San Diego planners have signed off on the Collection at Cactus, a nearly 1,000-unit housing project on about 38.8 acres in Otay Mesa, roughly a mile north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The mixed development will pair for-sale townhouses with rental buildings and a central public park, setting up a major new residential hub for the South Bay.
City environmental filings show the project would place 985 multifamily units on a 38.8-acre parcel at Airway Road and Cactus Road and set aside roughly 3.5 acres for a public park. The documents also call for about 20,949 square feet of leasing and amenity space and describe off-site sewer, water and roadway work needed to serve the site, according to CEQAnet.
Neighborhood planning materials show the development would be built across four planning areas with a block-by-block allocation, 139 units in PA-10, 324 in PA-11, 348 in PA-12, and 174 in PA-13, for a total of 985 units. Local meeting records and project filings also list deed-restricted affordable units in the mix, with neighborhood materials identifying 83 such units; the project would preserve drainage areas and coordinate construction around State Route 905. City of San Diego materials provide the detailed breakdown.
Developer Timeline and Amenities
In an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune, JPI development manager Jason Shepard said construction will likely start at least a year from now and that a five to 10-year buildout is possible. Shepard and project materials describe resident amenities including pools, coworking space, gyms, clubhouses, outdoor kitchens, bicycle storage and electric vehicle parking, and the paper reports the plan would include 313 for sale townhouses and 672 rental units. The San Diego Union-Tribune has more on the developer's comments.
Where It Sits and Transit
The Collection at Cactus sits at the northeast corner of Airway Road and Cactus Road, directly south of State Route 905 and about a mile north of the international border, according to city filings. The site is also within walking distance of frequent bus service, with MTS route 905 stopping along Otay Mesa Road and Cactus Road, and published route maps and schedules show direct connections to the Iris Avenue and Otay Mesa transit centers. Moovit shows the transit links.
What It Means for Otay Mesa
Planners approved the project at a recent hearing, and the decision lands amid a flurry of nearby housing activity, as the neighborhood has seen several new projects in recent years, including a 350-unit complex and multiple townhome developments that are reshaping the local housing stock. Local officials and developers say the site's proximity to cross-border trade facilities and regional employers is a major factor behind the scale of the proposal, per The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Next steps include final permits and utility work; project documents show the development would require new water and sewer mains in the Cactus Road right-of-way and laterals along Otay Mesa Road before vertical construction can begin. City review and permitting remain underway, and construction timing will depend on completing those approvals and on financing timelines.
