The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has approved a proposal by Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer to allow home builders to self-certify their projects in infill areas, which is hoped to accelerate housing construction in the region.
“We are tackling the rising costs of housing by clearing one of the main bottlenecks that’s making our homes so expensive. The faster a project can get a permit, the faster someone can move in,” said Lawson-Remer, vice chair of the board.
Housing development projects often encounter months of plan review, comments, and revisions. These delays can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and increase the risk that inflation can drive up the cost of building materials and labor.
Permits issued in one to five days
Under this program, county building permits could be issued in just one to five business days, according to July 19 news release from the board.
Securing timely building permits is especially critical for affordable housing projects, which operate on strict timelines as required by state funding.
Delays in securing building permits could jeopardize the viability of an affordable housing project and even trigger the potential clawback of state affordable housing funds, according to county officials.
The board vote is expected to expand the county’s existing Plan Self-Certification Program, which was adopted in 2019 to allow for faster development timeframes by eliminating plan review.
The program allows registered professionals to take responsibility for certifying a project’s compliance with building codes, standards, and ordinances.
What the vote does
However, new construction of single-family and multi-family homes is not included under the current program. Only a few types of smaller projects qualify under the current program, such as minor grading, small commercial tenant improvements, small private roads and driveways, minor traffic control, and landscaping.
The vote by the board does the following:
- Directs county staff to explore self-certification programs adopted by the cities of Chicago and Phoenix as potential models.
- Convenes of a Self-Certification Working Group made of industry partners and key stakeholders including the Building Industry Association of San Diego, NAIOP San Diego, and the San Diego Housing Federation (SDHF). The group will provide feedback on scenarios where self-certification is most likely to be pursued, the scope of eligible project components including civil, grading, and landscape plans, training and good-standing standards, and compliance processes including random audits.
- Directs county staff, based on this research and feedback, to develop and report back with options for improving and expanding the county’s Plan Self-Certification Program within areas identified for infill housing in the county’s Transportation Study Guide (TSG), which outlines how transportation impacts caused by development are analyzed in unincorporated parts of the county.
Chicago, Phoenix have similar programs
The cities of Chicago and Phoenix have pioneered successful self-certification programs dating back to 2008 and 2010, respectively.
These programs cover a much broader range of eligible projects including new housing construction, and include strong processes for ongoing training and support, and audits to ensure long-term program success.
Phoenix has processed more than 4,500 building permits under its program, covering everything from single-family housing, subdivisions, multi-family projects under 75 feet, and commercial developments.
