The San Diego County Board of Supervisors and San Diego City Council Monday agreed unanimously on a resolution aligning the two bodies in plans to construct 10,000 units of housing on government-owned land, use available funding for housing and explore residential density options.
"The resolution the county and city passed allows us to drive toward an ambitious goal of building more affordable housing in the region and puts us in alignment with how to achieve it," said Nathan Fletcher, chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. "This was another important step in strengthening our relationship with the city of San Diego. I hope the other 17 jurisdictions and numerous agencies see this as motivation to join us as we work to build 10,000 units of housing on government land by 2030."
The rare joint-summit at San Diego State University's Montezuma Hall was the first time the two bodies met since April 25, 2000. It featured presentations by a local affordable housing expert, a philanthropic organization and the San Diego Housing Commission detailing housing needs and potential solutions.
"Housing is a human right," said San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera. "The actions taken today by the City Council and the County Board of Supervisors are a step toward accelerating the production of affordable homes so all San Diegans can benefit from the foundation for opportunity that stable housing provides."
The resolution commits the county and city to:
— Support efforts to strengthen, streamline and address permitting and other barriers to accelerating housing production;
— Support efforts to build 10,000 affordable homes on government- owned land and maximize the community benefits on these properties, including alignment with transit lines, Climate Action Plan goals and ensuring that construction creates well-paying jobs;
— Support efforts to leverage public, private and other funds to accelerate affordable housing with urgency; and
— Support the exploration of the densification of properties owned by the San Diego Housing Commission or its nonprofit affiliate and further expand housing services.
More than 150 people attended the meeting, with more than 50 people speaking to the housing crisis.
Four of the five members of the Board of Supervisors and eight of nine city councilmembers voted in favor of the resolution. Supervisor Jim Desmond and Councilwoman Vivian Moreno were absent.
