A plan to build a new affordable housing complex in Pacific Beach is moving forward, but not without some pushback over how the project will exceed long-standing height restrictions aimed at preventing buildings from blocking views of the coast.
The San Diego City Council approved a $4 million loan for a new project late last month. The total cost of the project, known as Rose Creek Village, is expected to be around $40.5 million.
The development will be five stories and include 59 studios labeled affordable and 18 permanent supportive housing units, according to a staff report. The building’s height will exceed the 30-foot height limit on buildings in the coastal zone.
The proposal is set to move forward after the city council voted 6-2, with councilmembers Joe LaCava and Raul Campillo opposing the plan for exceeding height restrictions. Both members showed support for affordable housing projects but expressed skepticism that this specific project is the right choice. The site for the project is 2662 Garnet Ave., near Mission Bay Drive.
LaCava called the new proposal a “bait-and-switch,” because of claims by the community planning group that an initial proposal described a three-story building that would meet the height requirement.
However, a representative for the San Diego Community Housing Corp., which is developing the project, pushed back against that assertion, saying that even though a three-story building was considered, that wasn’t where the project landed. The representatives for the developer argued that a three-story building would not maximize the construction potential of the site, which would increase the cost-per-unit of construction.
Many residents also expressed concern over the potential height of construction and increased traffic caused by the development. However, several council members, representatives of the San Diego Economic Development Department and members of the community, highlighted the importance of genuinely affordable housing. The San Diego market has grown aggressively, with the median single family house price rising by almost 11% in the last year to about $1.04 million, according to data from the California Association of Realtors.
City economic development staffers highlighted some of the criteria the project met to be selected, including the site’s proximity to public transportation, the availability of resources in the area and its potential for nearby employment of residents.
In other news, the council:
- Unanimously approved a second loan agreement for an affordable housing project in Clairemont Mesa to Terrasini CIC, LP for $875,000. The project is set to serve residents making between 30% and 60% of area median income and will set aside units for seniors.
This brief came from notes taken by Alex Blood, a San Diego Documenter, at a San Diego City Council meeting last month. The Documenters program trains and pays community members to document what happens at public meetings. Read more about the program here.
Type of Content
Meeting Brief: An account of a public government proceeding, written and edited by the San Diego Documenters.
