San Diego County is well on its way to meeting state-mandated goals for housing development, and could easily exceed the benchmark, according to a report presented Wednesday to the county Board of Supervisors.
The county Board of Supervisors Wednesday voted unanimously to formally accept a report that its vice chair said shows progress on more housing development.
According to Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer’s office, the new data shows that 84% of the state-mandated housing goal has already been met, “just four years into the eight-year cycle.”
The county’s 2024 General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Report found that 5,645 housing units had received permits toward a goal of 6,700 units, along with 4,500 additional homes “moving through the pipeline,” according to Lawson-Remer’s office.
At the current pace, “the county is projected to exceed its housing goal by more than 4,500 homes by 2029, a milestone that could mean thousands more families, young people and essential workers can afford to stay in San Diego County,” according to the supervisor’s office.
The report also pointed to a 500% increase in affordable housing development, with “fivefold growth in county-funded affordable housing production since 2021,” and the county “significantly (accelerating) approvals over the past four years,” Lawson-Remer’s office said.
The need for more affordable housing has been a major issue with San Diego elected leaders in recent years, with reports showing the median price of a home in the county being more than $900,000, and concerns that younger workers have to find a place to live in Riverside County or elsewhere.
According to Lawson-Remer’s office, the county has instituted various policies to streamline the housing development process, including:
a 30-day guaranteed review of plans for affordable, workforce and smart-growth projects a new checklist to ensure that affordable projects on “housing element sites” can move forward without delay expanding resources for accessory dwelling units, lot splits, and small-site developmentLawson-Remer, who is acting board chair, said the county has not only met its goals, but is “on track to beat them.”
“That’s thousands more families who can stay in the region they love,” she said after the board gave its blessing to the report. “More teachers, nurses and first responders who can live near the people they serve, and fewer San Diegans pushed out by rising rents.”
During a staff presentation at Wednesday’s board meeting, Rami Talleh of county Planning and Development Services said that while the county is doing better in getting more housing built, “we still have work to do to meet our goal for low-income housing.”
According to the presentation, 954 new homes were ready in the unincorporated area last year. Other factors impacting housing development include interest rates, litigation, material and labor costs, fire risks and the recent COVID-19 pandemic, county staff members told supervisors.
A state law involving the number of vehicle miles traveled and housing projects in the Before voting, Supervisor Jim Desmond said he appreciates the report, but feels like this year is “pretty much a mixed bag.”
“We haven’t really made any progress,” he said, adding that prices are still driving people out of California. “We’ve got to do better.”
Desmond said the county needs more single-family homes, and should incentivize projects in the unincorporated areas.
Lawson-Remer said she is concerned about the county falling short on moderate- to very low-income housing, and wants to unlock development for those projects.
Citing San Diego Unified School District’s plan to develop housing for teachers and school staff, Lawson-Remer said it was important for the Board of Supervisors to “think outside the box.”
Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe said that affordable housing is her priority, and suggested that community land trusts or philanthropic partnerships could be options for more development.
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