May 11, 20225 min read

San Diego's first Housing Action Plan

BREAKING DOWN THE [FIRST] HOUSING ACTION PACKAGE

On July 19th 2021, the City of San Diego announced a citywide initiative called Homes for All of Us. The goal of the initiative is to implement new state laws to incentivize and promote new housing development for all income levels.

The Homes for All of Us initiative includes two Housing Action Packages, the creation of [Blueprint SD] and the formation of a [Middle-Income Housing Working Group]. As of December 16th 2021, the first Housing Action Packages is under review by the San Diego Planning Commission. In this post, we will be breaking down the first Housing Action Package.

The Housing Action Package under review includes the following items:

HOUSING AT CITY FACILITIES
AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN ALL COMMUNITIES
EMPLOYEE HOUSING INCENTIVE PROGRAM
LIVE / WORK FLEXIBILITY
HOUSING ACCESSIBILITY PROGRAM
HOUSING FOR FAMILIES

One of the biggest changes to affect housing recently is the implementation of SB9 into California Law. If you didn’t catch my video explaining what this new law entails you can watch it [here]. The “Homes for All of Us” initiative addresses how the city is going to integrate this new law and what it means for housing in San Diego. “SB 9 is an important step in addressing our housing crisis and encouraging the building of more naturally affordable homes,” said Mike Hansen, the City’s Planning Director. “We are happy we can take this new law and not only tailor it to our needs in San Diego, but to also improve our ADU regulations at the same time.”

How is SB 9 going to be implemented into San Diego code?

Senate Bill 9 was passed by the state legislature in 2021 and will take effect on Jan. 1, 2022. It requires a city to approve the following:

Up to two new homes on a single-family zoned lot and/or;
Splitting a single-family zoned lot into two lots about the same size.

Senate Bill 9 also allows for the city to tailor some decisions regarding setbacks, parking, landscaping and development impact fee (DIF) requirements. The City’s Municipal Code will be amended with an additional section that focuses on multi-dwelling units and lot splitting in single-family zones. Read more about SB 9 here.

How will ADUs be affected?

Amendments to the City’s ADU regulations provide consistency with SB9 related to setbacks, parking, landscaping and DIF fees.

Require 4-foot setback for multi-story ADUs next to residential lots.
Tree regulations for all ADU’s and specific requirements on sites with three or more ADUs.
Increasing development impact fee for each third and fourth ADU larger than 750 square feet.

A quick Breakdown

Below is a quick snapshot of the package, what the issues are, and how they are being addressed.

HOUSING AT CITY FACILITIES

Problem:

Currently, the City is not able to develop housing on publicly owned sites.

Solution:

The Housing Action Package will allow affordable and middle-income housing to be developed on existing and new publicly owned sites.

Further Q & A:

What is an example of a publicly owned site?

Libraries and community centers are both examples of publicly owned sites.Therefore, the City could build housing in an existing library or community center parking lot. The City could also include housing in a new library or community center project.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN ALL COMMUNITIES

Problem:

Affordable housing is not available in all San Diego communities

Solution:

The Housing Action Package will allow affordable units built through the City’s density bonus program and 100 percent affordable housing developments to be built in the communities currently lacking affordable housing. In order to meet the City’s climate and equity goals, these housing developments are required to be built near transit and to have access to high paying jobs, high performing schools and better air quality. This solution will address the housing crisis while also providing fair housing.

Further Q & A:

What is a density bonus?

It is a density increase over the otherwise Maximum Allowable Residential Density.

What is Maximum Allowable Residential Density?

This is the maximum number of dwelling units that can be achieved after all applicable land use requirements have been satisfied.

What kind of density bonus can I get for a project that has 100% affordable units?

In accordance with Assembly Bill (AB) 1763 (2019), a project that reserves 100% of its units as affordable for lower income households is eligible to receive a density bonus of 80% of the number of units reserved for lower income households. An applicant may choose to reserve up to 20% of the affordable units for moderate-income households

EMPLOYEE HOUSING INCENTIVE PROGRAM

Problem:

When new office buildings, retail stores, industrial facilities and other non-residential projects are built, there is a lack of housing for the employees that move to the city.

Solution:

The Housing Action Package will allow non-residential development in Transit Priority Areas to pay into the Affordable Housing Trust fund or build affordable housing in exchange for incentives. This solution will address the housing crisis while also promoting job growth in the City.

LIVE / WORK FLEXIBILITY

Problem:

As working from home and telework opportunities have grown, the demand for Live / Work units has outgrown the supply.

Solution:

The Housing Action Package will change the requirements for Live / Work units in order to encourage and facilitate living in closer proximity to employment opportunities.

Further Q & A:

What is a Live / Work unit?

A Live / Work unit is a residential mixed-use unit with a focus on residential uses. The primary use must be residential. The secondary use can be non-residential or residential. Examples include: a shopkeeper unit, a residential space with a small-scale artisan space or a residential space with amenities for home employment.

What other requirements must a Live / Work unit meet?

The complete explanation of requirements for a Live / Work unit can be found in the San Diego Municipal Code Section 141.0311.

HOUSING ACCESSIBILITY PROGRAM

Problem:

There is a lack of accessible homes in San Diego. As the population ages, we need more units with adequate space and accessible routes throughout the building to ensure that residents can remain in San Diego.

Solution:

The Housing Action Package will provide incentives for housing developments to include more accessible housing than what is currently required by the California Building Code. The intent is to increase the number of accessible dwelling units that allow persons with temporary, developing or permanent disabilities to “age in place” and reduce the potential for them to be displaced from their homes due to their disability.

Further Q & A:

Does this apply to single-family homes?

No, this does not apply to single family homes. However, it can apply to multi-story townhomes, duplexes and multiple dwelling unit structures up to five stores if specific requirements are met. Refer to San Diego Municipal Code Section 145.4001.

HOUSING FOR FAMILIES

Problem:

There is a lack of housing for families including multiple children families and intergenerational families.

Solution:

The Housing Action Package will provide incentives for the construction of housing units with three or more bedrooms.

Further Q & A:

Does this apply to single-family homes? Currently, it looks like this is aimed at multi-family housing. The city’s goal is to create more affordable housing which will include units with multiple bedrooms.

CONCLUSION

The City Council is expected to finish reviewing the first Housing Action Package early in 2022. Once it is reviewed, the second Housing Action Package will be prepared. The Housing Action Packages combined with the Blueprint SD and the Middle-Income Housing Working Group will help solve San Diego’s housing crisis while also addressing equity, fair housing and job growth.

For an in-depth look at the Housing action plan you can look at the full draft here.