A new California law will make it faster and easier for developers to build multi-family housing near transit stations, potentially transforming neighborhoods like the area around the Clairemont trolley station.
Governor Newsom signed SB 79 into law, allowing developers to build more multi-family housing — including high-rises — than what local rules currently allow near transit stops. The law will take effect in July of next year.
"We have added thousands upon thousands of new jobs in San Diego. It's the biotech, life sciences, defense, but across the entire state, but we haven't added enough housing to accommodate these new jobs," said Saad Asad, who works for California YIMBY, an organization that supports the new law.
Asad says SB 79 could create a lifeline for people to live and commute more efficiently.
"If you get on the train here, it takes you to UTC in 15 minutes. It takes you to downtown in 15 minutes. Those are the region's two biggest job centers, so if people can live here, they're not sitting in traffic on the 5 in the morning," Asad said.
However, not everyone is happy about the law. Geoffrey Hueter, chair of Neighbors for a Better San Diego, an organization that fought against changes to the housing rules, expressed disappointment with the governor's decision.
"The governor signed it without any stipulation on things that he'd like to see changed, which we were hopeful that he would at least understand some of the defects of the bill and ask that they get fixed...I think there's a perception that the public shouldn't have a role in how we plan our cities, and I think that's short-sighted. I think the public often understands the regulations and the local conditions of the neighborhoods," Hueter said.
For Asad, the purpose of the law is clear: fighting the housing shortage.
"Californians are paying way too much for rent, for housing costs, and it's largely driven by a shortage," Asad said.
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