San Diego County poised to surpass state housing goals, new report shows

Apartment construction in San Diego Photo by Chris Stone Times of San Diego San Diego County is well on its way to meeting state-mandated goals for housing advance and could easily exceed the benchmark according to a record presented Wednesday to the county Board of Supervisors The county Board of Supervisors Wednesday voted unanimously to formally accept a assessment that its vice chair reported shows progress on more housing advance According to Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer s office the new facts shows that of the state-mandated housing goal has already been met just four years into the eight-year cycle The county s General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Assessment unveiled that housing units had received permits toward a goal of units along with 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 homes by 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 statement also pointed to a increase in affordable housing progress with fivefold enhancement in county-funded affordable housing production since and the county significantly accelerating approvals over the past four years Lawson-Remer s office disclosed The need for more affordable housing has been a major issue with San Diego elected leaders in new years with reports showing the median price of a home in the county being more than 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 expansion process including a -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 information for accessory dwelling units lot splits and small-site enhancement Lawson-Remer who is acting board chair announced 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 mentioned after the board gave its blessing to the account 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 Progress Services revealed 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 new homes were ready in the unincorporated area last year Other factors impacting housing advancement include interest rates litigation material and labor costs fire risks and the current COVID- pandemic county staff members communicated supervisors A state law involving the number of bicycle miles traveled and housing projects in the Before voting Supervisor Jim Desmond stated he appreciates the description but feels like this year is pretty much a mixed bag We haven t really made any progress he noted adding that prices are still driving people out of California We ve got to do better Desmond disclosed the county requirements more single-family homes and should incentivize projects in the unincorporated areas Lawson-Remer declared she is concerned about the county falling short on moderate- to very low-income housing and wants to unlock enhancement for those projects Citing San Diego Unified School District s plan to develop housing for teachers and school staff Lawson-Remer revealed it was significant for the Board of Supervisors to think outside the box Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe disclosed that affordable housing is her priority and suggested that locality land trusts or philanthropic partnerships could be options for more expansion