Our housing fights ahead

It’s a new year but I’ve got a feeling it’ll be full of some familiar fights.

San Diego residents routinely rank housing costs among their top concerns. And year after year, housing policy decisions and approvals for specific projects are among the region’s biggest political disputes.

I pulled together a list of five major developments I expect to be big stories this year.

The developers behind Midway Rising expect the City Council to vote on the project early this year. But they’ll still need two more Council votes before the whole thing is fully approved, and those could come in 2026 too. And even though the California Supreme Court last month agreed with a previous ruling striking down the ballot measure that would have allowed the project to breach the coastal height limit, the developers are still confident their project can go forward without it.

A lawsuit over a Golden Hill development could result in a significant precedent over a controversial city housing policy.

The San Diego Unified School District is gearing up to approve one of the most significant housing projects in the city’s urban core in years.

The developers of a 23-story tower in Pacific Beach now argue the city took too long to review the project, so it should be automatically approved under a state law. The city says it took that long because the developers submitted incorrect or incomplete plans. The disagreement could end up in court.

And the Civic Center redevelopment, a stop-and-start dream for years, is looking to build some momentum in its latest iteration.

But you tell me: Did I forget any others? Email me at news@timesofsandiego.com.