Expert perspectives on density, entitlements, and development strategy
San Diego’s 2026 LDC Update Is Quietly Reshaping How Housing Gets Approved
San Diego’s 2026 LDC Update is reshaping housing approvals, ministerial pathways, entitlement timing, and developer strategy.
San Diego’s ADU Bonus Program Is Entering a New Era
San Diego is not eliminating the ADU Bonus Program. It is recalibrating the program through caps, fees, fire safety rules, and implementation changes.
San Diego Is Quietly Creating a More Flexible VMT Compliance System
Buried inside San Diego's 2026 Land Development Code Update is one of the more significant operational shifts in recent mobility policy.
SB 330: A Critical Tool for Navigating Today's Shifting Development Landscape
SB 330 freezes zoning, fees, and standards at the time of preliminary application. In a shifting code environment, that 180-day window is a strategic asset.
SB 79 Isn't What You Think — And Why It Matters More in San Diego
SB 79 isn't a density bill, it's a control mechanism. Here's how the new ministerial pathway interacts with CCHS in San Diego, plus key implementation dates.
Why California Stopped Building Homes You Can Own
California shifted from condos to apartments after SB 800 raised liability and insurance costs. AB 1903, AB 1406, SB 1116 may reverse it in San Diego.
Complete Communities Is Still One of San Diego's Most Powerful Tools — But It's Evolving
Complete Communities remains San Diego's strongest density tool — but for-sale options, overlapping overlays, and 2026 LDC changes shift how to use it.
California Doesn't Just Need More Housing. It Needs More Homeowners.
For years, nearly every conversation about California's housing crisis has focused on one question: how do we build more housing? It's a valid question, but it may be the wrong one.
I Underwrite Land Before I Design Buildings
Most people think an architect's job begins with floor plans. Mine doesn't. Long before I start thinking about building elevations, unit layouts, or architectural style, I'm asking a very different set of questions.
2026 San Diego Land Development Code Update: What Actually Matters
The 2026 San Diego Land Development Code update is moving forward. What developers need to know — by-right shifts, overlay changes, key amendments.
AB 2011 Office-to-Residential: When the Math Works in San Diego
AB 2011 lets developers convert qualifying office and retail sites to multifamily housing through a by-right ministerial pathway. With vacancy at historic highs, the math is finally compelling.
San Diego Doesn't Have a Zoning Problem — It Has a Feasibility Problem
Capacity isn't the constraint. CCHS already exceeds state mandates. Construction cost, insurance, and fees decide whether housing gets delivered.
CEQA Addendum vs EIR: What San Diego Developers Need to Know in 2026
The gap between a CEQA Addendum and a full EIR can mean months vs. years. Learn how addendums are being challenged in 2026 and how to protect your project timeline.
Why Your "By-Right" Project Isn't Actually By-Right in San Diego
San Diego "by-right" projects often slip into discretionary review. The 4 hidden triggers — and how to design around them before submitting.
San Diego Is Procedurally Complex — Not Anti-Housing
San Diego's coastal overlays, community plan nuance, and entitlement sequencing route around national playbooks. What out-of-town developers miss.
Design Should Serve the Pro Forma, Not the Portfolio
Overdesign is a strategy problem, not an aesthetic one. How zoning, overlays, and entitlement constraints should shape design before the first sketch.
5 min read · Mar 15, 2026
The Hidden Political Battle Behind SB 79: Equity vs. Transit-Oriented Density
SB 79 is becoming a flashpoint in San Diego’s housing debate as equity, infrastructure, transit-oriented density, and ministerial approvals collide.