San Diego City College’s plan to build on-campus student housing will move forward despite the San Diego City Council’s rejection of the housing incentives introduced by Mayor Todd Gloria Monday.
The City Council’s action “will not affect the proposed housing development at City College since our project is on district-owned land,” wrote San Diego Community College District Director of Communications Jack Beresford in an email response to San Diego City Times request for comment.
San Diego City College President Ricky Shabazz, added in a separate email response for comment, “The college is a state agency that falls under different regulations. While we always work with the city, I do not foresee any impact to our housing development.”
Gloria’s Housing Action Package 2.0, which included incentives to build housing for college students and other impacted groups, was rejected twice by the San Diego City Council on a 5-3 vote during a “heated” five-hour public hearing, as reported by the San Diego Union Tribune.
Students from the University of Cailfornia San Diego attended the meeting and spoke in favor of the plan.
The mayor’s rejected policy changes included allowing developers to build more units than existing zoning allows and eliminating the need for agreements with nearby schools.
“The continued development of affordable housing is the No. 1 priority of students on our campus,” said Alex Ross, a member of UCSD’s student government, to the Union Tribune.
