallest Fuckboys

PB’s known for its post-college vibe: retired frat bros and sorority girls coexisting in salty harmony. But in this little beach town, two fuckboys reign supreme: Tristen and Kyle.

Tristen (aka Pacific Towers, 4944 Cass St) is your classic washed-up white guy who still has an American flag hanging in his living room and definitely no headboard. He should’ve left PB  5 years ago, but he’s still holding on.

Kyle (Capri by the Sea, 4767 Ocean Blvd) is your textbook trust fund finance bro who “DJs on the side.” He’s easy to spot at Firehouse, trying to convince girls to come home with him to see his sick view. (Girls, it’s not worth it.)

These two fuckboys have carved out a name for themselves in this small town, tallying nearly as many bar fights as one-night stands. They've been around so long, we've begrudgingly accepted them as local fixtures, right alongside even the likes Slo-Mo. Are they great? Not even close. But they're ours.

Enter: Dylan, A New Fuckboy Threat.

Here’s where the beef comes into this local tale. Tristen and Kyle may be established community figures, but no one asked for a new fuckboy in PB. Dylan (aka the Turquoise Tower) thinks he can roll onto our turf like he owns the boardwalk? Nah. We’re not having it.. Tristen and Kyle are enough.

He's 6’5”, tatted, mustached, and looks like a hot new bombshell about to shake up the villa. But here’s the thing: Dylan isn’t here to make friends.

He’s here to cast a shadow (literally) over our sunsets, surf spots, and small-town beach vibe. Soon, we won’t be able to see the Pacific, not through our tears and definitely not through his massive ego.

He’s not just another fuckboy— he’s a 23-story fuckboy.

And PB won’t have it!

Now that you've gotten the Love Island-style recap, let’s dig into the facts of this brewing new Pacific Beach rivalry and its possible effects on this place that we call home.

The Facts:

Project Vela (PRJ-1121764), a 23-story high-rise known as the "Turquoise Tower" has been proposed at 970 Turquoise Street, the former site of the French Gourmet restaurant in Pacific Beach (not to be confused by the construction site beside Westend called “Turquoise Place” which will be a new 3-story apartment complex. )

High-rises are uncommon in Pacific Beach due to its location within San Diego’s Coastal Height Limit Overlay Zone (CHLOZ). This zoning regulation, passed by voters in 1972 and legally put into effect in 1976, restricts building heights to a maximum of 30 feet or three stories. The primary goal of this zoning law is to preserve coastal views and maintain the areas character.

High-rises like the 11-story Pacific Towers (Tristen) and 12-story Capri by the Sea (Kyle) were able to be built in PB, as they were constructed in 1973 and 1971, respectively, before the Coastal Height Limit Zoning was officially in effect. However, the developer behind the project, Kalonymus, LLC., intends to bypass the height restrictions by invoking California’s State Density Bonus Law (Government Code §§65915–65918). This law permits developers to exceed local zoning limits if they include affordable housing units in their projects. Specifically, developers can increase density (number of units) on a property in exchange for reserving a portion of the new units for lower-income residents at below-market rates.

Legislative concerns have arisen regarding the developer’s application of the State Density Bonus Law. The plan includes 74 residential units, 10 of which would be income-restricted affordable housing (five for very low-income and five for moderate-income residents). However, the project also includes 139 “visitor accommodation” units, which are essentially hotel rooms.

To understand the affordability aspect of the 10 income restricted units, the Area Median Income (AMI) for San Diego County as of April 16, 2025 must be considered. A single-person household qualifies as very low income (50% AMI) makes $57,900/year, while a moderate- income household (120% AMI) earns $109,860/year. As we translate this into rent on income- restricted housing, the developer can charge up to 30% of the household’s adjusted gross income, resulting in monthly rents of approximately $1,309.00/month for very-low income and $2,608.00/month for moderate income households.

The primary concern over this project is the inclusion of the "visitor accommodation" unit that the developer intends to rent as market rate long term leases. This has sparked questions as to whether the project aligns with the spirit of the State Density Bonus Law, which aims to promote affordable housing, not to serve as a loophole for the developer’s benefit. In September 2024, the City of San Diego’s Development Services Department (DSD) sought guidance from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for “technical assistance” to clarify if this project accurately qualifies under the State Density Bonus Law.

As a result of those discussions, the developer has been asked to provide an economic analysis showing that the “visitor accommodation” units are necessary to support the affordable units, and the City may conduct its own independent study to verify the claim.

We will have to wait and see what comes out of these analyses. At best, it seems the City could determine that a portion of the "visitor accommodation" units are not needed to support the affordable units. This could lead to a reduction in the number of units, thus decreasing the height of the high-rise.

It’s likely that some version of this project will still move forward, but as your trusted local Pacific Beach news outlet, we promise to keep you informed about any new developments regarding the "Turquoise Tower"

Keep it classy. Keep it low-rise. Keep PB, PB.

• By Hailey Tyson, PE (Professional Civil Engineer)