Mayor Todd Gloria is doubling down on his commitment to tackling San Diego's housing crisis with the signing of a bold new Housing Action Package (HAP 2.0), aiming to put more affordable roofs over the heads of low- and middle-income residents in the sunny California city. According to the official announcement, the package, which sailed through City Council approval last December, enables easier construction of new homes and ensures the city's most vulnerable citizens, including the homeless, seniors, and those with disabilities, are not left in the lurch.
With an unblinking eye on the future, Gloria pronounced his intentions at the signing, declaring "All our efforts to build more homes are about making sure we have enough supply to drive down the cost of housing so we can put people’s hard-earned dollars back in their pockets," adding, "HAP 2.0 is a part of that, and today's signing sets on a path to make 2024 a banner year for housing in San Diego." The action package is rife with reforms - among these, incentives to create single-room-occupancy homes specifically catered to very-low-income individuals, providing them not just a place to stay but a community to belong to; meanwhile, college students grappling with housing insecurity could find some relief with the allowance of dorm-style abodes near their campuses and transit routes.
Moreover, amendments to the city's Land Development Code contained within HAP 2.0 bolster the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) — essentially mini-homes on the same plots as single-family residences — this new provision is expressly designed for ease of access by those with disabilities. Gloria's plan doesn't stop there, it also works to reduce the imprint of harmful land use by transitioning away from activities such as auto wrecking in areas rezoned for residential purposes, in turn breathing new life into communities currently stifled by toxic pollution.
By harnessing the underutilized land owned by public agencies, the plan envisions new homes burgeoning from areas previously marked as commercial or merely grass and concrete; this includes the transformation of stale strip malls and empty lots, all conveniently situated near public transit hubs. And with the stroke of the mayor's pen, San Diego's builders gain newfound latitude in how many parking spaces they can, or rather, need to erect, thanks to the adaptation of Assembly Bill 2097 a move expected to streamline urban development and enhance the quality of life for San Diegans across the economic spectrum.
Mayor Gloria's housing crusade began with his first package in 2022, and now with HAP 2.0, there is a renewed sense of hope for the city's families, seniors, and people with disabilities. Residences near good schools, job prospects, and unpolluted environments are no longer a mere dream for the average San Diegan — they are a vision rapidly materializing into concrete reality, thanks to measures like the one Mayor Gloria champions.
