POINT LOMA – For those wondering what’s happening with the affordable housing project proposed in Famosa Canyon, the project is still a go.
It’s just taking a little while.
“Bridge Housing Corp.’s proposed development of affordable housing at the property at the corner of Famosa and Nimitz boulevards is still in the pre-development phase,” said Scott Marshall, vice president of communications and government relations for the San Diego Housing Commission.
Bridge Housing plans to conduct community outreach, submit plans to the city for consideration, apply for necessary financing, and request and obtain building permits before construction can begin.
Construction could start late in 2027, said Marshall. “However, many factors related to these pending items could affect the timeline,” he added.
Cameron Havlik, a spokesperson for Save Famosa Canyon, a Point Loma ad hoc group opposing the city’s plans to construct an affordable housing development at the canyon site, successfully sued the SDHC to obtain pertinent information about the redevelopment project.
SDHC’s response to Havlik’s request asserted that the agency did not have the requested records because it said, “There is no ‘project’ at this time for the property that the Housing Authority of the city owns at the southeast corner of Famosa and Nimitz boulevards.”
“We won that case, and the reason we fought it was that the Housing Commission said it didn’t have to comply because we weren’t a public entity,” Havlik said. “And the court rejected that, and said the city had to comply with Freedom of Information requests.”
However, the result was disappointing, as Havlik noted the city didn’t have any information to give. He pointed out, however, that the court ruling in their group’s favor did have at least one positive effect. “We let [the city] know we’re watching them,” he said.
Previously, San Diego City Council entered into an agreement with Bridge Housing to design and determine the feasibility of building at least 78 affordable housing units at the site.
The City Council’s nine members sit as the Housing Authority, which governs the SDHC. The council’s action authorized the SDHC to build affordable housing on the five-acre parcel in Famosa Canyon, including a $910,000 loan to Bridge Housing for pre-development activities.
In December 2024, the Housing Authority voted 9-0 to approve the sale of the vacant Famosa Canyon property, which had been used as a de facto bicycle track, to Bridge Housing to build 70-plus affordable housing units on the site, reportedly in three multi-story buildings.
Some Peninsulans want the Famosa Canyon property to be left as open space. Havlik said he, personally, is most concerned about the proposed project’s potential to destroy the existing wetlands there.
“That site is a watershed for the area, and is a natural filter for the water that (ultimately) goes into Famosa Slough,” he said, adding he concurs with those who wouldd like to see the property preserved rather than developed. “The 92107 ZIP code is one of the most dense in the city,” Havlik said. “We have two young kids, and we want open space where they can go.”
Rather than a redevelopment project adding more density to the area, Havlik said, “We’d like that money to be spent somewhere else.”
