'Homes for All of Us' Initiative Eases San Diego Building Restrictions

A city initiative dubbed "Homes for All of Us" takes aim at San Diego's housing crisis through the increasingly popular mechanism of upzoning. According to an article by Richard Allyn,

The reforms in the first part of the ordinance, which was approved by the City Council on Feb. 8, include allowing the split of a single-family lot into two lots, easing the parameters for granny flats and other accessory dwelling units, streamlining the process for building affordable and middle-income homes on city-owned property and encouraging affordable housing in neighborhoods with little to no such housing.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria called the initiative an important step toward boosting housing construction in the city. "Signing this ordinance paves the way for the city and home builders to work together to create more homes that San Diegans can actually afford, as well as keep our homelessness crisis from getting worse."

"The Housing Action Package gives us more tools to deliver more housing to more San Diegans. Breaking down silos by opening city-owned properties and employment centers to new housing will help us scale up development, resulting in more affordable and sustainable housing in more communities," said City Councilmember Joe LaCava. 

"Other reforms in the package include an Employee Housing Incentive Program, a Housing Accessibility Program and incentives for multifamily housing developments to build homes with three or more bedrooms to ensure that families of all sizes have opportunities for housing."