San Diego's downtown skyline could see transformative changes with the advancement of affordable housing plans and the redevelopment of its Civic Center. Yesterday, the vision for a reimagined six-block area around the San Diego Civic Center was presented, a project that is now gathering steam after key recommendations moved forward through the City Council's Land Use and Housing Committee (LU&H).
In their latest meeting, the LU&H committee took decisive steps by moving a redevelopment plan forward to the full City Council. The proposal aims to repurpose the public building at 101 Ash St. into nearly 250 affordable housing units. In addition, the committee has backed a move to offer developers the vacant City Operations Building at 1222 First Ave under the Surplus Lands Act, setting the stage for more potential affordable housing, the City of San Diego reports.
Responding to these developments, Mayor Todd Gloria expressed his gratitude towards the Prebys Foundation and the Downtown San Diego Partnership for their "passion for activating our Civic Center with new commerce and culture." He touted the proposals as critical milestones to revitalize the downtown community and make it "brighter, more vibrant, and more prosperous," according to the City of San Diego. Notably, these plans unfold against the backdrop of halted development on a new City Administration Building and Civic Center Plaza last December due to financial limitations.
