• Little-known Nonprofit Could Help Solve San Diego Housing Shortage
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    Little-known Nonprofit Could Help Solve San Diego Housing Shortage

Little-known Nonprofit Could Help Solve San Diego Housing Shortage

A little-known local nonprofit hopes to play a key role in solving San Diego’s housing crisis with several new initiatives, including an aggressive proposal to accelerate construction of some low-income apartments. The Local Initiatives Support Corporation, which gives developers seed money to buy land for housing projects in low-income areas, is proposing to establish a $50 million regional housing affordability fund to make construction of such housing cheaper and faster. LISC also plans to accelerate construction of granny flats in San Diego by funding pre-approved architectural plans that would allow people to bypass the often lengthy design and approval phases.

By |2018-02-16T19:34:09+00:00October 2nd, 2017|In the News|0 Comments
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  • How San Diego Can Chip Away at Its Housing Deficit
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    How San Diego Can Chip Away at Its Housing Deficit

How San Diego Can Chip Away at Its Housing Deficit

Lori Holt Pfeiler and Dan Silver on Jan 30, 2017 — San Diego is in the middle of a major housing crisis, but so far we’ve failed to address it. Voice of San Diego has covered some of the big housing failures: Poway’s rejection of affordable homes for veterans, Encinitas’ unwillingness to do its fair share in meeting state housing goals and development proposals that promote urban sprawl. Commentary - in-story logoBut one of the biggest factors holding San Diego up is its inability to first come to terms with the region’s housing need. Post-recession, San Diego County now faces a deficit of 60,000 units, with low- and middle-income housing hardest hit. We should be building 14,000 units every year to meet demand and even more to make up the deficit.

By |2018-02-16T19:41:54+00:00January 31st, 2017|In the News|0 Comments
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  • The Lesson of 2016: No One Wants New Housing – Anywhere
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    The Lesson of 2016: No One Wants New Housing – Anywhere

The Lesson of 2016: No One Wants New Housing – Anywhere

The rejection of Measure T in Encinitas and Measure B countywide sent a message that many county residents simply aren’t open to new development – whether it happens in established metro areas, or in rural spaces. The failure of two measures in November tells us a lot about why the county isn’t making headway in dealing with the region’s housing crisis. The rejection of Measure T in Encinitas and Measure B countywide sent a message that many county residents simply aren’t open to new development – whether it happens in established metro areas, or in rural spaces. The fact that the proposals even went to the ballot drives home the paralysis elected officials face when it comes to building more housing.

By |2018-02-16T19:43:29+00:00December 28th, 2016|In the News|0 Comments
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  • California Today: Housing Fight Hits San Diego – New York Times
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    California Today: Housing Fight Hits San Diego – New York Times

California Today: Housing Fight Hits San Diego – New York Times

The fight for more housing has a new war room in San Diego. Increasingly, even well-off professionals are finding they can no longer afford to live in the San Diego area. In October, the county’s median home price was the highest in a decade — $507,500 — according to CoreLogic, a data analysis company. Part of the problem, housing experts say, is simply a shortage of units that is driving demand. As the number of San Diegans has risen, new housing construction has failed to keep pace. And one reason for the lack of construction? The residents of San Diego. In many cases, housing proposals fail because residents pressure officials to reject them on the grounds that they would spoil neighborhood character.

By |2018-02-16T19:47:20+00:00December 14th, 2016|In the News|0 Comments
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  • VOSD Podcast: The Council President Showdown
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    VOSD Podcast: The Council President Showdown

VOSD Podcast: The Council President Showdown

In this week’s podcast, Andrew Keatts and Scott Lewis talk about the vote-wrangling between Councilman David Alvarez and Councilwoman Myrtle Cole to become the next Council president. Also: A determined new coalition says it wants to solve the region’s affordable housing crisis. Three new San Diego City Council members will be inaugurated next week. The new Council’s first big decision will be a tense one: Who will be the next City Council president? In this week’s podcast, hosts Andrew Keatts and Scott Lewis talk about the behind-the-scenes vote wrangling between Councilman David Alvarez and Councilwoman Myrtle Cole to become the next leader and the interesting split it’s caused among two of the city’s most powerful progressive institutions.

By |2018-02-16T19:48:59+00:00December 12th, 2016|In the News|0 Comments
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  • ‘Housing You Matters” aims to mediate growth debate
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    ‘Housing You Matters” aims to mediate growth debate

‘Housing You Matters” aims to mediate growth debate

A new coalition of builders, employers, environmentalists and community planners has launched a campaign to solve San Diego’s affordable-housing problem once and for all. Called “Housing You Matters,” the organization has raised tens of thousands of dollars to hire a staff and map out an ambitious agenda for 2017. “I would say it’s the year of reckoning,” said Borre Winckel, president and CEO of the Building Industry Association of San Diego County. “We can’t go on like this anymore.” The most recent evidence demonstrates the crisis that some observers believe San Diego is experiencing.

By |2018-02-16T19:50:41+00:00December 5th, 2016|In the News|0 Comments
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  • San Diego Housing Crisis Forges New ‘YIMBY’ Alliance
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    San Diego Housing Crisis Forges New ‘YIMBY’ Alliance

San Diego Housing Crisis Forges New ‘YIMBY’ Alliance

San Diego's housing crisis can be measured in many different ways: rising rents and home prices, low vacancy rates or the soaring number of people living on the streets. Few dispute that the reason behind the crisis is a restricted housing supply. Production of new housing hasn't come close to keeping up with the region's growing population.

By |2018-02-19T22:14:51+00:00November 22nd, 2016|In the News|0 Comments
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  • San Diego’s Housing Crisis Squeezing The Middle Class
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    San Diego’s Housing Crisis Squeezing The Middle Class

San Diego’s Housing Crisis Squeezing The Middle Class

Homeowners in San Diego County may not feel it, but a housing crisis is underway in the region, and the middle class is especially hard squeezed. Longtime Escondido resident Guy Chandler faced a situation that may be all too familiar to many San Diego families. He described what happened at a recent San Diego County Board of Supervisors' meeting. “Probably the worst day of my life was in June 2015,” Chandler said. “My daughter, Jenelle, 37 years old, came to me and told me, 'Dad, sit down. There's something you’re not going to like. We have to move out of San Diego County.'”

By |2018-02-19T22:18:15+00:00August 8th, 2016|In the News|0 Comments
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  • Uptown Owners: Trade Height for a Public Plaza
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    Uptown Owners: Trade Height for a Public Plaza

Uptown Owners: Trade Height for a Public Plaza

Uptown, where a new community plan is in the works, should carve out 11.6 acres in its Hillcrest core for special treatment, says a coalition of 14 property owners. They want to build residential towers as tall as 25 stories in exchange for creating a new central gathering space at Sixth Avenueand Robinson Street. “We [...]

By |2018-02-19T22:19:14+00:00August 7th, 2016|In the News|0 Comments
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