Environmentalists representing over a dozen organizations spoke out against a plan to expand the Salk Institute onto coastal bluffs at a press conference on April 24.
Guardian
Opponents of the plan fear construction of a child-care and wellness facility would destroy the habitat of endangered species, disrupt the ocean view from the courtyard of the institute’s historic building and become an eyesore for hikers and others who use paths in the bluffs for recreation.
“”The Salk Institute, like the rest of the community, is facing a child-care crisis that is threatening our ability to be competitive in attracting and retaining key scientists and other employees,”” said Robert Bradford, senior director of communications for the institute.
In January, the institute submitted plans to the city of San Diego that proposed the construction of a 12,000-square-foot child-care and wellness center west of the institute’s current facilities. Under public pressure, the institute placed the plan on hold in February.
One of the opponents’ main concerns is that the city has categorized the proposed development as one that does not require public hearings or an environmental impact study.
“”This project must not slide through the city’s approval process without public input and before a full environmental study can be completed,”” said Kathryn Burton, chair of Friends of Salk Coastal Canyon.
In addition to official representatives of environmental groups, about 10 people carried signs protesting the proposed development. One protester carried a large photograph of the bluff with red arrows pointing to the proposed site of the child-care and wellness center.
The Salk Institute has formed an internal committee to review the existing development plans and suggest changes as deemed necessary. According to Bradford, the committee will not reach a final decision on the project for at least two months.
Burton and others pointed to other locations on the Salk campus where the proposed facility could be built. Also raised by protesters was the possibility of a collaboration between UCSD and the institute to meet child-care and athletic needs.
Taylor Hungerford, a senior at UCSD and co-founder of Students for Salk Coastal Canyon, pointed out that the land that the institute owns was given by the city following a 1963 referendum.
“”The public gave [the institute] the land and it should be the public’s decision for whether they should build or not and to make sure they do the environmental report,”” he said.
Two pairs of gnatcatchers, a small bird that is on the threatened species list, have been previously sighted in the vicinity of the project area. In addition, the coastal sagrebrush is prime breeding habitat for the gnatcatcher.
“”The Salk Institute is an environmentally responsible organization,”” Bradford said. “”In keeping with the founding principles and vision of Dr. Jonas Salk and the architect Louis Kahn, any development that we propose at the institute would be optimally designed to preserve coastal bluffs and canyons. That’s fundamental to what we’re about.””
The current Salk Institute building was designed by famed architect Louis Khan and features a substantial courtyard with an unobstructed ocean view. The institute is a registered city of San Diego historical site.
The Salk Institute is a nonprofit research institution that was founded 40 years ago by polio vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk. The institute works to increase knowledge about human health and to find cures for diseases such as cancer. Currently, the facility employs 56 faculty and over 850 scientists.
