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San Diego City Council Approves Plan To Preserve Affordable Housing

Homeless advocate Michael McConnell points to Atmosphere, a 205-unit affordable housing complex with 51 apartments for the homeless, June 8, 2017.
Roland Lizarondo
Homeless advocate Michael McConnell points to Atmosphere, a 205-unit affordable housing complex with 51 apartments for the homeless, June 8, 2017.
Spurred by estimates that the city could lose more than half of its 70,000 affordable rental units in the next 20 years, the council put plans in motion to preserve them.

The effort to increase affordable housing and rental units in San Diego has focused largely on construction. But last week, the San Diego city Council took a different tack.

Spurred by estimates that the city could lose more than half of its 70,000 affordable rental units in the next 20 years, the council put plans in motion to preserve them.

A proposed new law would require private owners of affordable units to alert the city if they intend to sell to allow designated nonprofits the chance to buy the properties and keep rents low.

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San Diego Union-Tribune reporter David Garrick has been covering the city's effort and joined Midday Edition on Tuesday to discuss the ins and outs of the new plan.