FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 14, 2022

CONTACT: MayorPress@sandiego.gov

DOWNLOAD FOOTAGE OF SIGNING

SAN DIEGO As part of his commitment to build more homes that San Diegans can actually afford, Mayor Todd Gloria announced today that he has signed the first piece of his Homes for All of Us initiative, which seeks to address the housing crisis by making it easier to create new homes throughout the city.

The ordinance, approved by the City Council on Feb. 8, is the first Housing Action Package under Homes For All of Us. A second Housing Action Package will be presented to the City Council later this year.

This is a major step forward in San Diegos response to the housing-affordability crisis, Mayor Todd Gloria said. Signing this ordinance paves the way for the City and home builders to work together to create more homes that San Diegans can actually afford, as well as keep our homelessness crisis from getting worse.

City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera and Councilmember Joe LaCava joined the Mayor at the signing, which took place at City Hall.

Housing is a human right. Homes for All of Us will provide more homes the people of San Diego can afford, said Council President Elo-Rivera, who represents District 9. Equally important, these new rules will provide more families the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of living in high-opportunity neighborhoods.

Delivering housing at prices that San Diegans can afford is critical and complicated. The Housing Action Package gives us more tools to deliver more housing to more San Diegans, said Councilmember LaCava, who represents District 1. Breaking down silos by opening city-owned properties and employment centers to new housing will help us scale up development, resulting in more affordable and sustainable housing in more communities.

City Councilmember Vivian Moreno also celebrated the signing.

As the chair of the City Councils Land Use and Housing Committee, I have made it a priority to provide housing opportunities for all our residents, said Councilmember Moreno, who represents District 8. While struggling San Diegans are priced out of the housing market, the Homes For All of Us housing package contains critical updates to our city regulations that will allow more housing to be built for people of all income levels. This is critical because we need to make sure that people like teachers, nurses, firefighters, police officers, librarians and many others have access to housing across every community in our city.

The reforms in the ordinance signed today include:

• Senate Bill 9 implementation: Implements the state law allowing the split of a single-family lot into two lots and permitting up to two new homes on each lot. The Citys implementation is aimed at preserving neighborhood quality while providing more opportunities for affordable housing in all communities.
• Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance amendments: Amends the Citys existing ADU ordinance to make it consistent with SB 9 on privacy, landscaping and development impact fees.
• Housing at City facilities: Streamlines the process for building affordable and middle-income homes on City-owned sites.
• Affordable housing in all communities: Encourages affordable housing construction in communities with little to no affordable housing. To meet the Citys climate and equity goals, the homes must be built near transit and in high resource areas areas close to good-paying jobs that have low levels of air and water pollution and a high educational achievement.
• Employee Housing Incentive Program: Provides incentives for non-residential developments to pay into a San Diego Housing Commission fund that will be used to develop affordable homes.
• Live/work flexibility: Currently, the City allows for the development of live/work units that function as both a home and place of business. This proposal would further facilitate the production of live/work units to allow for more work-from-home and telework opportunities.
• Housing Accessibility Program: Provides incentives to include more accessible housing for people with disabilities, with adequate space in kitchens and bathrooms and accessible routes throughout the building. As San Diegos population ages, creating accessible homes is an important way to ensure more residents can remain and live independently in San Diego.
• Housing for families: Provides incentives for multifamily housing developments to build homes with three or more bedrooms to ensure that families of all sizes have opportunities for housing.

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