Judge blocks massive Chalcifica ADU development in Pacific Beach

A new court injunction could jeopardize a controversial 136-unit ADU development proposed for eastern Pacific Beach by requiring the city to thoroughly analyze its potential impacts, including on Native American artifacts there.

The ruling by Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal could also lead to more rigorous approvals for other projects with large numbers of accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, that were proposed before the city rolled back a generous incentive in late August.

The injunction, issued Friday, requires city officials to stop processing permits or other approvals for the Pacific Beach project, called Chalcifica, until the city determines how to analyze its impacts.

A lawsuit filed in August by a neighborhood group seeking to block Chalcifica contends the city has improperly treated approvals for the project as ministerial — based only on whether they meet certain standards — instead of discretionary.

City officials agree in court documents that Chalcifica requires some sort of discretionary review, which could include a rigorous environmental analysis of fire risk and impacts on traffic and the 3-acre site’s Native American artifacts.

But the city has continued to process permits and other documents for the project submitted by developer SDRE, which a lawyer for the neighborh...