A plan to turn library sites into housing has raised some eyebrows.
But reports that it’s actually happening are greatly exaggerated, according to statements by the city of San Diego.
It is no secret San Diego has been dealing with a historic housing crisis, exacerbated by a sky-high cost of living. The prices of available homes for sale don’t help much either, making San Diego one of those most expensive places to live in the country.
In light of that fact, city officials have been scrambling to find ways to create new housing or free up existing places in order to give people shelter and homes.
One of their options is freeing up city property, whether it is unused or could be appropriated for a different use. To that end, there is an ongoing discussion of turning over city land to be used for new housing.
This raised some alarms, particularly for those who care about libraries. Are those sites also being eyed as spots for potential housing developments by the city?
In recent statements, city officials said that there is no set plan in place to do so, and that they are “currently gathering community feedback and conducting analysis to help inform a future plan … while continuing to provide critical public facilities, such as libraries.”
The statement also said that they were “exploring opportunities to add housing to City-owned properties,” and that no decisions had been made about development at this time.
The city added that the effort is intended to explore opportunities and ideas to add housing to city-owned properties, including libraries — not to replace any existing facilities.
The city of San Diego has conducted a series of open houses and public listening sessions in various neighborhoods as it continues to pull together its Affordable Home Development Master Plan, where a list is displayed of all city properties that could potentially be used for housing.
These sites, which are not limited to just libraries, include:
- The Mira Mesa Library adjacent lot;
- The North Park Library;
- The University Community Library;
- Barnes Tennis Center overflow;
- The University Heights Library;
- San Ysidro vacant lot;
- Balboa Park Operations Yard;
- Rose Canyon Operations Yard;
- The Clairemont Library;
- Allied Gardens/Benjamin Branch Library; and
- Linda Vista Library/Skateworld.
