Land Use and Housing Committee Meeting - November 16, 2023
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Land Use and Housing Committee Meeting - November 16, 2023
The Land Use and Housing Committee of the San Diego City Council met on November 16, 2023, at 9:00 AM (scheduled) to consider several items including a homeless shelter project, a deed-restricted affordable housing preservation ordinance, and housing element reports. Chair Moreno presided, with Vice Chair Locava, Councilmember Whitburn present, and Councilmember Lee absent. The meeting included public comment periods and unanimous votes on action items.
Consent Calendar
- The committee unanimously approved the committee actions of October 19, 2023, with Councilmember Lee absent.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Non-Agenda Public Comments: Multiple speakers addressed issues such as:
- A resident complained about a ceramics manufacturing operation in a residential zone, citing air pollution and health hazards.
- A speaker criticized the Complete Communities housing plan, arguing it provides excessive density bonuses with minimal affordable housing and could divert resources from other projects.
- A speaker praised the new Children's Park and requested a vendor for snacks.
- Speakers urged the city to consider smoke-free policies for public spaces, citing health equity and environmental concerns, particularly regarding tobacco and marijuana.
- Speakers expressed concerns about locating marijuana businesses near sensitive uses like schools and parks, citing health risks and youth exposure.
- Item 2 (Homeless Shelters): Public commenters, including Joyce Sanyata and Blair Beekman, expressed support for the project, with one speaker asking about the progress of the city's encampment ordinance.
- Item 3 (Preservation Ordinance): Numerous speakers testified:
- Supporters included representatives from the San Diego Building and Construction Trades Council, Serving Seniors, the Equitable Development Coalition, Wakeland Housing, the Labor Council, Chicano Federation, PANA, the San Diego Housing Federation, and others. They emphasized the need to preserve deed-restricted affordable housing and urged moving forward with the ordinance, though some requested broader coverage (e.g., all multifamily buildings) and stronger tenant protections.
- Opponents included affordable housing developers (e.g., RAD Group, Beechum) who argued the ordinance would create unintended obstacles, discourage preservation, and push resources out of San Diego. They advocated for an incentive-based approach.
- The Southern California Rental Housing Association expressed cautious support, requesting further vetting of the draft ordinance.
- Item 4 (Housing Element Reports): Public commenters raised questions about the city's reporting of non-deed restricted affordable units, the discrepancy between housing applications and permits issued, and the lack of townhomes/duplexes/building types. One speaker criticized the city for prioritizing climate goals over housing production.
Discussion Items
- Item 1 – Returned to Staff: The item was pulled from the agenda and will be brought back at a future date.
- Item 2 – Citywide Homeless Shelters Project: Sarah Jarman (Homelessness Strategies and Solutions) presented a request to add the project to the Capital Improvements Program and transfer $1.05 million from the infrastructure fund. The project aims to convert city-owned property into emergency shelters, aligning with the city's comprehensive shelter strategy. Councilmember Whitburn noted a 38% decrease in unsheltered individuals downtown and moved to approve the staff recommendation. Vice Chair Locava seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
- Item 3 – Deed Restricted Affordable Housing Preservation Ordinance Parameters: Wendy DeWitt and Nadir Ho (Housing Commission) presented the proposed framework with a right of first offer and right of first refusal for qualified entities. Key parameters include notice requirements, timelines for offers, and exemptions for certain transfers. Stakeholder feedback led to adjustments (e.g., flexible closing timelines). The committee discussed enforcement, financial emergency exemptions, and the need to refine the definition of qualified entities. Chair Moreno moved to direct staff to work with the city attorney to draft an ordinance. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
- Item 4 – 2021-2022 Biennial Housing Element Report and 2023 Annual Report on Homes: Sean McGee (Planning Department) presented data showing the city permitted 5,314 homes in 2022 (12.7% affordable), but only 9.6% of the 2021-2029 RHNA target of 108,036 homes was achieved in the first two years. The report highlighted the need to increase affordable housing in high-resource areas and to update community plans. The item was informational only; no action was taken.
