The San Diego Housing Federation Recognizes Elyse W. Lowe as the 2024 Recipient of the John Craven Public Service Memorial Ruby Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2, 2024
Contact: Sarah Buchanan, Executive Vice President
San Diego Housing Federation
619-239-6693
The San Diego Housing Federation Recognizes Elyse W. Lowe as the 2024 Recipient of the John Craven Public Service Memorial Ruby Award
The 34th Annual Ruby Awards Celebrates Leadership, Innovation and Impact in Affordable Housing
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Housing Federation will honor Elyse W. Lowe, Director of Development Services Department of the City of San Diego, with the 2024 John Craven Public Service Memorial Award at its upcoming Ruby Awards ceremony on June 6.
A 20-year leader of San Diego governmental policy, planning and operations, Elyse’s portfolio includes expertise in land use, redevelopment, housing and transportation, resource conservation, sustainability, and fiscal management for the second largest City in California. Her NGO experience includes leading and merging two San Diego-based non-profit corporations into a successful community development think tank.
She is well known in the state of California as a thought leader in sustainable community growth and transit-oriented development. She has served as the Mayor’s Director of Land Use and Economic Development and the San Diego City Council’s Land Use and Housing Committee Consultant.
Elyse Lowe has served as the City’s Director of Development Services since 2018. With a budget of $100 million+, and a staff of almost 800, she manages the 2nd largest building department in the state. DSD manages all private development entitlements and permitting, Building & Land Use Enforcement, the Cannabis Business Division and all of Downtown’s long-range and current planning for parks and development. In 2023, DSD issued over 72,000 project related approvals and completed 140,000+ field inspections.
Under her direction in 2023, DSD launched Affordable Housing Permit Now to support 100% Affordable Housing projects per an Executive Order of Mayor Gloria. The results were impressive. On March 15, 2024, DSD launched Complete Communities Permit Now (CCPN) with the goal to complete all reviews in under 30 days. DSD expects CCPN to see upwards of 50 projects processed in 2024 under this program and possibly more.
The Permit Now program was designed to provide greater speed and efficiency in permitting and provide enhanced customer service to applicants seeking to build affordable homes. The program provides strict timelines for review and approval of eligible projects and includes a process designed for clear communication and effective coordination between applicants and City representatives.
Complete Communities is a multifaceted program that encourages development projects near public transportation that combine housing, mobility, parks, and infrastructure. The City’s commitment to streamlining these permits is intended to incentivize further housing development. Since Complete Communities was adopted in December 2020, the City has issued 22 building permits to create 1,600 homes, including 280 affordable homes, under the program.
Each year, the Board of Directors selects a recipient of the prestigious award. The John Craven Public Service Memorial Award is presented to a public employee who has taken risks and has gone above and beyond the call of duty to assist affordable housing developers. Given in memory of John Craven, one of San Diego’s most prominent housing development officials, this award includes $1,000 donation from the Craven family to a nonprofit organization of the winner’s choosing.
“When I enacted my executive order, Elyse Lowe sprang into action. Her leadership has been instrumental in not only making the program happen, but exceeding the 30-day goal and permitting 100% affordable housing projects in just nine days on average," said Mayor Todd Gloria. "She represents the very best of public service and this award is a worthy recognition of her dedication to the people of San Diego.”
“Over the decades of her career, Elyse has always put community service front and center. This has been true in her role as a public employee, representative for a councilmember, leader of a small non-profit, and leading a City department. Her efforts to reduce the hurdles to building housing have helped San Diego leap to the forefront of pro-housing cities in California,” said Stephen Russell, President, and CEO, of San Diego Housing Federation.
The signature event is the country’s largest affordable housing industry recognition event honoring the best people, projects, and achievements during the past year. The 34th annual Ruby Awards will be held June 6, 2024, from 5:30 – 10 p.m. at the San Diego Marriott Marquis and Marina. Tickets are available. Visit https://www.housingsandiego.org/events-2/annual-ruby-awards.