9 Surplus County & MTS Properties Now Available for Affordable Housing Development

Nathan Fletcher, who serves as Chair of the County Board of Supervisors and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), today announced both entities now have 9 surplus properties totaling more than 13 acres of real estate available to develop affordable housing. Chair Fletcher along with representatives from each entity invited prospective developers to contact them.  

“Access to affordable housing is at crisis levels right now. The cost of homes continues to skyrocket. The County of San Diego and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System are actively working to bring more housing to the region,” said Chair Fletcher. “We have 9 properties with more than 13 acres ready for an affordable housing developer to build homes. People need access to housing that is stable, safe, and secure and we’re ready to do our part.” 

Chair Fletcher also said later this year County staff is expected to bring more properties to the Board of Supervisors to request they be designated as surplus.

Last Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved designating three county-owned properties as “surplus land.” The Properties are:

• Former Northeast Family Resource Center at 5001 73rd Street in the College Area,  

• 6255 Mission Gorge Road in the Grantville area, and 

• Former North Inland Family Resource Center at 600-620 E. Valley Parkway in Escondido,  

To contact the County about its three properties, developers can pre-register by emailing  DGSAssetManagement@sdcounty.ca.gov. The RFPs for the three County properties will be posted on March 9th at www.SDCRE.com.

The available MTS Properties are as follows:

• 13th & National Properties (triangle lots adjacent to 12th & Imperial Transit Center)

• 47th Street Trolley Station

• 70th Street Trolley Station

• Amaya Trolley Station

• Massachusetts Trolley Station

• Riverwalk Site 

To contact the Metropolitan Transit System about its six properties, you can visit www.sdmts.com/real-estate. 

During today’s announcement at the former Northeast Family Resources Center owned by the County, officials from MTS and the County provided information about the properties and highlighted how developers can contact each entity to inquire about properties. In attendance were Nick Macchione, Director of the County’s Health and Human Services Agency; David Estrella, Director of the County’s Housing and Community Development Services and Sharon Cooney, CEO of MTS. 

“By providing funding through programs such as the Innovative Housing Trust fund, the No Place Like Home Program, providing Project Based Vouchers and now through the provision of Excess County land, the County has greatly increased the efforts to create affordable housing in the region,” said David Estrella, Director, Housing and Community Development Services.  

“There’s a lot of housing opportunity coming up on MTS land for San Diego residents,” said Sharon Cooney, MTS chief executive officer. “MTS is intent on creating more housing options for working families on its property to help reduce emissions, spur economic development, and create vibrant neighborhoods around our transit lines.”

Today’s announcement is not the first time MTS and the County are wading into the housing crisis waters.

The County has recently:  

• Approved $23 million to support 4 different projects that will deliver 421 units of housing for seniors, people with disabilities, the homeless or those at risk of being homeless, and people with behavioral health challenges.   

  • Paseo Norte Apartments (Ramona) - Excess County Land 

  • Taormina (San Diego-Kearney Mesa) - Excess County Land

  • The Iris at San Ysidro (San Diego-San Ysidro)

  • Santa Fe Apartments (Vista) 

• $14 million to help open 407 new affordable units at the Saint Teresa of Calcutta and provide behavioral health services for 20 years. This property was built by Father Joe’s Villages. 

• Broke ground in February on 100 affordable housing units for low-income people and families to live in San Marcos with Affirmed Housing. County contributed $6.25 million. 

• Broke ground in January on the 50 unit Valley Senior Village apartment complex in downtown Escondido for older people who are homeless and have a serious mental illness. This property is being built by National CORE and San Diego Community Housing Corporation. County contributed $10 million.

• To date, $50 million invested in the Innovative Housing Trust Fund has leveraged $567 million in other public and private funds to create and preserve 1,397 permanently affordable housing units within 20 developments in 15 communities throughout San Diego County. In August 2021, the Board of Supervisors increased funding by $20 million for a total of $70 million.

• The County’s No Place Like Home funding will total nearly $130 million for regionwide housing development.

MTS has recently:

• Leased three of its properties to affordable housing developers:

  • ShoreLINE - 100% affordable housing - 250 units 

  • Union @ Grantville - 250 units, and 

  • Palm Avenue we will be breaking ground on later this year - 390 units.