Smart Growth and Land Use Committee Meeting - July 26, 2017
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Smart Growth and Land Use Committee Meeting - July 26, 2017
The Smart Growth and Land Use Committee of the San Diego City Council met on July 26, 2017, to discuss and act on several items including community parking district budgets, a parks master plan, a housing scorecard, and a comprehensive housing action plan. The meeting was chaired by Councilmember Sherman, with Councilmembers Gomez, Alvarez, and Kate present. The committee approved consent agenda items and the community parking district plans with amendments, forwarded the parks master plan agreement to the full council with conditions, and received informational reports on housing and a housing action plan.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the June 14, 2017 meeting were approved by unanimous consent.
- Consent Agenda (Item 2): The committee approved the consent agenda item related to code amendments. Councilmember Gomez noted the need to explore code changes for tiny homes for homelessness. Councilmember Alvarez raised questions about plumbing code and window setbacks for accessory dwelling units. The item passed unanimously on a motion by Councilmember Gomez, seconded by Vice Chair Alvarez.
Public Comments & Testimony
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Non-Agenda Public Speakers:
- Lori Saldania: Expressed concern about the Linda Vista Mobile Home Park on city-owned land, where a private for-profit management company is increasing land lease payments, making it unaffordable for residents on fixed incomes. Requested an audit of city real estate holdings to ensure affordability.
- Catherine Rhodes: Criticized the city for a rise in homelessness and deaths, alleging the San Diego Housing Commission sits on $32 million in federal HUD funds. Urged the use of Chargers Park for homeless services, citing the city attorney's legal opinion that the mayor can lease property without council approval.
- Martha Sullivan: Highlighted challenges for mixed-use building owners regarding inconsistent city services (water rates, trash pickup) and recommended standardizing the city's approach to encourage live-work arrangements.
- Barbara Gordon: Asked the city to regulate marijuana advertising (signs, billboards) to protect youth, claiming permitted pot shops are not being discreet as promised.
- Susan Wilcox: Urged careful interpretation of regulations for pot shop applicants, noting that some former illegal operators are applying for permits and that the 50% rule for sensitive use facilities is being misapplied.
- Martha Welch: Pointed out that many new expensive apartment buildings are being constructed while affordable housing is needed, and noted vacancies in existing luxury buildings.
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Consent Agenda Speaker (Martha Sullivan): Recommended that the Development Services Department expand its stakeholder list for code revisions to include tenant and consumer groups, not just industry and regulators.
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Community Parking District (Item 2):
- Catherine Rhodes (in favor): Supported the districts but opposed the city attorney's legal interpretation that restricts use of parking meter revenue; argued that state law allows broader uses. Requested clearer fund balance reporting.
- Ben Nichols (in opposition): Opposed the use of parking district funds for Sandag's bike lane project in Hillcrest, which removes parking. He argued that using parking meter money to pay for amenities after parking is removed is antithetical to the districts' purpose.
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Housing Scorecard (Item 5):
- Catherine Rhodes: Criticized the city and Housing Commission for not tracking destroyed affordable housing units as required by the housing element; claimed seniors were unlawfully displaced without relocation assistance.
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Housing Action Plan (Item 4):
- Catherine Rhodes (in favor): Supported the plan and noted 275 hepatitis A cases, 187 hospitalizations, and 7 deaths due to lack of sanitation for homeless; urged use of Chargers Park for tiny homes and shelters.
- Ellis Rose (in favor): Strongly supported the plan, especially the diversity of bridge housing and shelter options; recommended expanding nonprofit service providers.
- Lori Saldania (in favor): Supported the plan and urged partnership with the San Diego Community College District to address student homelessness and food insecurity, emphasizing wraparound services.
- Jeannie Crescenzo (in favor): Supported the plan but stressed the need to include extremely low-income households (30% AMI); suggested rent control for companion units and long-term leases for SROs to prevent Airbnb use. Disagreed with 99-year affordability terms.
