Not All of San Diego's Inclusionary Zoning Funds Going to Affordable Housing

Lisa Halverstadt reports that San Diego's inclusionary zoning program isn't paying as much to build affordable housing as advertised.

A Voice of San Diego analysis reveals nearly a quarter of the roughly $85 million in inclusionary funds doled out by city housing officials over the last 15 years have supported programs to aid first-time homebuyers and homeless San Diegans, or covered administrative costs at the San Diego Housing Commission, rather than simply bankroll the housing the policy aims to deliver.

The news comes as the city prepares to rework its inclusionary zoning policy in response to a new state law that allows steeper inclusionary zoning mandates. "City Council Democrats and labor leaders want to rework the policy to force more affordable housing production in market-rate projects, limit instances where developers can opt to pay fees and increase charges for builders who decide to pay," according to Halverstadt.

The article includes a lot more detail about the kind of projects that have been funded by the city's inclusionary zoning program, how that spending falls short of the expectations of experts and advocates who helped create the program, and how city officials defend the spending.