Virtual Inspections Program Achieves Record Numbers in Customer Service

DSD recorded its highest number of virtual residential inspections conducted in a month since the program began in 2020: In August, City building inspectors conducted 849 virtual residential inspections, doubling the previous high of 400 achieved in July.

Each month, staff perform nearly 5,400 residential inspections – both virtually and in person – for new homes, room additions, alterations or improvements to single-family homes, duplexes and townhomes. These inspections are required before any permitted construction work can be covered, concealed, occupied or placed into use.

Before the availability of virtual inspections, customers were required to block out up to four hours of time and wait for an inspector at the project site. The online service has helped increase the number of inspections each inspector can conduct by more than 40% per day.

In addition to saving time and money, virtual inspections are also more eco-friendly. City inspectors avoided driving more than 3,000 miles in August alone, saving fuel and reducing the City's greenhouse gas emissions. Read more. 

2022 California Code of Regulations Title 24 - Effective Jan. 1, 2023

The State of California adopts new building standards every three years, which are codified in Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations (California Building Standards Code). The current edition is the 2019 California Code of Regulations.

The new 2022 California Building Standards Code will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023. All construction project applications submitted on or after that date must conform to the new regulations. Learn more. 

Resources Available to Help Small Businesses and Restaurants Recover and Rebuild

DSD’s Small Business and Restaurant Assistance Program provides dedicated resources to help small businesses and restaurants citywide recover and rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The services are designed to make it faster and easier to get the permitting, construction and inspection help needed for a speedy recovery.

The Program assisted 148 businesses in 2021 and has assisted 221 businesses so far this year. 

Restaurants, tasting rooms and bars of any size are eligible for services. Other retail and commercial small businesses must have 25 or fewer employees.  

Businesses can book an appointment to meet virtually with a representative to address questions and review project ideas before applying for a permit. Learn more.

City of San Diego Wins National Award for Affordable Home Density Bonus Program

A national award is putting the City of San Diego’s affordable housing efforts in the spotlight! In recognition of its Affordable Home Density Bonus Program, the Urban Lands Institute awarded the City its national 2022 Larson Housing Policy Leadership Award. The annual award is given to exemplary state and local policies that support the production, rehabilitation and preservation of workforce and affordable housing.

The City adopted the Affordable Home Density Bonus Program in 2016, which allows developers to build more homes if they agree to set aside a certain portion of the new project as affordable. Since then, it has substantially increased the production of market-rate and deed-restricted affordable homes with continuous growth in its use over the last five years.

The “Home Run for Homes” Report by the non-profit Circulate San Diego shows that in 2020, nearly half of the units entitled in the City benefitted from the program. Learn more. 

This recognition follows the Building Department of the Year awarded to DSD by the California Building Officials industry group earlier this year. 

City Seeking Feedback on Draft Updates to Land Development Code

The City of San Diego is asking for feedback on this year’s draft updates to the Land Development Code.

The 2022 updates include clarifications, corrections, regulatory reforms and changes to bring the City into compliance with state law. One of the proposed items would tailor some development incentive programs to areas where people are more likely to use transit, walk or bike. Other items include regulatory reforms on battery energy storage facilities and updates to parts of the Downtown Planning District Ordinance.

To review the items, draft updates and submit feedback, visit this Planning Department webpage.

City Welcomes Leslie Gallagher as New Deputy Director of Project Submittal and Management

The City is pleased to welcome Leslie Gallagher as DSD’s new Deputy Director of Project Submittal and Management.

Leslie comes to the City with two decades of outstanding customer service and leadership experience in local, regional and state government, and planning and infrastructure development. She served as Assistant General Counsel with the San Diego County Water Authority and later became Executive Officer and Board Counsel to the Central Valley Flood Protection Board where she was responsible for day-to-day operations oversight, strategic infrastructure planning and permitting, and inspection programs.

Leslie holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Sacramento State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Davis. She began her career in public service as a deputy city attorney for the cities of El Cajon and Oceanside.

In her spare time, Leslie enjoys dressage, a form of horse riding performed in exhibitions and competitions. She also raises chickens and tends several fruit trees and a vegetable garden with her husband and 17-year-old daughter. With a busy work and home life, she also finds time to volunteer at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

Welcome, Leslie!

DSD Launches Four New Full-Cloud Permit Applications

As part of DSD’s transition to #DigitalDSD and full-cloud permitting, DSD recently launched four new types of permits, making it easier and more intuitive for customers to apply for these permits, receive updates and pay invoices.

