One Way to Create Affordable Housing
How to provide housing for moderate- and low-income individuals and families is a hotly debated issue throughout California. That’s true in San Diego’s communities, including Pacific Beach.
We strongly support a solution advanced by the San Diego Unified School District. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the SDUSD board is considering building apartments on surplus district property for moderate- and low-income employees.
The program aims to house up to 10% of employees within 10 years. About 50 families of low-income district employees already live in a Scripps Ranch development. In April, district officials approved an agreement with a developer to build 270 rent-restricted units and 57 units for seniors at a former City Heights elementary school campus.
A district consultant estimates that SDUSD could build 1,000 more units at five other vacant sites or housing administrative buildings. Employees who earn 60% of the area median income could qualify for a low-income apartment. In 2024 dollars, that translates to $63,900 for an individual or $121,250 for a family of four.
The consultant said tax credits, long-term bank mortgages and state and local funding could pay for the apartments at a per-unit cost of $710,00. Another financing mechanism, using a permanent loan, could reduce that to $430,000. The district would recruit developers to build the housing through joint-occupancy agreements, enabling it to maintain land ownership while collecting a share of the developer’s revenue.
This program won’t solve all the city’s housing needs. For one thing, it doesn’t allow for home ownership. However, a government agency, developers and community members are working together to solve a housing problem -- unlike a developer’s current proposal to build a 231-foot-high, 213-unit tower at 970 Turquoise Street in Pacific Beach. That plan calls for only 10 units reserved for moderate- and low-income owners.
Those 10 units enable the Los Angeles-based developers to use a loophole in state law to skip traffic, seismic, environmental and other surveys and San Diego City Council approval. The proposal also dodges the city’s 1972 Proposition D, which set a 30-foot- height limitation for buildings in the city’s coastal region.
Those are only a few reasons why Neighbors for a Better California strongly opposes this project. We advocate for more affordable housing based on responsible zoning and community planning that promotes sustainable growth while preserving and improving the quality of life for all residents.