New apartments and townhouses are coming to Chula Vista. Here’s what to know

Chula Vista greenlit a development project to build apartments and townhouses along with formerly approved single-family homes in Otay Ranch.

The construction company in charge of the development, which was originally zoned to build 1,456 single-family homes, requested for approval to switch 287 of their units from single-family homes to townhomes and apartments. 

Maria Miller, planning director for real estate development company Baldwin and Sons, said in the zoning approval meeting that the company aims to cater to a wider range of incomes and lifestyles. 

“Our village needs to evolve from exclusively for-sale and mostly single-family homes to provide more diverse housing options that welcome everyone,” Miller said.

The rezoning received unanimous approval from Chula Vista City Council during its meeting last month.

The project will be developed between La Media Road and Magdalena Avenue, south of Birch Road. 

Councilmember Michael Inzunza said that the additional types of housing offered by Baldwin and Sons new plan will provide more affordable housing and be a potential tool in addressing homelessness.

“When we’re discussing homelessness – when we’re discussing people in despair – the number one problem, aside from providing mental health services and getting people to drug rehab, is building,” Inzunza said at last month’s meeting. 

Last year, Chula Vista identified 650 people who were homeless or living in emergency shelters or transitional housing in the city, according to its annual census to assess homelessness. 

Inzunza said that the southeastern part of Chula Vista has primarily built single-family homes over the past 15-20 years. He says recently Chula Vista has been “playing catch up” on low income housing and affordable apartments.

Sixty-four percent of the new Otay Ranch development will consist of single-family homes, 24% of the project will be townhomes and 9% will become apartment flats, according to Baldwin and Sons’ tentative plan. The remaining 3% of the new development has not yet been planned. 

According to Miller, the shift to build the apartments and townhomes looked to address housing needs of students attending nearby colleges including Southwestern College, nearby nursing schools and San Diego State University’s future plans to bring programs to the Millenia Library building.

Councilmember Carolina Chavez said she was concerned about the lack of community presence at the meetings considering the rezoning. 

A community outreach effort was made to residents living within 500 feet of the proposed development site, according to city staff. The staff member said that, due to ongoing development, there are a limited number of current residents and homeowners in the area. 

The rezoning approval did not add any additional housing units beyond what the development company already had planned. The new housing project will develop a total of 1,456 units across from Wolf Canyon Elementary School and Olympian High School. 

Councilmemeber Inzunza said that he was aware the new developments may cause additional traffic in the area, and that he is personally familiar with the area’s proximity to multiple schools. He said that despite this, he supports the rezoning and construction efforts. 

“These are necessary components for livability in a community like Chula Vista,” Inzunza said.