The new permit types being added to the online permitting system are:

1. Zone History Letter: The permit confirms past and current zoning and land use regulations that govern a specific property within the City's jurisdiction and outlines redevelopment rights if zoning and land use regulations change.
2. Street Tree: This permit is required to install or prune a tree in the City's right of way. Removal or replacement of existing trees in the City's right of way must be requested through the Get It Done app.
3. Individual Historical Resource Nomination: This application is required for an individual property requesting docketing on a Historical Resources Board agenda. The Mills Act online application will be available in January 2023.
4. Transportation Permit: This permit is required for moving oversized and overweight loads over City of San Diego streets.

Next up, DSD plans to convert Preliminary Reviews to full-cloud permitting later this year.

DSD Staff Invited to Tour Newly Permitted Research and Development District  

DSD staff recently went on a site tour of a newly permitted Research and Development District (RaDD) in the Downtown Port District. The Real Estate Consultant team, IQHQ, showcased the results of the groundbreaking vision to transform the waterfront into a RaDD, which could attract leading companies to San Diego, generating job opportunities and contributing to the local economy. With ongoing phases for permitting, a close partnership with DSD is vital to the success of the development.

The site visit kicked off at the IQHQ headquarters near the harbor. During the tour, IQHQ representatives, Consultant Firm Gensler and Turner Contractor Co. discussed the IQHQ permitting progress with DSD representatives. An ongoing two-year partnership with DSD and IQHQ has concluded with the initial construction for the eight-block development. The tour ended with an inspirational presentation by Gensler and the IQHQ team, highlighting their progress for the project’s magnitude, innovation and relevance, importance to the City and the biotech industry, and future collaborations with DSD. 

The Turner team led DSD staff to scout the perimeter of the eight-block development, a monumental sight of steel framing, construction equipment, cranes and safety fencing. The dirt site excavation showed partial foundation and underground work for the subterranean parking structures. Throughout the site walk, DSD staff could visualize the end result - which will include 1,700,000 square feet of new construction to house laboratories, offices, commercial buildings, entertainment, public attractions, green spaces, promenades and parking - by taking a good view of the initial construction phases of the project.

During several walk-through stops, DSD staff engaged in discussions with Turner and Gensler about means of methods, construction timelines and how DSD can improve on coordinating the permitting of such significant developments. There was a reciprocity of information amongst all parties that yielded for better understanding of the construction industry management and DSD's involvement in the permitting process. The experience reinforced the importance of collaborating with the building industry, considering that the coordination work paves the path for better results, leading to a more innovative cityscape.

This type of large-scale work with promising milestones is only possible due to the constant coordination with multiple parties. DSD staff, who directed and streamlined the permitting process to commence construction of this IQHQ eight-block development, are proud to be a part of this collaboration. 

Build Better SD Implementation Approved by City Council

The City Council recently approved the implementation of Build Better SD, a citywide initiative to enable a faster and more equitable delivery of infrastructure and enjoyable public spaces across San Diego. This initiative aims to create a more effective and equitable funding system for public facilities such as libraries, streets, and pedestrian and bike facilities and will prioritize public investments in areas with the greatest need.  

With this action, the City Council adopted resolutions R-314271, R-314272 and

R-314273, creating new citywide Development Impact Fees (DIFs) for fire-rescue, library and mobility projects to replace the current community-specific DIFs.  

Due to the wide variety of existing community-specific fees, a new citywide fee will result in fee increases in some communities and fee decreases in others. For communities where the citywide DIFs for fire-rescue, library and mobility projects were lower than the community-specific DIFs, the citywide DIFs went into effect on Oct. 21. This is to continue to encourage the construction of new homes and to facilitate the creation of fair housing opportunities in high-resource areas. 

For communities where the citywide DIFs are higher than the community-specific DIF, the new citywide DIF will go into effect starting July 1, 2023. Projects that have already submitted applications to DSD before the effective date of the new fees will be subject to the payment of the fees that were in effect at the time the application was submitted or the proposed citywide fees, whichever is lower.

For more information and to view the new resolutions, visit the Build Better SD webpage. For questions, send an email to us at ImpactFees@sandiego.gov.  

