NBC San Diego: City of San Diego gives green light to highest number of home permits since 2005

City News Service

The city of San Diego saw 9,700 new homes permitted in 2023, an 82% increase over the prior year and the highest number of permits since 2005, an official told the Land Use and Housing Committee Thursday.

Elyse W. Lowe, Development Services Department director, told the committee during an update that staff have "made hundreds of systemic changes to help the city get permits reviewed quickly," according to a news release.

"We have eliminated the permitting backlog, provided more time frame certainty and increased efficiency with a digital process," she added.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria last week announced the launch of the Complete Communities Now program, which requires eligible permit applications to be reviewed, permitted and issued within 30 days if possible.

According to the city, Complete Communities prioritizes housing near transit and in 2023 accounted for 1,000 new home permits, setting aside 15% of those for low- and moderate-income residents.

City officials said that since its launch in December 2020, Complete Communities "has led to the creation of 1,600 homes, including 280 affordable homes."

The DSD said it hopes to enroll qualified existing applicants, increase participation and incentivize developers to build in San Diego.

San Diego's programs that focus on permitting and building projects:

The city has several programs that focus on permitting and building projects at a faster rate, including:

-- Affordable Housing Permit Now, started last year in response to an executive order from Gloria, providing a guaranteed review timeline of 30 business days for deed-restricted, affordable housing, resulting in 2,000 permits;

-- Rapid Review, which fast-tracks "minor" projects, such as carports, retaining walls, right-of-way permits, sign permits, single-story home additions and remodels;

-- Tenant Improvements, allowing design professionals to bypass a plan review by certifying that their design meets all codes and standards, which has led to the majority of building permits for an interior office improvement project being issued within seven days or even the same day;

-- No Plan Building Permits, new criteria allowing for a faster kitchen and bath remodel project without a full construction plan;

-- Instant Solar Permitting Process, letting residential home projects bypass city review, by certifying compliance with building codes, standards and ordinances (requiring inspection); and

-- Professional Certification for Discretionary Projects, which requires an in-person training session and allows eligible professionals to bypass the initial DSD permit completion check by certifying that their discretionary project application meets all guidelines.

According to the city, faster permitting efforts "are part of Mayor Gloria's comprehensive strategy to address San Diego's housing affordability crisis."

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