2019

The myth of workforce housing: How sprawl developers exaggerate project affordability to gain approval without offering any actual affordability.

November 29, 2019December 7, 2019

Share post via this link: permalink. Why does it matter if developers exaggerate affordability? Because sprawl developers have convinced decision-makers that we should completely disregard the publicly developed, consensus-based road map to growth, based on a claim that their projects provide the much needed workforce housing that the county needs. […]

land use

Serious flaws in SANDAG’s Preliminary Regional Growth Forecast; was it manipulated or was it an error?

September 26, 2019December 5, 2019

Share post via this link: permalink. The lack of transparency and potential conflicts of interest in the development of SANDAGs latest regional growth forecast (RGF) has important implications to the future planning of the region. SANDAG’s committee to develop the Regional Growth Forecast spent almost a year developing a reasonably […]

affordability

Housing is only part of the affordability equation

June 15, 2019June 15, 2019

Missing in the conversation of whether or not regions should invest in transit is how land use and transportation costs are intrinsically linked. Housing burden is what we focus on in housing discussions when the topic of affordability comes into play. A household is considered burdened when they spend more […]

land use wildfire

Op-ed: Stop Dismissing Concerns About the Risks of New Homes in Wildfire Zones (unabridged)

June 9, 2019August 22, 20191 Comment

The framework of a home remains standing after the Lilac Fires engulfs a Fallbrook community. / Photo by Adriana Heldiz / Voice of San Diego. Our latest Op Ed in Voice of San Diego responds to the ongoing building industry narrative that downplays the risk of sprawl development in high […]

wildfire

Union Tribune touts industry talking points in editorial defending firetrap projects.

June 7, 2019June 13, 2019

Our latest Op Ed in Voice of San Diego received a lot of attention, so much so that the Union Tribune saw fit to publish an editorial the very next day defending the latest firetrap development being proposed in the County. The editorial, like much of what is provided by […]

tenant protections

California’s Renters Are In Crisis.

April 25, 2019April 26, 2019

Downtown San Diego, Photo courtesy of Tyrel Johnson Guest contributor, Ginger Hitzke, is a low-income housing developer who owns rental properties, yet still advocates for rent control and tenant protections. Despite polling that shows that Californians (including the 17 million renters) overwhelming support tenant protections, getting a bill passed has […]

land use zoning

SB50 Amendments and How it Will Affect Different Regions

April 25, 2019April 25, 2019

This flow chart captures the amendments made in Committee on April 24. Click here to view larger image. Image courtesy of Alfred Twu at firstcultural.com. A more detailed recap from the Finance Committee staff (with annotations) is below. SB50 passes another hurdle and incorporates elements of SB4 (McGuire’s housing bill), […]

land use zoning

SB50 Passes Finance Committee – With Amendments

April 24, 2019April 24, 20191 Comment

Photo courtesy of Joe Wolf SB50 passes another hurdle and incorporates elements of SB4 (McGuire’s housing bill), which will pretty much disappear. For more on SB50 and how it will affect San Diego County, click here. There will likely be more hearings before the bill gets voted on by the […]

zoning

American Planning Association, California Chapter Opposes SB50

April 16, 2019April 16, 2019

East Village, City of San Diego In a letter sent out to members of their California Chapter, the American Planning Association lays out why, in its current form, the APA has “substantive, not technical or procedural” concerns with the legislation. The letter summarizes the discussion from a conference call with […]

politics

SB50: What are “jobs-rich” areas and where would it apply in San Diego?

April 5, 2019April 5, 2019

Oceanside, corner of Tremont & Civic Center (transit-rich neighborhood), Photo Courtesy of Joe Wolf SB50 has been in the news quite a bit lately. This bill, put forth by Senator Weiner of San Francisco, effectively removes restrictions to development in targeted areas across the state, regardless of the underlying zoning […]