San Diego officials are turning to the people who know local streets best: the neighbors. The city is asking residents to help spot underused, city‑owned parcels that could host new affordable homes or temporary shelter as it builds an Affordable Home Development Master Plan. To collect that intel, staff will hold a string of neighborhood open houses in late July and early August to gather tips, site suggestions and early concerns. The feedback will feed into a citywide inventory of public land that could be prioritized for housing near transit and everyday services.
According to the City Planning Department, the master plan is intended to create a comprehensive strategy for using City‑owned property to develop homes for people at all income levels, with a focus on locations served by transit. The plan is also meant to help cut development costs and speed up construction on public land. The department lists a projected completion date of 2027 and notes that the plan will also flag possible shelter sites.
What the master plan will cover
The work will catalog City‑owned parcels and set up criteria to sort which locations are most ready for homes or supportive shelter and which spots will need significant prep work before anything can be built, according to the California State Auditor. Planners say the idea is to match usable land with funding and a more efficient review so affordable projects can move from idea to construction more quickly.
Where and when you can weigh in
Neighborhood open houses are scheduled at the following locations and times, according to the City’s Facebook post:
Standley Recreation Center on July 29, from 5:00 to 6:30 PM; Golden Hill Recreation Center on July 31 from 6:00 to 7:30 PM; San Ysidro Library on August 3 from 5:30 to 7:00 PM; and Mission Valley Library on August 4 from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. Residents can register and get more details at sandiego.gov/affordablehomesplan.
Why this matters
State auditors urged local governments to spell out concrete siting and funding plans for housing and interim shelter, a push that helped spur San Diego to launch this master plan, the California State Auditor reported. Regional REAP funding that flows through SANDAG, along with local coverage of that award, shows that grant dollars were set aside to help get the effort off the ground so planners could pay for community outreach and technical analysis.
How to sign up and what to expect
City staff say the meetings will feature maps, early site inventories and worksheets that ask neighbors about traffic, access and other on‑the‑ground conditions that could affect whether a parcel is workable. Interpretation services will be available at the public sessions, and the city plans to post materials online for anyone who cannot attend in person. Officials say neighborhood feedback will help shape a draft citywide plan that staff expect to release later in the process.
