Inside San Diego's most expensive affordable housing project
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The San Diego Housing Commission offices are at the San Diego City College Trolley Stop. Photo: Dünzl/ullstein bild via Getty Images
An affordable housing project on Metropolitan Transit System property is getting pretty pricey.
Driving the news: SkyLINE Apartments, a 99-unit project reserved for low-income residents on a Rancho Bernardo bus station, is on track to cost over $900,000 per unit to build — more than any other affordable housing project in development in the city, according to the San Diego Housing Commission's latest tracking.
Why it matters: Housing affordability is a top concern across San Diego, and the scarcity of options for low-income residents is a driving force in the city's homelessness crisis.
Catch up quick: Affordable housing refers to government-supported units reserved for people earning below 80% of the region's median income who then spend 30% to 40% of their income on rent.
- Those projects are often subsidized by federal and state tax credits, the city's low-income housing fund, or a variety of other government programs.
- Renters who meet income requirements enter a waiting list for the roughly 16,500 vouchers available in the city each year.
- As of the San Diego Housing Commission's update last month, the wait list is now estimated to take 12-15 years to work through.
Details: There are 25 projects currently in development in the city of San Diego, with an average per-unit cost of $521,000.
- The most expensive, SkyLINE apartments, is being built by Affirmed Housing on a vacant portion of a bus station owned by the Metropolitan Transit System.
- In an update to the Housing Commission this month, Affirmed pegged its per-unit cost at $909,431 for 99 units reserved for people making below 55% of the median income. The developer estimates finishing construction in February 2026.
The intrigue: Jennifer Kreutter, vice president of real estate at the Housing Commission, at a Sept. 15 meeting said two issues — beyond inflation and city water and sewer needs — drove up costs.
- MTS required 84 public parking spots, in addition to 78 spots for residents, adding about $40,000 per unit.
- The project includes office space set to become Affirmed's headquarters.
- Without those, SkyLINE costs $816,000 per unit — still more than any other project.
What they're saying: "MTS prioritizes storing cars at the expense of housing people, despite the fact that we have a homelessness crisis, not a parking crisis," said Housing Commissioner Ryan Clumpner.
The other side: In a statement, MTS spokesman Mark Olson said the Rancho Bernardo station currently includes 84 parking spaces, and other spaces at a nearby surface lot.
- "MTS believes this is an adequate amount of capacity for transit riders based on current demand and ability to effectively use the transit system," he said.