Stronger neighborhoods through smarter policy

By Councilman Todd Gloria

Neighborhood character sets North Park apart from other communities in San Diego, just as each area of our city contains its own unique qualities. As the chair of the Land Use and Housing Committee, I continue to work hard to protect and celebrate the best of San Diego neighborhoods and ensure the long-term sustainability of our region.
Central to all communities are residential neighborhoods. The Land Use and Housing Committee provides oversight and input into the strategy and development of housing solutions for low and moderate income San Diegans.  Ensuring all people access to appropriate housing continues to be challenging.
However, to note the significant actions taken in the past year, I released my report, “Meeting the Affordable Housing Challenge: 2009 Progress in Affordable Housing,” in February. Important findings of the report include the creation of 693 new affordable housing units in eight locations; receipt of rental assistance by 14,000 low-income families; approval of three new supportive housing developments with a total of 170 units; rehabilitation of 60 homes for low-income families using deferred payment loans; and retrofits of 19 properties to make them more accessible for those living with disabilities.
Most of North Park residents have probably noted the construction work at the site of the old North Park Motel on University Avenue. The former motel was an attractor of crime and known as a dangerous and unsightly part of the community. It is now being completely renovated to become a supportive housing complex for individuals who are recovering from addiction as part of the successful Pathfinders program. I chose this construction zone to unveil my affordable housing report because it exemplifies the strength and importance of affordable housing. The Pathfinders project rid North Park of a blighted building and will provide an attractive, safe and supportive environment for our neighbors to continue their lives in recovery.
Credit for the successes of 2009 must be appropriately shared with the San Diego Housing Commission, the city’s Redevelopment Agency, several community organizations, forward-thinking members of the lending and development industries and local planning groups. Adding greater significance to the achievements is their timing in the current global economic recession, which has complicated the housing market by increasing the number of people needing financial and shelter assistance while stalling much housing development. The full report is available on my Website.
These accomplishments are worthy of celebration and must be used as a springboard for even greater action to further strengthen our neighborhoods in the year ahead. With the help of my colleagues, I have set an aggressive agenda for the Land Use and Housing Committee to tackle, including passage of a mandatory green building ordinance for new city buildings, and enactment of incentives for private development to exceed state green building standards.
It is nonsensical that San Diego is home to more solar roofs than other cities, yet still lacks an effective comprehensive Sustainable Building Policy.  Energy efficiency standards must be encouraged by the City to ensure the viability of our region, while being careful not to undermine our fragile economic recovery. I know economically smart means exist to reduce energy consumption without impeding necessary development and believe the combination of mandatory efficiency standards for all new public buildings with an incentive program to encourage voluntary implementation of sustainability measures in private development will be a tremendous improvement toward that end.
Progress will also be evident on the city’s permanent homeless shelter, maintenance requirements of abandoned properties, payday lending business operations, improvements to policies related to the establishment of community gardens, and further expansion of affordable housing opportunities.  From securing access to shelter to keeping our neighborhoods economically, environmentally and socially strong, I am proud of the Land Use and Housing Committee’s focus on community character and look forward to another productive year.
Councilman Todd Gloria can be reached at the District 3 office at (619) 236-6633; Fax (619) 595-1481; e-mail: toddgloria@sandiego.gov.