Marking the success of a program aimed at bringing affordable homes to the market quickly, 27 projects totaling 2,834 homes have been issued permits since Mayor Todd Gloria introduced an executive order to expedite the permitting process. Signed on Jan. 11, 2023, the order requires all 100% income-restricted affordable housing projects be reviewed and processed in 30 days or fewer. City staff have succeeded in meeting and exceeding that goal since the program’s introduction, significantly impacting the housing market and helping to bring rental costs down.  

The 27 affordable housing projects are located throughout San Diego, with developments in eight of the nine City Council districts, as showcased on a new, interactive website.

“By streamlining the permitting process, we are making it easier to bring affordable homes to market, and we’re doing it faster,” Mayor Todd Gloria said. “These 27 projects totaling more than 2,800 homes are just the beginning. We will continue to push for innovative solutions to ensure every San Diegan has a roof over their head at a price they can afford.” 

The City’s Development Services Department (DSD) has successfully managed the fast-tracking of these affordable homes. Their Affordable Housing Permit Now program incentivizes these projects and ensures they’re thoroughly reviewed and permitted as quickly as possible. This streamlined, enhanced customer service has had a direct impact on housing in San Diego. These improvements helped make 2023 a significant year for housing, with 9,700 new homes permitted, an 82% increase over the prior year and the highest number of permits since at least 2005. 

“The work our team has put into these programs and the results that came from that have been a highpoint for DSD over the last year,” said Keely Halsey, Assistant Director of the Development Services Department. “Finding opportunities to change for the better is something our department takes pride in. We’ll continue to refine and grow to support the Mayor’s direction and to address housing needs throughout San Diego.”  

The City Planning Department’s Annual Report on Homes shows that, in 2023, the number of income-restricted homes in San Diego quadrupled and 42% of those were processed via the Mayor’s executive order. Not only did the City meet the 30-day requirement; it averaged a processing time of only seven days. The program has garnered positive feedback from both builders and tenants and represents just one aspect of the Mayor’s plans to address the city’s housing crisis.   

“The new executive order permit process has been very successful, allowing affordable housing developers to permit projects in less than half of the time that it would have taken without an expedited process,” said Julie Hattler, Director of Development with Wakeland Housing and Development. “We had three projects in the executive order permit process at the same time, each of which were uniquely complicated projects. All of them were permitted on or ahead of schedule, which speaks to the success of this new process and the dedication of the City of San Diego staff to get affordable housing built as quickly as possible.” 

On Jan.10, 2024, Mayor Gloria signed a second executive order on housing, Executive Order 2024-01. This resulted in Complete Communities Now, a program that applies expedited permitting to housing developments near public transit. Since its launch in March 2024, 10 projects totaling 625 homes have been approved, ensuring continued progress on both housing and climate goals.