Why this matters

As San Diego State University has grown, so has the College Area. But the city hasn’t updated its community plan for the neighborhoods since 1989.

The city’s latest plan for development in the College Area could reshape neighborhoods near San Diego State University for decades to come.

The San Diego Planning Commission earlier this month unanimously recommended that the City Council adopt the updated College Area Community Plan, an expansive proposal that calls for more than doubling the maximum number of homes and allowing for higher density in some areas. The vote came after several rounds of public hearings and gathering feedback on multiple drafts of the plan.

From the Documenters

This story came in part from notes taken by Jaden Fortier, a San Diego Documenter, at a planning commission meeting last month. The Documenters program trains and pays community members to document what happens at public meetings. Read the note here.

But residents are divided. Some say the plan, which hasn’t been updated since 1989, would bring much-needed housing as the city falls short of the state’s building goals. Others say the upzoning efforts are too extreme and that the plan lacks proper fixes to the area’s infrastructure needs.

Other groups have weighed in: The city’s Mobility Board voted in favor of the plan, while the Parks and Recreation Board rejected it.

City councilmembers have ultimate approval over the decision. If approved, the changes will impact the area around SDSU from Interstate 8 to El Cajon Boulevard — impacting the roughly 20,000 residents in the area, including the 8,500 students who live on campus.

The area’s population could grow to as many as 74,000 residents in the next 30 years, city staff said in its report.

Here’s what to know about the proposed update. 

Bring on the density

The plan calls for allowing a lot more housing — from the current 8,000 to roughly 34,000. City planning officials have gone through several drafts of the proposal, eventually including increased density at the southeast corner of College Avenue and Montezuma Road and along parts of El Cajon Boulevard. But they also pulled back on initial plans to upzone some areas — the latest version no longer calls for higher density at East Falls View and Cresita drives, for example.

A summary of the changes made can be found here.

Other major overhauls

Apart from the upzoning, the plan also proposes pedestrian-friendly changes and other projects: 

  • A potential recreation center on city-owned property, “pocket parks” and more. The plan does not identify all specific parks and recreation investment because it “envisions future parks could vary in programming and design,” a staff report said.
  • A “Campus Town Center” that staff described as a mixed-use, student-oriented village near SDSU.
  • Wider, pedestrian-friendly parkways and sidewalks with improved lighting, more greenery and other features. 
  • Buffered bike lanes, bike routes and multi-use paths. 
  • Dedicated rapid transit lanes along Montezuma Road, Collwood Boulevard and parts of El Cajon Boulevard. A shared bus and bike lane is also proposed along a portion of El Cajon Boulevard to accommodate for right-of-way constraints.

Zooming out

Like other cities across the state, San Diego has a housing and affordability crisis that experts say is driven largely by underproduction. The city is falling short of new housing construction for all income levels, and half of the city’s current housing supply consists of rental units that are nearly full, which drives up rents.

SDSU has grown since the city last updated the College Area plan, attracting students beyond San Diego and transforming neighborhoods near the campus. City staff say the area is now a major transit corridor and that more housing — particularly affordable housing — is needed there to meet demand.

The city hopes to establish a better connection between the College Area and downtown San Diego through enhancements like increased trolley frequency and rapid bus service along major streets.

The city cannot mandate development, but hopes the plan incentivizes developers and property owners to build more housing.

There are some problems

More than 80% of the College Area is considered a “very high” fire hazard zone due to canyons throughout the area. That’s higher than the citywide average. And right now, the College Area is serviced by three fire stations that are based in other nearby neighborhoods.

The updated plan does acknowledge that as many as two new fire stations could be needed and that “future technical analysis” would be required. No locations or funding sources have been determined, though the plan says officials may coordinate with SDSU.

Planning staff have also moved some planned housing density away from high hazard areas that are next to open space areas.

The update does not specify any plans for a new police station, though it calls for evaluating additional police services in the future, suggesting options such as police storefronts and community service officer programs. The area is largely serviced by San Diego Police’s eastern division and in part by SDSU police.

And while the plan calls for additional parks and more recreation space, some residents have raised concerns about the amount of park land.

Residents say public park space is sorely lacking in the College Area, with just the small Montezuma Park and joint-use parks at local schools. The update maps out plans across six, small sites that would house mostly pocket parks.

“It is totally inadequate for even the current population, let alone the increased planned population,” Parks and Recreation Board member Daniele Laman said at a September meeting.

Sounding off

A lot of public opposition to the item surrounded the lack of using more additions from a report that community groups made. Known as the “7 Visions Plan,” the proposal would encourage no down-zoning and less upzoning, and only a 137% increase in dwelling units. They argue that the increase better aligns with SANDAG projections.

More than 150 weighed in with feedback to the city. 

Therese Llanes, who has lived in her College Area house for 72 years, said in written comments to the Planning Commission: “Parking has become difficult and my quality of life has decreased since so many dwellings have been added in garages and backyards.”

Zachary Kaufman said high mortgages are locking younger residents like himself out of homeownership. “San Diego urgently needs more housing, as it has become one of the most unaffordable cities to live in,” he said in his written comments.

Next steps: Since the Planning Commission has approved the update, the plan now moves to the City Council for final approval. Councilmembers are expected to vote in December. Once the meeting date is confirmed, it will be posted here.

Type of Content

News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.