San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria on Wednesday announced a new planning initiative that seeks to open up the city's single-family neighborhoods to lower-cost housing options like duplexes and townhomes.
Roughly 80% of San Diego's land that is zoned for housing is restricted to single-family homes, which are often the most expensive type of housing on the market. Gloria said those neighborhoods are highly desirable — and out of reach for many first-time homebuyers.
"We must create more opportunities for residents who are stuck between the rising cost of single-family homes and the limited options in today's market," Gloria said. "'Neighborhood Homes For All of Us' gives us a chance to do just that."
The announcement contained few details, though Gloria suggested the effort could be focused on high-resource neighborhoods that are near jobs and public transportation. He said the program would be shaped by workshops, focus groups, surveys and an economic feasibility study that would identify barriers to developing smaller-scale homes.
Gloria's announcement took place at 3Roots, a development in Mira Mesa that includes a mix of apartments, townhomes and detached houses. It was built on a former rock quarry — the kind of large open space that's increasingly scarce in San Diego.
City Council President Joe LaCava, who attended Gloria's press conference Wednesday, said duplexes and townhomes can easily blend in with San Diego's established neighborhoods.
"When we talk about 'gentle density,' that's not a marketing spin," LaCava said. "If you drive through our older neighborhoods, you see this every place. … It doesn't fit everyone, but it's part of San Diego's tradition that we're talking about here — good ideas of the past that we're trying to bring forward to make new things happen."
The San Diego City Planning Department proposed a similar initiative in 2023, but withdrew it amid fierce opposition from homeowner groups. That proposal would have made use of SB 10, a state law that allows cities to rezone properties within established neighborhoods for up to 10 homes without going through the state's strict environmental laws.
Another state law, SB 9, allows property owners to build duplexes on single-family zoned lots, and in some cases to split those lots into two parcels with a duplex allowed on each one.
Gloria suggested the "Homes For All of Us" initiative could include reducing or eliminating minimum lot sizes, which require property owners to hold a certain acreage of land before they can build a home. San Diego requires a minimum of 5,000 square feet for most single-family lots.
A study released in May by real estate consulting firm London Moeder Advisors found reducing minimum lot sizes in San Diego could create housing that is 42% cheaper than a typical single-family home. It also found such reforms could increase property tax revenues for the city.
Still, Gloria stressed that the precise reforms have not yet been developed and would materialize only after engaging with residents and building professionals.
"We're inviting San Diegans into this process from the very beginning to help us determine what neighborhood homes should look like and how they should best fit into the communities where they are built," Gloria said. "Your feedback will shape the real design concepts, and ultimately the regulations that will make these homes possible."
