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<\/p>\nThe city is encouraging residents to review the proposal, which envisions capacity for 30,000 new homes over the next 30 years, and submit comments. <\/p>\n
SAN DIEGO \u2014 The City of San Diego has released the first draft of an updated Mid-City Communities Plan, providing a long-term blueprint for housing, transportation, parks and infrastructure in neighborhoods including Kensington, Normal Heights, City Heights and Eastern Area.<\/p>\n
The draft marks the first major update to the plan in 25 years. Developed over two years, it incorporates input from more than 3,000 San Diegans and outlines potential changes over the next three decades.<\/p>\n
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Under the draft, the city would create capacity for approximately 30,000 additional homes in Mid-City over the next 30 years, including townhomes, cottages and other smaller-scale housing. The plan estimates that the additional housing could accommodate as many as 89,000 more residents.<\/p>\n
“We are going to need to change our culture a bit to be able to facilitate and welcome those folks in,” San Diego resident Shannon Gregory said.<\/p>\n
Gregory said the additional population would also create a need for improvements to community infrastructure, including schools, streets and libraries. She said increased tax revenue associated with new development could help pay for those improvements.<\/p>\n
Kensington resident JP McCarvel said infrastructure and transportation should be considered alongside the proposed housing growth.<\/p>\n
“Transportation, parking, jobs, the whole infrastructure has to be taken into consideration, so it can’t just be just about homes,” McCarvel said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He added that he hopes there will be extensive consultation with different community groups before the plan is implemented.<\/p>\n
Some residents in Normal Heights questioned how and where the proposed housing would be built.<\/p>\n
“Where are these homes going to go?” resident Olivia Robinson said. “I feel like there are already so many homes around, and it’s nice to be able to walk around and not be towered over by apartment buildings or skyrises.”<\/p>\n
Imogen Stevens, another Normal Heights resident, said she was also concerned about the potential impact on parking and traffic.<\/p>\n
“That also means 30,000 more cars, and it is already limited parking,” Stevens said. “So I’m just confused where everything is going to go.”<\/p>\n
Other residents said they would prefer the plan place greater emphasis on parks and community facilities.<\/p>\n
“I would rather have more parks or more community-type buildings instead of homes,” said Megan Lafkowicz of Normal Heights. “That would be my suggestion instead of putting houses on top of each other.”<\/p>\n
The draft plan does include additional open space. It calls for the development of nine neighborhood parks and mini parks throughout Mid-City.<\/p>\n
City Heights resident Sadira Tapia said additional parks would be particularly valuable in neighborhoods where residents have limited access to public gathering spaces.<\/p>\n
“I think it would mean so much, because no one has anywhere to go other than their home,” Tapia said.<\/p>\n
The Mid-City Communities Plan remains a draft and is subject to additional public review and revisions before it is considered for adoption next year.<\/p>\n
The city is encouraging residents to review the proposal and submit comments as the planning process continues.<\/p>\n
City staff will gather feedback and prepare a second draft for later this year, along with offering more community engagement activities. The full plan is anticipated to head before the San Diego City Council in spring 2027.<\/p>\n