Reader Rant: ‘Why Is No One Talking About Starter Homes?’

By Brian Fowler

Everyone knows there is a housing crisis in our county and has been for some time. Some define it as the homeless issue, whether through self- experience or being impacted by the effects. The way it robs people of their dignity and degrades the neighborhoods. Others view it through the fearful lens of the ever- increasing rental rates and ask themselves will they remain housed. Couples chasing the dream of home ownership are frustrated by their inability to save enough as prices continue to soar.

How can we fix this?

Starting with the Gaslamp Quarter revitalization in the 1980s — prior to this remake there were over 14,000 SROs in San Diego. Single room occupancy hotels renting by the month are not luxurious accommodations. They provide one bedroom to sleep in with a common bathroom and shower at the hall’s end. They are however, very affordable.

It’s more preferable than living on the streets. In the haste to redevelop downtown no one planned for replacing them. As a result, less than 3,000 SRO`s still exist.

Imagine how many of the unhoused could live much more safely today if we restored that stock. The landscape of the neighborhoods would change dramatically. Thanks to the passage of SB 2011, vacant unused commercial buildings can now be renovated into residential towers. Instead of leasing an empty warehouse for thirty plus years where the city would take on all maintenance and liability and spend an exorbitant amount of money on a building it will never own. Or buying failing hotels for above market rates that house only a handful, it makes more sense for the city to purchase a vacant tower that already has bathroom banks on each floor and the accompanying plumbing infrastructure to rebuild into SRO`s managed by someone like Father Joe`s and return dignity to their lives of those caught in this nightmare.

Didn`t 101 Ash St teach Mayor Todd Gloria anything? If and when they no longer serve a purpose, the city could sell them at the then current market rate. Most of the homeless people don`t own a vehicle so the underground parking could be rented to the public to help replace all the downtown parking lots that no longer exist and offset the cost of maintaining these structures.

San Diego stopped building starter homes around the turn of the century. A starter home is defined as 1200 square feet or smaller single- family house. Whole sections of San Diego were developed this way. My cousins, a family of nine, lived in a 3 bedroom, 1 bath house in Clairemont and survived. Thirty years ago, young couples would buy a starter home and as their family grew and they gained equity in their house, they would trade up.

Why was this model abandoned? Partially because the large undeveloped tracts of land were disappearing. However, there are still areas to build within our region.

When searching for new housing developments, the homes are generally 2500 S.F. and up starting at $1.3 million and climbing. Yet the nuclear family has shrunk to just over 3 people. Does this make sense?

So, less houses are allowed per acre again cutting down on housing supply. Developers still offer buyers a condo or townhome around 1200 S.F. Some people want the yards, privacy, and parking availability that comes with the single- family residency and should be able to purchase this at a fair price. Developers claim they can`t make money off smaller homes. Total B.S. They just can`t make as much. Bigger homes with fancier fixtures allow for greater mark- up.

So, it is in their best interest.

However, this is not in the best interest of the public. Developers claim that 40% of the cost of the house is in development improvement. If the City had the backbone, they could streamline the process like they did for ADU`s thus significantly lowering the price of home ownership.

Mayor Todd Gloria and the City Council are allowing San Diego to be turned into a play- ground of the rich by doing nothing to stop this! If they have the authority to tell developers downtown that a certain percentage of the hi-rise must be affordable housing, then they could demand  say 60-80% of a housing tract to be stand-alone single- family homes.

If a person could purchase a new starter home for $650,000, why would they pay over $900,000 for a fifty –year- old starter home? This would drive the price of housing down and in turn the rental rates. So why is Mayor Gloria and Council President Sean Elo-Rivera not discussing this? Perhaps because of the large contributions given by developers to their campaigns has blinded them to the needs of all San Diegans, not just the rich.

Brian Fowler is a resident of City Heights and a retired Union Carpenter.