SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — At a meeting which was expected to include a vote from the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education on proposals that would build affordable housing for educators, a decision was ultimately delayed until January over a desire to further workshop with developers.
The proposals are part of an effort to provide affordable housing to 10% of SDUSD's workforce, with the goal of "maximizing the number of affordable units," said Superintendent Dr. Fabi Bagula.
As of now, only 12 such projects already exist across the entire state of California, one of which is in San Diego. It's called Livia at Scripps Ranch, and it has reserved 53 homes for qualifying SDUSD employees.
Those 12 projects equate to more than 850 affordable housing units total, according to data from the California School Boards Association. SDUSD is looking to add about 1,500 units, which would nearly double the current figure in the state.
SDUSD is looking at splitting these 1,500 units across five sites within the district, the majority of which (just under 1,000) would be created at the district's headquarters at 4100 Normal Street.
District officials said this wouldn't require any district funding, nor would it cost the taxpayer a dime. In fact, based on the board's highest-rated proposals under each of the five sites, the collective effort would bring in about $504 million in the next 99 years.
The mission is to make sure educators live in the districts where they teach.
Issel Martinez knows firsthand how impactful that can be.
“You’re a part of that heartbeat, as opposed to, oh, just showing up to get a paycheck," she said.
Martinez works as a paraeducator at Clairemont Canyon Academy and has been with SDUSD for 15 years.
She told ABC 10News she lives across the street from the school, and while it's convenient, she said it's expensive.
“Which now has me having roommates, even though I'm married and wanting to start a family. Makes it complicated," Martinez said.
Issel is one of the many who would benefit from the landmark affordable housing project.
This wouldn't just impact the teachers, but also the communities where these projects would be implemented.
Marc Johnson lives near the district's headquarters in University Heights.
“We want this built here; we just want it built so that it fits," he said. "Whether it’s architecturally, whether it’s mass and scale, respecting the historical buildings on this site, I think all of that can be done. But, we need to make sure that what we put here, the community infrastructure can handle it.”
Here are the five locations in the district where board members are considering these affordable housing projects, including some details about the board's top proposal for each site as of Wednesday:
Education Center, 4100 Normal Street, San Diego, CA 92103
- 952 total units (943 affordable, 9 manager) 100% affordable
- Total ground rent revenue $296M over proposed 99-year term of agreement
Revere Center, 6735 Gifford Way, San Diego, CA 92111
- 222 total units (220 affordable, 2 manager) 100% affordable
- Total ground rent revenue $134M over proposed 99-year term of agreement
Ballard Center, 2375 Congress Street, San Diego, CA 92110
- 141 units (140 affordable, 1 manager) 100% affordable
- Total ground rent revenue $10.7M over proposed 95-year term of agreement
Instructional Media Center (north parking lot and undeveloped area) 2441 Cardinal Lane, San Diego, CA 92123
- 108 units (107 affordable, 1 manager) 100% affordable
- Total ground rent revenue $51.8M over proposed 99-year term of agreement
Commercial, 2101 Commercial Street, San Diego, CA 92113
- 88 units (87 affordable, 1 manager) 100% affordable
- Total ground rent revenue $11M over proposed 99-year term of agreement
You can see a better breakdown of each site by reviewing items H 8-12 in Wednesday's agenda packet.
Each of the five sites has several proposals on the table, except for the one at the Instructional Media Center. The board unanimously approved that proposal, but pushed a vote on the other four until January by a 3-2 vote, with some of them wanting to workshop with developers before making a decision.
Despite the delay, Martinez is excited to potentially call these headquarters her home in the future.
“As someone who would be impacted, wanting to live here, which is not that far of a commute for my husband or myself, would be a huge advantage," she said.
It's important to note, however, that the board votes in January, which only moves the chosen proposal forward — it does not approve the project.
As noted in the agenda packet, a final agreement likely wouldn't come until Spring 2027.
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