Once a Jewel and Now a Nuisance: California Theatre Closer to Compliance, Thanks to Coordinated Effort

In the heart of Downtown San Diego, the California Theatre was once considered a cherished landmark. The Spanish Colonial Revival-style theater opened in 1927, offering up countless vaudeville performances, concerts, plays and movies until it closed in 1990. But after decades of vacancy and deterioration, combined with the inability of property owners to obtain building permits, it has become a nuisance and a hazard.

Over the years, the property at 1122 Fourth Ave. has been bought and sold several times, making it increasingly difficult to move toward any kind of resolution. Until permits are issued to either renovate, redevelop or demolish the theater and bring the property into compliance with state and local laws and building codes, the City’s Code Enforcement Division (CED) has been tasked with monitoring and enforcement.

CED consistently receives complaints and regularly contacts the property owners each time there is an issue. Nuisance activities range from graffiti and trespassing to unsecured openings and fires caused by both deterioration of the building and unauthorized occupants throwing items onto the public right of way.

The good news is that the property was declared a “Public Nuisance,” enabling CED to join forces with the City’s Fire-Rescue Department and the Nuisance Abatement Unit of the City Attorney’s Office. All involved departments are moving expeditiously to bring the property back into compliance.

Through this coordinated effort, CED, and the residents of San Diego, are now seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

“We are looking forward to the future of this property with optimism, recognizing all its potential to improve the quality of life for San Diegans, especially residents and professionals Downtown,” said DSD Deputy Director Leslie Sennett. 

Application Process for Short-Term Rental Licenses Now Open

Hosts can now apply for a short-term residential occupancy (STRO) license to operate a dwelling unit in the City of San Diego for short-term rentals. The application period for Tier 3 and Tier 4 licenses closes on Nov. 30; the STRO license will be required starting May 1, 2023.

The STRO Ordinance, approved by the San Diego City Council and California Coastal Commission, provides guidelines for short-term rentals of less than one month. These guidelines include a requirement for hosts to obtain a license and establish a cap on the number of licenses granted for whole-home rentals operating more than 20 days per year. Learn more.

For more information, please call 619-615-6120 or email stro@sandiego.gov.

City Wants More Input on Neighborhood Development Projects

To ensure more San Diegans are able to provide feedback about infrastructure projects they would like to see prioritized in their neighborhoods, the City of San Diego is updating its policies on how it gathers input. The City is also updating its policies on how to prioritize these investments to be funded more equitably and efficiently. 

With the proposed updates to Council Policy 000-32, the City will conduct a citywide public outreach effort at least once every two years to help determine the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) budget. This could include gathering input from community-based organizations, community planning groups and other interested stakeholders and individuals. Focused engagement would occur within the City’s Communities of Concern and historically underserved or structurally excluded communities. 

Updates to Council Policy 800-14, which sets the guidelines for how CIP projects are prioritized and funded, include amendments to the factors that must be considered when adding needs to the Five-Year Capital Infrastructure Planning Outlook. These amendments ensure that the guiding principles of the City’s recently adopted initiatives, like the Parks Master Plan, Climate Action Plan and Build Better SD, are incorporated into future neighborhood developments and infrastructure investments. Read more.

Still Time Left to Enjoy 'Park Social' Happenings and Installations

There's still time left to enjoy Park Social - a citywide initiative introducing social-specific public art into San Diego's vast and varied park system. Members of the public can enjoy events, installations, happenings and performances through Nov. 20.

Park Social commissioned artists and collectives to develop and present 18 temporary works that relate to a space or spaces in the City’s park system and directly connect the parkgoer and the park, sparking dialogue and encouraging people to get out into the parks and experience them in new, unexpected ways. These works were designed to offer a moment of contemplation, surprise, beauty, irony or humor.

Art Build’s project "Reflexion," for example, is a series of three periaktoi composed of independently rotating mirrored sections. Each section has three mirrored faces, one planar, one concave and one convex. Parkgoers can manipulate each periaktoi to reveal varying reflections of both the surroundings and themselves. Read more.

Have Questions about Sidewalk Vending? 

Back in May, the San Diego City Council approved ordinance O-21459, which established regulations for sidewalk vending activities occurring within the City of San Diego. The approved ordinance became effective on Wednesday, June 22. 

If you're looking for information about how to obtain a permit or have other pertinent questions about sidewalk vending, visit the City's Sidewalk Vending FAQ webpage. 

DSD hosts free informational webinars that demonstrate new program features and help customers learn how to apply step-by-step for permits online. Please visit our Training Video and Webinars page to view recordings of past webinars.