SAN DIEGO — New affordable housing could be coming to neighborhoods around San Diego. Mayor Todd Gloria is recommending millions of dollars in funding to help build five housing projects.
The housing projects would create 400 affordable housing units throughout the city of San Diego including Hillcrest, City Heights, Palm City, Pacific Beach and Clairemont. The mayor is pushing for $15.4 million to help get construction started.
"It's going to help people experiencing homelessness, other low-income people and seniors," said District 3 Council Member Stephen Whitburn.
The building planned for Hillcrest would be near University Avenue and Herbert Street. Ten of its 97 units will have supportive services.
"Many of the individuals experiencing homelessness need services for mental health, other health issues and perhaps addictions and require these wraparound services. This project in Hillcrest will have 10 units set aside for people needing those services," Whitburn said.
District 1 Councilmember Joe La Cava says he's excited to see a project come to Pacific Beach. It's planned to bring 59 affordable units with 18 providing wraparound services. He said he's not excited that the building is set to be five to six stories tall.
"This project is going to be piercing the Prop B 30 foot height limit we have on our coastline. Something the voters of San Diego put in place but here with a stroke of a pen Sacramento has said we can waive that requirement," he said.
He says developers can be exempt from height limits when projects include a certain percentage of affordable units. All five projects are part of the city's Bridge to Home Initiative which looks to create more affordable homes.