Supervisors discuss future housing and development in unincorporated county

By Paul Levikow

Photo:  map shows targeted areas to be prioritized for housing

November 20, 2025 (San Diego) – With San Diego County experiencing a housing crisis, the Board of Supervisors held a workshop Wednesday aimed at finding solutions for the unincorporated areas, including several in East County.

The Valle de Oro/Casa de Oro neighborhood was identified as being positioned to attract funding due to its Specific Plan. Lakeside, where aging and insufficient infrastructure may be a barrier to development, has also been included as a focus area. Spring Valley was singled out as an “Environmental Justice community” that represents the county's commitment to prioritizing areas disproportionately affected by environmental and socio-economic challenges.

“There is a really good opportunity to do right for our residents in the region. We don’t have enough housing in our region that is supportable,” former San Diego City Councilmember Georgette Gomez said during a presentation before the Board. “This conversation is exciting, but it’s also concerning because we’re talking about the same solutions.”

Gomez was appearing in her current roll as Community Development Officer for Casa Familiar.

“We need an opportunity to think more creatively and do things differently,” she said. “We cannot continue recycling the same policies and expect a different outcome.”

County staff brought forward several items for discussion that will affect decisions in the 2026-2027 fiscal year regarding future development in the unincorporated area. They included the Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) mitigation program, Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, various zoning ordinance updates, and the Sustainable Land Use Framework, including how the Sustainable Land Use Framework will explore implementation of smart growth principles.

“We have to look beyond what we are doing. We’re here now because of what we have been doing,” Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe said. “We should have a sort of all hands-on deck opportunity to test out.”

Montgomery Steppe’s District 4 includes Spring Valley, Casa de Oro, Rancho San Diego, Mt. Helix, La Mesa and Lemon Grove.

“In many of these areas, there is just no public transportation,” she said. “Fire evacuation analysis is extremely important.”

Supervisor Paloma Aguirre pointed out the high cost of housing.

“Nearly half of the households in our county are renters and rents have climbed 50% since 2018. Only one in 10 county residents can afford a median priced home now approaching $1 million,” Aguirre said. “More than 80% of extremely low-income households are spending half of their income just to stay housed.”

Aguirre’s District 1 includes La Presa and parts of Spring Valley.

“We need to start thinking outside of the box. “We have to find a path forward that is forward thinking,” she said. “Obviously promoting equity and inclusion is equally critical. We have a responsibility to ensure people living at the margins are not permanently shut out.”

The State of California has increasingly implemented legislative changes to address housing challenges statewide, but has also implemented new laws to address climate change and lower greenhouse gas emissions, which impact where new development occurs. Local jurisdictions like the County still need to consider how to balance the changes with local policies to support communities.

While the workshop included discussions over long term solutions, Board Chair and District 3 Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer also wanted to focus on a pragmatic and immediate part of the housing solution.

“The mobile home park issue is real and I think it would be helpful for us to look at what do we do to maintain affordability in mobile home parks that are in the county’s jurisdiction. That really should be naturally occurring affordable housing,” Lawson-Remer said. ‘There is real work we can do that is a very low-hanging piece of fruit that I think we need to be focusing on.”

The implementation of Senate Bill 743, which redefined transportation impact analysis from traffic congestion to VMT, has created uncertainty for developers in the unincorporated area. Broader pressures, including rising interest rates, supply chain challenges, State regulatory requirements, and litigation risks, have also impacted development patterns in the unincorporated area. Large discretionary housing projects in the unincorporated area have declined in the past few years.

“There is certainly a limit to what we are going to be able to accomplish in the current paradigm,” Lawson-Remer said. “There is obviously immediate work we can do that we know we’ve got these villages and we’re not building in them and we can do a lot better with what we have.”

County staff reported that housing solutions benefit all segments of the population, including providing housing for those experiencing homelessness, seniors, and vulnerable populations that need steady housing.

Supervisor Jim Desmond pointed out that the Board has to look at all income levels.

“We’re in a housing crisis in San Diego County. We’ve got to make housing affordable to all,” Desmond said. “This next generation, kids who get out of college and maybe they’re making 150 grand a year, they can’t afford a home, they can’t afford a house, and we’re squeezing them out and the next generation is leaving.”

Desmond’s District 5 includes Warner Springs and Borrego Springs in East County, as well as North County communities.

In the midst of concurrent housing and climate and environmental crises, the County is navigating interrelated policy issues around where and how to direct development and what types of development to focus on in the unincorporated area. The workshop provided to the Board background information and current data to support future decision-making in those areas.

“We’ve got a lot of environmental groups in the county that sue over just about anything and I think are abusing the legal process,” Desmond said, pointing out that the Sierra Club is suing the County over the recently approved Harmony Grove housing project.

“There should be a penalty for parties who submit frivolous lawsuits on housing projects,” Desmond said. “How many developers are not even coming forward in fear of litigation right now?”

Staff members indicated that they were taking diligent notes during the workshop and got a lot of information from the Board, civic, business, and environmental groups as well as the public to move forward. The Board voted 5-0 to approve the staff recommendations.