- Ann Baron (in favor): Supported rent control, use of empty Navy housing, and cooperative housing models; urged tiny shelters and transitional housing.
- Stephen Russell (in favor): Supported fee deferrals to leverage tax credits, supported AB 1505 for inclusionary housing clarity, recommended a preservation coordinator, and suggested MTS parking lots for affordable housing. Strongly supported a 2018 housing bond measure.
- Juan Del Rio (in favor): Supported the plan but cautioned against city government competing with market-rate developers; recommended focusing on very low-income households and using a per-unit fee rate instead of per square foot.
- David Modi (opposition): Opposed the plan due to concerns about eroding development impact fees and the lack of a clear infrastructure financing model; noted that Talmadge has three to four times its fair share of affordable housing without adequate park space.
- Bora Winkle (neutral/caution): Representing the Building Industry Association, he cautioned that new reforms may reduce building before increasing it; urged focus on middle-income housing to stop the bleeding into affordable categories; opposed doubling inclusionary fees.
Discussion Items
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Community Parking District FY2018 Plans and Budgets (Item 2): Staff presented proposed budgets for downtown, uptown, mid-city, old town, and Pacific Beach districts. Key discussions included the use of parking meter revenue for Sandag bikeway maintenance in Bankers Hill (not Hillcrest), angle parking conversions, and the need for better utilization data via a new sensor pilot. Councilmember Gomez moved an amendment to remove $5,000 for the SR-15 parking lot improvements in mid-city, add funding for I-15 bridge deck improvements, and include projects in District 9 (parklet, angle parking, crosswalks, shade trees). The motion passed unanimously.
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Parks Master Plan Agreement (Item 3): Staff recommended approval of a $1.4 million contract with AECOM for a three-year citywide parks master plan, the first since 1956. Goals include addressing park deficits in older communities and revisiting the 2.8 acres per thousand standard. Councilmembers expressed the need for multiple plan options (not just one) for council decision, multilingual outreach, and ensuring options are contractually included. Vice Chair Alvarez moved staff recommendation with added multilingual language and commitment to work on option language before council. The motion passed unanimously.
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San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Housing Scorecard (Item 5): Sean Caraffin presented the scorecard, showing the region is on pace to produce only 50% of needed housing units by 2020. For the City of San Diego, the projected completion is 45,000 units against a need of 88,000. The city produced only 52 moderate-income units from 2010-2016. Over 57% of renters and 41% of homeowners with mortgages spend more than 30% of income on housing. Net out-migration, especially of families and seniors, is occurring; inflow of millennials is lower than competitor metros.
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Housing Action Plan (Item 4): Councilmember Gomez and staff presented a seven-initiative plan addressing companion unit fee reduction, SROs and micro-units, inclusionary housing fee study, preservation coordinator for at-risk units, interim housing solutions study (tiny homes, motel conversions, sanctioned campsites), evaluation of city-owned land for housing, FAR-based zoning, a grant coordinator for state funds, and a potential 2018 housing bond measure. Committee members expressed broad support, with specific interest in micro-unit permitting, fee deferrals for tax credits, tracking loss of affordable units, and a new funding measure. No formal vote was taken; the item was for discussion and feedback.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously.
- Community Parking District Annual Plans: Approved with Councilmember Gomez's amendment (removal of SR-15 parking lot funding, addition of I-15 bridge deck funding, and inclusion of District 9 projects). Vote: unanimous.
- Parks Master Plan Agreement: Recommended to full council for approval, with direction to add multilingual outreach language and to work on ensuring multiple plan options are contractually required. Vote: unanimous.
- Housing Scorecard: Received as information; no action taken.
- Housing Action Plan: Received as information; next steps include a letter to the mayor on companion unit fees, supporting the homeless committee's interim housing study, and returning to the committee in October with details on FAR-based incentives.
