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San Diego leaders celebrate housing surge and highlight Midway Rising plan while urging more resources
Summary
City leaders on Oct. 7 praised a reported surge in housing construction — the largest since 2004, officials said — pointed to permit reforms that speed affordable projects and flagged the Midway Rising plan that could add more than 4,000 homes, while urging additional resources for homelessness prevention.
City officials and community advocates on Oct. 7 marked what they described as a major uptick in housing construction in San Diego, while urging more money and continued regulatory reforms to sustain the momentum.
At a morning event ahead of the City Council session, a presenter and housing advocates pointed to data in a local housing report and to examples of projects moving through the pipeline. "Our city's housing policies are working," housing advocate Ian Grooms said, noting projects in Claremont where 325 affordable homes are under construction and where a lot conversion produced 200 new homes. Grooms identified himself as a Claremont resident and former vice chair of the Claremont Community Planning Group.
Grooms and others credited recent permit and policy changes with accelerating development. He said some 100% affordable projects have seen "nine-day turnarounds" in permitting — an example cited to illustrate faster reviews for fully affordable developments.
Mayor Todd Gloria, in closing remarks, reiterated the city's progress and identified near-term gains: he said the city would hold three grand openings in the coming weeks totaling "more than 550 new affordable homes." He also highlighted the Midway Rising project, saying that, if adopted and completed, it would add "more than 4,000 new homes" at the current Sports Arena site, roughly half of which he said would be deed-restricted affordable housing. Those comments were made by the mayor on the dais and reported here as his characterization of the project and its potential scale.
Advocates and officials framed the progress as a reason to celebrate while underscoring continued needs. Grooms and other speakers urged more resources for homelessness prevention, more community plan updates and continued improvements to permitting to sustain construction of affordable units.
What happens next: the Midway Rising project will go through planning and council review; speakers said council consideration is expected later in the approval process. City staff and developers will continue permitting and construction on the projects mentioned.
(Reporting based on remarks and presentations at the Oct. 7 San Diego City Council meeting.)
