The Bayview

Aerial view of the development's front plaza / Malick photo

According to aggregate MTS data, Clairemont Drive station on the Mid-Coast Blue Line is the Trolley's least used station, with only around 300 entries per day. Take a look around and it's not too hard to see why: the station has only a single bus connection, no parking or major commercial development nearby, and a pedestrian connection to Mission Bay that is annoying and hostile at best and dangerous at worst.

Aerial view of the current Clairemont Drive station / BuildSD photo

A new project by Protea Properties and Malick Infill Development on a currently-vacant site opposite the station, had a chance to revitalize the area with a true mixed-use, transit-oriented village. Malick billed the project as San Diego's first Sustainable Communities CEQA exemption and claims the project will "maximiz[e] residential density with 156 units, including 16 units affordable to families earning up to 50% Area Median Income." The developers also touted "mobility hub features [which] provide first- and last-mile connections for Trolley riders and offer the opportunity for a car-free lifestyle for residents."

Aerial view of the development / Malick photo

In 2022, however, Encinitas-based Zephyr Development purchased the site, with an even bolder claim to double the number of units. More information on this project is not fully known. While Zephyr has a web page dedicated to the project and now claims 350 units will be built, the renders appear to be the same as those previously provided by Malick. Whatever the outcome of this project may be, it's an inspiring precedent for community-centric design in an area currently severely lacking in such.