Meeting Transcript
I was gonna die. You're watching City TV twenty four. Your access to City Hall of the United States. Bad. See what happens when you just start reading. How about July seven? Uh about July twenty-sixth, and we're good to go. Um Smart Growth and Land Use Committee meeting is called to order. We have with us today Councilmember Chris Cake, Councilmember Elver should be here shortly, Councilmember George Gomez, Jack Straw with the mayor's office, Chris Ojeda with IBA, Leslie Fitzgerald with City Attorneys, and the committee consultant Sarah Jarman. So we have a quorum and we're good to go. I need to uh approve the minutes from the June fourteenth, twenty seventeen meeting if uh anybody has any questions or anything, uh unanimous consent then uh since there's no comment. We have several non-agenda public speakers today, so we will start each speaker will have two minutes and we'll start with Lori Saldania. Yeah, we have we'll get you to do over if we can figure out how to get the mic working. The light says it's working, but it's not. Oh, there. Okay, there. Now the correct light is on. All right, here we go. We'll reset your time too. Thank you. We heard it, but nobody else did say that. Understood. I'm impressed somebody took the time to call in and say that they couldn't hear anything. So again, thank you for continuing the theme of the week, which is looking at homelessness, affordable housing, and ways that we can uh improve on those issues in the city. And to that end, in your district, Councilmember Sherman, the Linda Vista Village, Mobile Home Park is on city-owned property, and it was established decades ago with the goal of maintaining affordability for residents. However, it is managed by a private for-profit company, and it is my understanding that they have been increasing the payments, the lease, the land payments, uh to residents to the point where it is becoming quickly unaffordable. And we have a lot of older residents there, a lot of people on fixed incomes, uh, some I know personally who have had illnesses that have cut into their ability to keep up with their uh payments, not only the mortgage payments on the mobile homes that they own, but then on the land payments to this private uh management company. So I would like to ask for an audit of real estate holdings by the City of San Diego. I think it would be in the best interest with the theme of this week, looking at affordability, uh looking at streamlining regulations, all those things that have been brought up at council and brought up at the homelessness select committee, and and this uh mobile home park in particular, I think would be a good case study in is every effort being made to maintain people in their homes because they could be one step away from winding up homeless in San Diego and joining the thousands of people that we know of that are in that position already. So uh I realize it's not specifically the on the agenda, but it is related to some of the points that uh Councilmember Gomez will be bringing up. So I just wanted to say uh, you know, as a lifelong resident of of San Diego looking at these mobile home parks that are being destroyed. If it was conservation land, we would protect two for one for every mobile home park, such as the one in Marina that's being displaced, we would protect two additional affordable mobile home parks or other affordable housing options elsewhere. Otherwise, we're continuing losing ground and we're continuing to lose uh affordability. And uh we see now what we get when we do that. Thank you. Great. Thank you. And uh I think that's one of the audits on the work plan coming forward this fiscal year. So I it it is on the audit work plan, so it's coming this this fiscal year. So next is Catherine Rhodes, and then after Catherine Rhodes will be Martha Sullivan, so if she can be ready. Um hi Catherine Reds, and I'm a member of women occupy San Diego also. And one of the slogans is homeless is to San Diego as lead water is to Flint. And remember the three city officials in Flint, Michigan only killed 10 to 15 people. You guys killed way more of it. You guys doubled your deaths in San Diego when you guys stopped the year-round tent and said that you had to somehow get rid of it because you didn't have enough money. When you were in the San Diego Housing Commission specifically, was sitting on thirty-two million dollars of federal HUD section eight, moving to work cash that they said they pretended that couldn't be used. Also because the city attorney um instead of looking at street and highway codes, that is part of parking district revenue. They try to say that you can only use parking district revenue on parking when street and highway codes says that you could use it on anything you put in the ordinance. All you have to do is change your ordinance and you could use it uh everybody here could use their money however they want to. But you're not allowing that.
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