National City Sets Sights on Building Additional Apartments to Combat Housing Shortfall
Mayor Ron Morrison of National City has highlighted a pressing issue: the city’s vacancy rate is alarmingly close to zero. With the majority of the city already developed, the feasible solution lies in vertical expansion. National City, facing a critical housing shortage, is actively exploring ways to create new housing opportunities. In a recent housing density workshop held on Thursday, city officials and community members came together to discuss potential strategies.
Morrison pointed out the city’s unique challenge: nearly every available housing unit is occupied, pushing the vacancy rate to near non-existence. This situation is compounded by the fact that National City has one of the lowest rates of homeownership in San Diego County. “In many cities, there are urban reserves of open space,” Morrison explained. “For us, our ‘urban reserves’ might be the overgrown areas behind a little league field. We simply don’t have open spaces. Building upwards is our only viable option.”
Unlike many cities focusing on increasing affordable housing, National City faces a different scenario. “We have an abundance of low-income housing, which has led to an imbalance,” Morrison said. “While other cities are encouraged to add more low-income units, our targets are set higher, focusing on above-moderate income housing.”
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Plans are in motion to construct several multi-story buildings, ranging from four to six stories, in key areas such as Highland Avenue, Fourth, Eighth, 16th, and 30th Street. However, these developments raise concerns about potential parking issues, as more residents could lead to increased congestion. “The reality is that it’s going to get crowded, and it’s going to happen fast. Not everyone is thrilled about this, given our existing density, but we are under state mandates to expand our housing,” Morrison acknowledged.
With approximately 18,000 housing units currently, National City is tasked with building around 5,000 more units in the next eight years to meet growing demands. The city is also preparing to discuss how these new housing developments will align with and impact their climate action plan in an upcoming meeting next week. This proactive approach reflects National City’s commitment to addressing its housing crisis while considering broader environmental and community impacts.
