La Jolla Shores groups and UCSD settle lawsuit over university’s new five-building project

A settlement has been reached in a year-long lawsuit brought by the La Jolla Shores Association and a local homeowners group to challenge UC San Diego’s new Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood.

TDLLN, currently under construction near La Jolla Village Drive and North Torrey Pines Road, is planned to include five buildings ranging from nine to 21 stories tall. It is designed to house 2,000 students and includes a conference center, hotel rooms, classrooms and retail.

A rendering depicts UC San Diego’s new Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood.

(File)

LJSA and the homeowners association of the nearby Blackhorse Farms gated community filed the lawsuit in October 2020, contending the project violates the California Environmental Quality Act through effects on endangered species, traffic, greenhouse gases and wastewater.

The settlement was agreed to last month, LJSA President Janie Emerson said this week.

A statement on the LJSA website says UCSD and the Blackhorse and La Jolla Shores associations “have resolved all issues arising from a lawsuit ... regarding the Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood project. The settlement agreement represents the community coming together with UC San Diego. To strengthen this new partnership, representatives of the Blackhorse Homeowners Association and the La Jolla Shores Association will join UC San Diego’s Community Advisory Group to ensure continued close collaboration between the university and the community. This resolution represents a win-win for the community, for the university and for the students, both present and future.”

Emerson told the La Jolla Light the statement was agreed to by all parties as part of the settlement and that she was unable to provide further information.

UCSD associate director of communications Leslie Sepuka said the university had no comment beyond the statement, and she did not answer on when or whether the full settlement details would be made public. ◆