The majority of my Housing Action Package 2.0 was approved unanimously by the San Diego Planning Commission and will now head to the Land Use and Housing Committee then the full City Council for the final vote this fall.  

If approved, these pro-housing policy reforms will help put a sizeable dent in our housing crisis, which is separating families, contributing to homelessness and endangering our city’s economic future.  

The package of policies, dubbed HAP 2.0, will allow the construction of more new homes near transit; provide protections to existing residents; increase the supply of land available for new homes; and spur the building of different types of housing that San Diegans of all income levels can afford.  

Many proposals are focused on protecting San Diegans who need it most, including people experiencing homelessness, students and seniors.  

This Housing Action Package would add powerful new tools to the toolbox, including:  

• Affordable homes for those at risk of homelessness 
• Fighting for environmental justice in communities of concern 
• Addressing college student home insecurity 
• Preventing displacement and preserving existing affordable homes 
• Homes for seniors and people with disabilities 
• Putting all government land to good use 
• Turning empty strip malls and parking lots into homes 
• Flexibility in parking requirements 
• Building family homes in places with good schools and jobs 

While advancing this package of reforms, the Planning Commission did not advance Senate Bill 10, the state law passed in 2021 that allows for the development of townhomes, rowhomes, small-scale multiple-home buildings and other “missing middle” home types in transit-rich areas. 

I look forward to presenting the policies that did advance to the Land Use and Housing Committee on Sept. 21 and then the full City Council later this fall.  

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