SAN DIEGO — San Diego’s new Housing Action Plan 2.0 is stirring up debate between critics and supporters as the city attempts to build more density near transit areas.
“When you look at what the regulations say, it says you can build a 3-story apartment building up to 35 feet completely covering a lot,” said Geoff Hueter, Chair of Neighbors for a Better San Diego. “We barely had the ink dry on the Sustainable Development Areas and two days later, here we come with S.B. 10 implementation.”
A major component of the plan would be opting into Senate Bill 10, which was signed into law statewide in 2021. It allows cities to adopt ordinances that can override certain zoning laws by building up to ten units on a single lot in “transit-rich areas.” San Diego would implement this rule in the newly formed Sustainable Development Areas, which are neighborhoods within one mile of public transit stops.
“Tearing down these houses and these are perfectly fine existing houses, well-cared for by their owners and we’re going to tear these down, put them in the landfill so that we can build ten units on these lots,” said Hueter.
If a developer were to build more than four units, they’d be required to dedicate one of them as a deed-restricted affordable unit to very low, low, or moderate income households.
“There’s not much vacant land left in the City of San Diego, so if we’re going to address our housing crisis, we have to build in existing neighborhoods,” said Jesse O’Sullivan, Policy Counsel for Circulate San Diego. “Allowing the construction of new homes is very different that the actual construction of new homes, so if you allow this change, it’s going to be a slow, gradual change over a long period of time.”
Cameron Lindsay-Hewett is a 29-year-old homeowner in the Talmadge area, and he is concerned S.B. 10 implementation would change the community character where he lives.
“The idea that we could replace single-family homes with these apartment complexes would completely change the makeup of our neighborhood,” said Lindsay-Hewett.
Supporters of S.B. 10 implementation said it will create more options to help meet the housing shortage.
“Building more homes is not going to destroy your neighborhood,” said O’Sullivan. “I have two kids, I want to live in a San Diego where they’re going to be able to afford to live here when they grow up and if we don’t build more homes, there just won’t be room for them.”
Nicole Lillie is a UCSD student and Housing Projects Director for the youth-led nonprofit, Our Time to Act United. She says finding off-campus housing is very difficult and more housing is needed.
“We definitely need more options, that’s why I’m grateful I’m going to be living in a Sustainable Development Area so that we’ll have access to transit so that we can actually use the transit to get to campus,” said Lillie. “I don’t believe SB 10 would really be destroying neighborhoods, I think it’s offering better opportunities for future development.”
The draft plan was presented to the Planning Commission this month as an information item only, and there’s no clear timeline yet for when there will be an actual vote on it.
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