Key Outcomes
- Item 2 Approved: The committee unanimously approved adding the citywide homeless shelters project to the CIP and transferring $1.05 million.
- Item 3 Directed for Drafting: The committee unanimously directed the Housing Commission to work with the City Attorney to draft a local deed-restricted affordable housing preservation ordinance based on the presented parameters. The draft ordinance is expected in early 2025.
- Item 4 Received: The committee received the housing element reports as information; no vote was required.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon and welcome to the land use and housing committee meeting of November 16th, 2023. Um, our committee liaison, Natalie Kessler, will go over instructions for today's meeting. Thank you, Chair. While members of the public are able to attend the meetings in person, this meeting is being televised and live streamed on the city's website, and the council administration will continue to make arrangements for the public to comment using the Zoom webinar platform. Members of the public who wish to provide virtual testimony must enter the virtual queue by raising their hand before the virtual queue closes. The queue will close when the last virtual speaker finishes speaking or five minutes after in-person testimony ends, whichever occurs first. This will allow for better meeting management between the two platforms and ensure the committee is able to manage and conduct city business. We appreciate the public's cooperation. Chair. Vice Chair Locava. Present. Councilmember Whitburn. Sure. Councilmember Lee and Chair, Councilmember Moreno. I am present and also attending the meeting today is Chris Ackerman uh Ackerman Avila with the uh mayor's office. Corrine Newfer from the City Attorney's Office, Ray Sheen Chen with the Independent Budget Analysts Office, and Natalie Kessler, our committee liaisons. Natalie, please continue with public comment instructions. If you're in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of chambers and place it on top of the box indicated at the speaker's lecture at the front of the room. Please do so in a timely manner to ensure proper meeting management. In-person testimony will conclude before virtual testimony begins. Members of the public can also join the webinar by computer, tablet, or smartphone by accessing the link which is listed online on the preamble language of the agenda on the city's website. If you need to participate by telephone, you may dial 1669-2545252, webinar ID 160-268-1157 pound. This information is also available on the agenda and will appear on the screen during the public comment period for each agenda item. Members of the public who wish to provide virtual testimony must enter the virtual queue by raising their hand before the queue closes. The queue will close when the last virtual speaker finishes speaking or five minutes after in-person testimony ends, whichever occurs first. Please note that if you're watching V via City TV 24 or online, there may be a delay. Please participate via the audio on your phone and mute your TV or computer when it is your turn to speak. If you wish to speak on a particular item, please wait for that item to be called and then raise your hand to speak by tapping the raise your hand button or if you're a call-in participant, please press star nine on your phone. If you raise your hand during a non-comment period, your hand will be lowered. Chairman Thank you, Natalie, for reviewing those instructions. Um a quorum is now present. Uh, we will now dispense with the approval of the committee actions of October 19th, 2023. Natalie, please proceed. Thank you, Chair. The public comment period for the committee actions is now open, and if you've joined the Zoom webinar or online, uh if or if you join the Zoom webinar, please raise your hand at this time if you have any comments on the committee actions. And Chair, we have not received any speaker slips in chambers for the committee actions. And the hand has been lowered, so that will conclude public comment on the past committee actions. Thank you, Councilmember Whitburn. And now we will take uh the roll. Please vote. Motion passes unanimously with council member Lee absent. We will now take up non-agenda public comment. A council members respect and appreciate the public's input and are fully committed to protecting every participant's free speech right at council and committee meetings. Natalie, please proceed with non-agenda public comment. Parole 2.7, non-agenda public comment is an opportunity for members of the public to comment on items that are not on the agenda but within the subject matter jurisdiction of the committee, and each speaker will have two minutes. Please be sure to have your speaker slip submitted if you do have non-agenda public comment at this time. We will begin with those in chambers, and I have received five speaker slips for those in chambers. We will begin with Dan Schmikowski. Please come up to the lectern. When no one believes in you, believe in yourself.
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