Some of San Diego's biggest development projects — such as the Sports Arena site and the Mission Valley West shopping plaza — are turning into mixed-use areas that will soon have shopping, restaurants, entertainment, office space, warehouses and housing.
Housing inventory and affordability is one of San Diego's most urgent crises. Developers say the way to solve that is by building larger scale, higher density projects close to shopping and offices.
"The city of San Diego, first of all, is out of open land available for development, so it’s a matter of making the most of the available land in the city," said Ryan Clumpner, vice chair of the San Diego Housing Commission. "It does require that we build higher-density housing. It requires that we build more vertically and that we use the properties more efficiently."
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Some San Diegans have raised concerns that building more multi-family homes in places like Mission Valley might increase traffic congestion. But developers say there's a strong chance it will reduce traffic instead.
"If somebody doesn’t need to get in their car to go somewhere else, you're actually reducing the amount of trips. So if we do it right, if we develop these 'urban islands' on sites like these old shopping malls in Mission Valley, we can actually make it easier to get around," Andrew Malick, a San Diego developer, said.
Malick has been developing housing projects in the city for 20 years. His latest project is called "The Parkline." It's in North Park and features 91 units ranging from studios to two-bedroom apartments.
The building, however, only has 28 parking spots.
Malick says developments like these are the future of urban housing in San Diego. He is not required to build more parking because the property is in a transit-friendly area, right next to the bus rapid transit line on El Cajon Boulevard and a protected bike lane on Howard Avenue.
"You also have an extremely amenity-rich area, so you can walk to the grocery store, go to a restaurant or go to a bar," he said. "All of the things are within walking distance. You do not need to get into your car."
Malick and Clumpner say in many cases, building parking can be almost as expensive as building housing. Because Malick does not have to build underground parking or have land for a parking lot, he can keep his price point down for the apartments.
A one-bedroom apartment in "The Parkline" will cost anywhere from $2,500 to $3,000 per month.
"What I’ve found is that people need a home, and they're willing to move into neighborhoods, which have a great lifestyle — and usually they're choosing the lifestyle over a parking space. And North Park has a great lifestyle," Malick said.
He also believes that San Diego will continue to invest in its public transit when more people use the system.
