The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has postponed a decision on affordable housing in unincorporated areas.
The board directed staff in 2018 to start working on an inclusionary housing ordinance, which requires certain new developments to include some affordable units.
After dozens of meetings with stakeholders, county staff brought three options to the Board of Supervisors on Wednesday.
How many units would have to be affordable, how affordable they’d need to be and what size of development the rule would apply to varied. The minimum development size ranged from five to 12 units.
Staff also shared potential ways developers could comply without providing affordable housing on site, which are required by law. They included paying a fee, donating land and building affordable units somewhere else.
Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe said she wants to make sure the policy helps create economically balanced communities.
“To me, it’s not inclusionary to say, ‘If you don’t want to include lower income in this project, then you can just pay a fee,’” she said. “How does that promote inclusionary housing?”
Lori Holt Pfeiler, president and CEO of the Building Industry Association of San Diego County, said county leaders should finish other policies they’re working on before passing this ordinance. They include the Sustainable Land Use Framework and Development Feasibility Analysis, which are meant to help the county plan for new housing near jobs, public transit and other amenities.
“Each of these plans or analyses could have a large impact on the feasibility of developing new homes in the unincorporated area,” Pfeiler told the board.
The board directed staff to bring options back to them this winter.
