How Complete Communities Will Solve San Diego’s Housing Crisis
San Diego is at a crossroad, facing a pressing housing crisis and a shortage of 80,000 units. Enter Complete Communities—an ambitious urban planning initiative designed to reshape the city’s community landscape. Since its inception in 2020, San Diego’s “Complete Communities” initiative has undergone two modifications to address the city’s ongoing housing shortage. This initiative highlights key aspects such as affordability, political ideologies, and specific density strategies withing park communities. Now is a critical time for developers, architects, and contractors to play an active role in shaping the growth and sustainability of America’s Finest City.
A Bold Vision for Urban Living
Complete Communities isn’t just a housing initiative; it’s a transformative approach to city planning. By prioritizing walkable neighborhoods with diverse housing options, the program ensures accessibility to jobs, amenities, and services within a 15- to 20-minute radius. These compact communities are designed to reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while improving infrastructure efficiency.
Imagine a San Diego where people of all ages and income levels can live comfortably and sustainably, with vibrant streets and robust public spaces. That’s the future Complete Communities is aiming to build.
Unlocking Development Potential
At the core of Complete Communities is the use of Floor Area Ration (FAR) tiers, which determine how much building space can be developed relative to the lot size. These tiers encourage high-density developments, especially in transit-priority zones.
- Tier 1: No Limit to FAR
- Tier 2: Up to 8.0 FAR
- Tier 3: Up to 6.5 FAR
- Tier 4: Up to 4.0 FAR
- Coastal Zones: Capped at 2.5 FAR
This zoning framework offers unparalleled opportunities for ambitious developers while addressing the city’s affordability challenges. Curious about whether your property is part of this transformative program? Check out this interactive map.
The History of Complete Communities
The Complete Communities Housing Solutions is a Legislative Housing Initiative originally proposed by Mayor Kevin Faulconer in 2020. The plan focuses on incentivizing development near transit hubs, expanding mobility options, and creating vibrant public spaces where residents can walk, bike, relax, and play. Its goal is to ensure that every San Diego resident has access to affordable housing and the resources needed to improve their quality of life.
To qualify for the program’s benefits, developments must meet several key requirements:
- Location: The project must be located on a parcel within a Transit Priority Area
- Affordability: At least 40% of the pre-density bonus units must be designed as covenant-restricted affordable units
- Replacement Units: Exiting affordable housing units must be replaced with equivalently sized units
- Contributions: Developers pay $9.00 per square foot of lot area, or $11.00 per square foot of the lot area if the building is more than 95 feet in height, into the Neighborhood Enhancement Fund or construct an on-site public promenade on a premises 25,000 square feet or larger with at least 200 linear feet of street frontage
- Design Standards: Projects must adhere to design requirements, including pedestrian-oriented design, CAP (Climate Action Plan) consistency checklist requirements, and implementation of special standards for structures over 95 feet in height, adjacent to a single-unit zone, or adjacent to a freeway.
Developments that meet all five requirements will receive the following incentives:
- Ministerial approval with limited exceptions
- Development density governed by a new floor area ratio as indicated on the “FAR Tier” allowances map and Building Code
- Development height governed by the allowed FAR (except in the Coastal Height Overlay Zone)
- Affordable housing incentives and waivers
- Scaling of development impact fees (DIF) based on development square footage
This comprehensive approach empowers developers to build smarter, denser, and more sustainable housing solutions while ensuring affordability and community-oriented design.
Key Milestones & Amendments
Since its inception, Complete Communities has adapted to changing needs:
- 2022: Housing Action Package 1.0: In February 2022 this action package was approved. updated state laws but left the stop, leaving the program intact. It did however include updates to the new state laws related to SB 9.
- 2023: housing action package 2.0: in December 2023 this action package was updated. Major changes included the removal of on-site requirements for affordable units (low- and very low income units), allowing developers more flexibility. It also allowed CCHS developers to place the affordable units off site up to three miles away and up to five years later these affordable units do not have to be newly constructed or in the same neighborhood as the base project.
- 2024: Executive Order by Mayor Gloria: Expedited permit approvals to 30 days accelerating the delivery of much needed housing
Other key elements of the Amendment for Complete Communities:
- All Complete Communities projects under 95 feet are ministerial, meaning residents will not be notified that an 8- or 9-story building is coming to a location.
- Development Impact Fees are waived for most CCHS units, meaning minimal funding for much-needed city infrastructure.
A Revolution in San Diego’s Zoning
Recently the 92103-zip code has been going through the most changes regarding development and zoning changes. In December 2024, dramatic zoning changes will take effect in neighborhoods like Bankers Hill, Hillcrest, Mission Hills, and University Heights. These areas, soon to become hubs of innovation, will see new zones like RM-4-10 and RM-4-11, doubling allowable densities and eliminating height restrictions in many cases.
These changes position Uptown as San Diego’s second urban center, complementing downtown as a beacon of high density, sustainable living.
Updated Zoning Map (92103 Zip Code)
