This week, the City of San Diego released the second draft of Blueprint SD, which helps guide where more new homes and jobs near transit, parks and services should be located. San Diegans are encouraged to review and provide their feedback on the plan. Blueprint SD updates and creates new policies in the City’s General Plan, which serves as the City’s guiding framework for community plan updates and the long-term future growth and development of the City.

“These updates are part of our sustained effort to ensure our community plans support our goals of building more housing and improving our neighborhoods now and into the future," Mayor Todd Gloria said. “They underscore our commitment to walkable communities served by transit to give people more transportation options and help us meet our climate goals.”  

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau show the majority of San Diegans currently drive alone in vehicles to get around and that vehicle traffic contributes to more than half of the harmful greenhouse gas emissions in the city. The new proposed General Plan policies focus on reducing those emissions in the future by creating opportunities for more homes to be built closer to jobs, schools and other daily needs and to encourage new development near public transit.

It takes into consideration recent housing needs, the City’s Climate Action Plan goals and the San Diego Association of Governments’ new vision for the region’s transportation system, also known as the 5 Big Moves.  

Blueprint SD will also add the potential capacity for hundreds of thousands of new homes, which will be added through community plan updates based on community needs and feedback from the public.

Along with Blueprint SD, the City has also released the second drafts of the University Community Plan Update and the Hillcrest Focused Plan Amendment, as well as a draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for public comment. The draft EIR analyzes the environmental impacts that could occur if the plans are implemented.

The University Community Plan Update will provide guidance for how the community will be planned over the next 20 to 30 years, taking into consideration land use, mobility, infrastructure, urban design, public facilities and services, natural resources, historic and cultural resources, and economic development.  

The Hillcrest Focused Plan Amendment, also known as Plan Hillcrest, is an amendment to the Uptown Community Plan, which was adopted in 2016. It will address place-making, connectivity, housing and the neighborhood’s unique identity to ensure Hillcrest remains a thriving community in the future. It also celebrates the neighborhood’s unique LGBTQ+ history and culture.

The University Community Plan and Hillcrest Focused Plan Amendment will be the City’s first community plans to implement the land use strategies identified in Blueprint SD. By providing an updated citywide framework for growth and a streamlined environmental review process, neighborhood-level planning efforts through future community plan updates can better align with the City’s climate goals. This means future community plan updates could potentially be completed within two to three years, versus four to five years. Ultimately, Blueprint SD will help communities be more keyed in on shaping their futures through community plan updates.

“In order to plan for a sustainable future and ensure we are doing our part to curb greenhouse gas emissions, we must have a strategy to grow our City – with new homes and good jobs – in a way that allows for successful investments in walking, biking and transit,” said City Planning Director Heidi Vonblum. “Blueprint SD will ensure we achieve just that – thriving communities with easy access to schools, jobs, parks, shopping and services – while making sure the City is doing its part to address the climate crisis.”

San Diegans will have until the end of April 2024 to comment on the draft plans and the EIR. Once input is received, the City Planning Department will incorporate feedback into the final plans. Those final plans will go through the public hearing process, where community members will have additional opportunities to provide feedback. They will ultimately be presented to the City Council for adoption later this summer.

San Diegans can learn more about these plans and comment by visiting the Blueprint SD webpage, the University Community Plan Update webpage and the Hillcrest Focused Amendment webpage.