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Board approves two DDAs to build affordable senior and family housing on county land
Summary
Supervisors unanimously authorized disposition and development agreements for two county-owned sites — a 36-unit senior development with child care in Escondido and a roughly 90-unit senior project on University Avenue — to be ground‑leased or conveyed for affordable housing.
The Board of Supervisors on May 7 authorized disposition and development agreements (DDAs) for two county-owned parcels to be developed as affordable housing, approving the actions unanimously.
County staff and development partners presented details for two projects. On the District 5 site at 620 East Valley Parkway in Escondido, the San Diego Community Housing Corporation and National Community Renaissance proposed a 36-unit senior development (12 units for formerly homeless low-income veterans and 22 for low-income seniors), with two on-site staff units and a 5,800-square-foot child care center that the developers said they are working to make available at no cost to Escondido residents. The board packet noted the project aims for LEED silver-equivalent standards and on-site solar; the developer said they have received project-based vouchers and are pursuing gap financing.
On the District 4 site at 5202 University Avenue, the San Diego Housing Commission submitted a plan to develop roughly 90 senior units on the county parcel, coordinated with a densification and rehabilitation on an adjacent housing commission property that would together provide about 140 affordable homes for seniors and families. Staff described the disposition terms as a nominal sale with deed restrictions preserving affordability in perpetuity and a 99-year ground lease for one site at $1 per year, with construction estimated to start in 2028 after entitlements and financing are secured.
Developers lauded the county’s surplus land program and staff’s process. John Seymour of National Community Renaissance and Ted Miyahara of San Diego Community Housing Corporation said the site co-location with child care aligns with county childcare objectives and highlighted past experience building co-located child care in North County.
The board found the proposals exempt from CEQA, authorized execution of the DDAs and related ground-lease or conveyance steps, and voted to approve the actions unanimously.
