Mayor Faulconer Pledges to Reform Project Approval Process, Invest in Infrastructure

Addressing a packed ballroom of 360 NAIOP San Diego members and guests at the San Diego Marriott Del Mar last week, Mayor Kevin Faulconer shared his vision for overhauling the development permit process and moving forward with much-overdue public infrastructure projects.

Acknowledging that cities must be competitive to attract the best companies, jobs and development projects, Faulconer said, “The time to get through the regulatory process is a problem for us.”

He added that establishing political will and clear rules are key components in his plan for reforming the permit and approval process for development projects. As part of this effort, he wants to prioritize updating community plans and announced that the Kearny Mesa community plan is in the city’s budget for this year.

He cited having curtailed the linkage fee increases charged to San Diego commercial developers as another positive step, explaining that the city’s revenue comes primarily from sales tax, property tax and transitory occupancy tax. Discouraging development through dramatic linkage fee increases could reduce income from each of those categories.

Linkage fees are one of the revenue sources for affordable housing, and Faulconer noted that San Diego needs an array of broad-based solutions to create more affordable housing. He added that opening up development opportunities closer to transit and creating bike lanes should be considered as part of that strategy.

In addition to new infrastructure opportunities, Faulconer said that the city has “hundreds and hundreds” of partially-funded infrastructure projects, and he plans to announce significant reforms in early March that would “repair the city’s repair program.” He said that road repair would be the top priority.

He also pledged that 50 percent of all new city revenue will go to infrastructure and added that the city is getting back into lease revenue bonds.

When questioned about a new Chargers stadium, Faulconer said that keeping the Chargers in San Diego is important to our region, but that no definitive plan has ever existed for a design and how a stadium would be paid for. He stressed that a plan has to make financial sense for people to support it and that San Diego needs a plan that makes sense.