The Betrayal of Emerald Hills and Encanto

This project is near and dear to Martha's heart because it's the project that started her journey to run for City Council. For decades, the hilltop property at 5702 Old Memory Lane in Emerald Hills was known primarily for its radio towers,  a highly visible piece of infrastructure overlooking one of San Diego’s historically Black and working-class communities. Residents and community advocates say the land was long discussed as a future community park or open-space amenity once broadcasting operations ended, a promise many now believe was never fulfilled.

Instead, the site has become the center of an intense land-use and environmental justice battle after plans emerged to redevelop the roughly 31-acre former radio tower property into a large housing subdivision in 2022. The proposed project would demolish the broadcasting facility and construct 123 single-family homes on the site. 

The controversy is tied closely to Footnote 7, a long-debated zoning provision in San Diego’s Land Development Code that allowed significantly smaller lot sizes in several District 4 neighborhoods, including Emerald Hills and Encanto. The policy enabled denser development in historically redlined Black and Brown communities while wealthier neighborhoods retained stricter low-density protections. 

Although the San Diego City Council repealed Footnote 7 in early 2025 after months of community pressure, the Emerald Hills project continues moving forward because city officials determined the application was deemed complete before the repeal took effect. Planning documents state the project therefore retains the right to use the older zoning rules, including reduced minimum lot sizes. 

Opposition from residents and community planning leaders has intensified around concerns over infrastructure strain, traffic, environmental impacts, and what many describe as a broken commitment to preserve the hill as recreational or open space for the surrounding community. The Chollas Valley Community Planning Group urged officials to reject the project, arguing the development disregards community concerns and broader equity issues facing District 4 neighborhoods. 

The debate has become symbolic of a larger struggle in District 4: whether historically underserved communities will finally receive long-promised investments in parks, green space, and infrastructure or continue to absorb development pressures without receiving the public amenities residents say were promised generations ago.

The Radio Tower Development Project still needs final approval from City Council. The date of this meeting is July 7, 2026 at 6pm.

To contribute to the legal fees required to fight for our neighborhoods, Please donate to the GoFundMe.