San Diego

The San Diego City Council on Tuesday put off a decision on whether to gradually eliminate restrictions on demolishing single-room occupancy hotels, the city’s cheapest housing.

The issue was sent back for review by the Housing Commission, which had passed it on to the council without making a recommendation. The commission will consider several proposals, including one by Councilwoman Celia Ballesteros to allow the demolition or conversion of some residential hotels if the vacancy rate at remaining hotels continutes to be above a certain level.

“I think this (postponement) is as good as we can get,” said Frank Landerville, executive director of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless. Landerville and others were concerned that the council would approve a Planning Department proposal to phase out the city’s restrictions on demolishing residential hotels.

Landerville favors the city’s current ordinance, passed at the end of 1985, that with few exceptions prohibits demolishing or converting single-room occupancy hotels unless the owner replaces each room elsewhere in the city.

Developers and residential hotel owners say the ordinance inhibits redevelopment of the downtown area.