Mayor Todd Gloria said the work is just beginning after his housing plan passed San Diego's City Council Tuesday night. After he signs the legislation, he said the city will continue to encourage developers to build affordable housing in San Diego.
"That is an enormous challenge, but that work has been ongoing, and it'll be made easier by the passage of the housing action package," said Gloria.
Housing Action Package 2.0 passed
The Housing Action Package 2.0 (HAP 2.0) was rejected by the City Council in November. However, it passed overwhelmingly Tuesday. One sticking point last month involved giving incentives to developers who build affordable housing, but allowing that housing to be "offsite." The successful, amended package offered regulations for those offsite apartments. They must be within the same community planning area and city council district or within three miles of the development.
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Housing in San Diego
"The truth is that we have been in a housing affordability crisis for decades, and that's what informs my impatience when it comes to this issue. I know that our housing affordability crisis is the driving issue behind so many of the challenges that we face from making ends meet for working class people to our homelessness crisis," said Gloria.
Gloria explained change will not happen overnight, which is why he was eager to bring the package back to the council chambers as soon as possible. For families who need immediate housing support, the mayor's office points to an executive order requiring the City to review 100% of affordable housing permit applications in less than 30 days. There is also the Bridge to Home program, in which the City has invested $63.4 million into 16 affordable housing projects, according to the Mayor's office.
San Diego Housing Commission gets new CEO
The City Council also confirmed a new CEO of the San Diego Housing Commission. Lisa Jones said the city needs to build various kinds of housing, including affordable, middle income, workplace and family.
"People and neighbors experiencing homelessness is the biggest issue of our time for the city and frankly, across the nation," said Jones. "Unfortunately, often people that are in the greatest need have the least access to information and resources to know where to go, and these can be very hard systems to navigate. I want to bridge that gap."
A San Diego student hopes to stay in the city
For Nicole Lillie, the need for affordable housing is urgent. She supported HAP 2.0, in hopes that any increase in the inventory of affordable and middle income housing will allow her to continue living in San Diego after college graduation.
"I'm so certain of the work that I want to keep doing for my community and so certain that I want to stay here," said Lillie. "San Diego is my home now and I plan on making sure that it can continue to be."
