SANDAG gives San Diego $4.8M to bring more housing to region

The City of San Diego was awarded $4.8 million from SANDAG through the Housing Acceleration Program to address the region's need for more housing.

“Anybody can make promises about where the money is going to go but to see it being implemented in the planning phase makes me believe and makes me hopeful that we are going to see some changes here soon,” Realtor Kristina Buckner said.

$4.8M in funding will go towards these 5 initiatives:

$2.5 million capital grant for an affordable homes Development Impact Fee assistance pilot program: The city said this pilot program will provide funding, in the form of fee waivers or fee reductions, for the payment of Development Impact Fees for affordable homes within the city that meet certain criteria, such as proximity to public transit and access to high-quality jobs and other resources.

$650,000 for Affordable Home Development Master Plan: The city said this Master Plan will provide a comprehensive plan to utilize City-owned property to develop homes for people of all incomes in all communities that are best served by transit and amenities. It will reduce development costs and expedite home construction on public land, as well as identify potential shelter sites to address the urgent need for increased shelter capacity for people experiencing homelessness.

Mid-City Communities Plan Update: The city said $650,000 is for a Communities Plan Update that will serve as the long-range vision for land use, mobility, urban design, public facilities and services, natural resources, historic and cultural resources, and economic development for the Mid-City Communities. The plan will include a vision for the development of pedestrian-focused areas to support opportunities for homes and mixed-use development connected to residential areas, public spaces and transit.

$500,000 for Inclusive Public Engagement Guide: The city said this guide will create a framework to assure inclusive community participation on City plans, policies, projects and initiatives, particularly for people who have historically experienced barriers to public participation. It will serve as the foundation for a meaningful public engagement program that provides guidelines for how City decisions consider input from community members representative of the population’s demographics.

$500,000 for Missing Middle Housing Design: The city said Missing Middle Homes are townhomes, rowhomes, triplexes, fourplexes and small-scale multiple-home buildings that are built to the same scale as surrounding traditional single homes. This funding will help the City prepare Missing Middle Home design guidelines to provide sample plans, layouts and designs that could be incorporated into the development of these homes. These standardized plans are intended to reduce housing development costs and simplify production and review processes, as well as promote the construction of new homes near public transit.

“I think that'll help. Anything that adds to the housing supply right now is going to help. 4.8 million is not a lot of money, given the seriousness of the problem, but at this point, anything will make at least a little bit of a contribution. It might help some people then in terms of being able to get into the housing market,” University of San Diego Economics Professor Alan Gin said.