Policy Update: NAVWAR & MHP Guidlines

SDHF comments on the proposed redevelopment of 70 acre NAVWAR site
The Navy has released environmental analysis for its plans to redevelop the NAVWAR site, a 70-acre site along Interstate 5 at the Naval Base Point Loma Old Town Campus. The Navy presented five alternatives when they issued a notice of virtual public meetings on May 14, 2021 for their Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The preferred alternative is 4 which states Public-Private Redevelopment-NAVWAR and Higher Density Mixed Use with a Transit Center.

San Diego Housing Federation submitted a comment letter on July 13th in support of the Navy’s preferred Alternative while also urging the Navy to require a minimum of 20 percent of the housing units built be deed-restricted affordable housing for low-income households. The development would aid the city of San Diego in reaching its allocation of 108,036 units for the Regional Housing Needs Assessment.

The preferred alternative also proposes an onsite transit center that would enhance the regional transportation system. The Housing Federation mentioned the September 2016 report, “Location Matters: Affordable Housing and VMT Reduction in San Diego County” which found that lower-income households are more likely to live in transit-rich areas, own fewer cars, and are likely to live in larger multifamily buildings, all factors that make affordable housing near transit a key greenhouse gas reduction strategy and another reason why the Housing Federation is urging the Navy to require deed restricted affordable housing as a part of this project.

SDHF submits comments on draft Multifamily

Housing Program (MHP) guidelines The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has released draft 2022 guidelines for the Multifamily Housing Program (MHP). The guidelines have been drafted to comply with AB 434, a bill that aimed to consolidate several funding sources into a more streamlined application process, sometimes referred to as a “Super NOFA.” The proposed guidelines make several substantive changes including: removal of the prohibition on use of multiple department funding sources to assist the same unit; addition of cost-savings scoring criteria; and revisions to scoring factors, among others. SDHF submitted a comment letter on the proposed changes on August 6.