How ‘Modular' Apartment Complexes Like This One Built in Stockton Can Help San Diego's Housing Crisis

New construction happening in the Stockton neighborhood of San Diego could be one of the answers to help ease the city’s housing crisis.

A 34-unit "modular," privately-funded apartment complex is under construction, and the developers say it took just three days to assemble.

"Using modular construction methods and building the units in a controlled environment, using the most efficient processes, we’re able to build at a lower cost, which then translates into a lower rent for our future renters,” explained Impact Housing’s Eduardo Santana.

The privately funded apartments are billed as affordable for low and moderate-income earners. They’re expected to run $1,700 dollars a month for a 467-square-foot, one-bedroom unit and $2,500 for an 818-square-foot, three-bedroom unit.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria toured the project over the weekend.

“The mayor was impressed by the possibility of adding new housing fast through this innovative model. The expected rents in these non-subsidized units might not be affordable to all, but they're affordable to some — and they're lower than the going market rate for comparable apartments now.

The biggest factor driving up rents is the shortage of housing for those who need it. Adding to supply so that it's more in line with demand ultimately will bring prices down. Study after study bears this out.

Bonifacio Orea, who lives right across the street, called the apartments pretty and said he’d consider moving in.

With her toddler daughter in tow, North Park resident Alma Martinez said, “If I was in a different situation looking to establish myself in San Diego, more like, to be more comfortable, potentially, Yeah. It’s a possibility.”

The developers say their intention is to build new housing that looks and feels like class-A luxury that attracts people like nurses, teachers and city employees.

Though the units have been assembled, the exterior needs finishing, and electricity and plumbing still need to be connected.

From start to finish, the entire 34-unit apartment complex will take about eight months to complete. That's less time than the 17 months the US Census Bureau says it typically takes to build an apartment with 20 or more units.

Impact housing is planning on building more modular housing in North Park, the College Area and Barrio Logan.

In all, their projects will add more than 1,300 units to the city landscape and they’re hoping to build more.