As part of a new move to tackle low homeownership rates, National City officials are considering building between 100 to 200 housing units on public property.
From the site of a former theater to grassy plots, the South Bay city has identified six locations to potentially build a variety of housing units such as townhomes, mixed-use buildings, community land trusts and more.
“There are those that are capped at what housing opportunities they can take advantage of,” Carlos Aguirre, the city’s Housing Authority director, said at a City Council meeting last month. “So we are trying to figure out how to help out a segment of the population here in National City that really can’t move forward but could possibly do that through these mechanisms.”
With skyrocketing housing costs and an insufficient inventory, San Diego is one of the most expensive places to live in the U.S. National City is a prime example of the region’s housing crisis: Only one-third of the city’s residents are homeowners, well below the county average. Sixty percent of National City households make less than the federal average income of roughly $80,000.
The city has hired the real estate firm Keyser Marston Associates to begin the process of inviting developers interested in the project. The nearly $90,000 contract is paid in part by grant funding from the San Diego Association of Governments’ Housing Acceleration Program, which helps local governments develop policies to accelerate housing construction and reduce vehicle miles traveled.
Officials have previously estimated National City needs an additional 5,500 new housing units by 2029 in National City to meet regional demands.
Aguirre said “years” have passed since the city last evaluated the properties under consideration for new construction. Officials are considering multiple options — a lot at North Highland Avenue and Eta Street, for example, could become a mixed-use development with both commercial and residential space.
Officials selected the locations due to their proximity to public transit options and what are considered low or moderate resource areas.
According to data from the California Department of Housing and Community Development, between 2018 to 2023 more than half of the completed units in National City were for above moderate-income households.
Council members stressed the importance of considering rental equity and prioritizing National City residents as the project is developed.
“The last thing I would want is to further displace people,” Councilmember Luz Molina said. “In fact, if we are going to go through this I would insist that every single opportunity is meant for those folks who truly do deserve a leg up in this economy.”
Officials are still studying environmental considerations and zoning to make sure the new developments are possible.
Aguirre said they expect to have a draft of the request for proposals ready for the council to review in March. The city could pick a developer by fall 2025.
This story came in part from reporting by Carlos Moyeda, a San Diego Documenter, at a National City Council meeting last month. The Documenters program trains and pays community members to document what happens at public meetings. It’s run by inewsource, a nonpartisan nonprofit newsroom dedicated to investigative and accountability journalism. Read more about the program here.
