The San Diego Planning Commission has decided not to vote on adopting Senate Bill 10, part of Mayor Todd Gloria's Housing Action Plan 2.0, instead opting for additional community workshops. This decision is seen as unfortunate because the proposal is considered both straightforward and historic, and it should be approved by the City Council.

The measure, if passed, would permit the construction of homes on 1,000 square feet of land, a significant reduction from the current requirement of 5,000 square feet of land in transit priority areas and in 50 percent of high and highest resourced neighborhoods. The cost to build a new home under this proposal would start at $550,000.

Lowering the land requirement to 1,000 square feet would allow developers to build single-family townhomes, substantially reducing home prices. Current homeowners with 5,000-square-foot lots could build up to five single-family townhomes, potentially cutting home prices in half in upscale neighborhoods like Kensington, Mission Hills, Point Loma, and La Jolla.

The proposal has garnered support from a coalition called Homeownership Opportunities for San Diego (HOSD), which includes organizations like LISC San Diego, Urban League of San Diego County, the Chicano Federation, and the San Diego County Democratic Party. HOSD believes that this proposal can help end centuries of racial residential segregation and implement Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, as mandated by the 1968 Fair Housing Act.

Understanding the history of single-family zoning is essential to grasp the significance of this proposal. Single-family zoning was first introduced in 1916 in Berkeley, with the goal of excluding people of color from predominantly White neighborhoods. The federal government's policies, including the GI Bill, further exacerbated racial disparities in homeownership.

Currently, San Diego allocates 81 percent of residential land for single-family homes and only 15.5 percent for apartments, contributing to a housing crisis marked by high costs, rents, poverty, and residential segregation. The coalition believes that Mayor Gloria's proposal, especially with the adoption of SB 10, can address these issues, improve residents' lives, and rectify a Jim Crow-era law designed to promote racial segregation in neighborhoods.

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