The San Diego planning agency voted Thursday to begin the process to make way for a new townhome complex in Otay Mesa.
Developer Tri Pointe Homes has proposed converting a 4.46-acre site, formerly intended for commercial purposes, into a development that could house up to 129 units.
The Planning Commission voted unanimously to initiate the process of changing the Otay Mesa Community Plan to allow the project near the intersection of Avenida Caliente and Otay Mesa Road.
As this is a community plan change, it requires additional investigation by city staff and, finally, full approval by the City Council. The process could take up to a year to complete, but the developer is hopeful that it could happen sooner.
Commissioners reacted favorably to the plan because it would create much-needed housing in San Diego. There is little commercial interest in the area and the place is close to several bus lanes.
“It makes a lot of sense to me,” said President William Hofman. “It is difficult to support so much commerce (in that area) and it makes sense with its location close to transit facilities.”
The grounds to the east and west of the lot are vacant, but there is an apartment building, the 644-unit Greenfield Village complex, across the street on Otay Mesa Road. The complex would also be less than a mile from San Ysidro High School.
Otay Mesa, on the US side of the border with Mexico, has seen rapid industrialization in recent years, so more workers may be traveling there and townhomes are close to new jobs.
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Changes to trade agreements during the Trump administration have made it more favorable for US companies to move their business operations to Mexico rather than Asia. Therefore, warehouses are needed on the US side of the border for an influx of goods that are now crossing. At the same time, Otay Mesa’s relatively inexpensive space for industrial flooring has made it a good place for businesses to set up shop.
Some big projects, likely to bring in jobs, include the construction of a 3.4 million square foot Amazon plant and a new 50-acre industrial park project with an investment of $ 100 million.
Jimmy Ayala, president of the Tri Pointe Homes division, said in a phone call after the vote that new homes for sale in the area could mean that people who work in the area would not have to live far from employment.
“We need to balance Otay Mesa’s commercial and industrial employment centers with more housing,” he said.
The current zoning of the Tri Pointe site provides for an automotive-oriented retail or commercial development. But Ayala said the number of people living in Otay Mesa continues to increase and there is a need for housing.
The San Diego Association of Governments estimated that there were 17,524 people living in the Otay Mesa planning area in 2019, an increase of 17 percent from 2010. The area has about 487 single-family homes and 2,164 multi-family units.
Otay Mesa and adjacent areas are likely to see heavy construction in the coming years. New projects continue to be approved in nearby Otay Ranch (which encompasses parts of Chula Vista and unincorporated San Diego County) and Tri Pointe homes, as well as other developers, are exploring more housing projects in Otay Mesa.
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