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SAN DIEGO—GlobeSt.com was in attendance for Mayor Kevin Faulconer's speech at the recent NAIOP luncheon here, where he shared his vision for overhauling the development permit process and moving forward with much-overdue public infrastructure projects, among other things.
Faulconer acknowledged that cities must have incentives, something it never really had in the past, in order to attract the best companies, jobs and development projects. “We are in a competitive environment as a city.”
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One negative or “problem” for San Diego, though, he said, is the time it takes to get through the regulatory process.
He added that establishing clear rules and time tables are key components in his plan for reforming the permit and approval process for development projects. “You need to have an expectation and adhere to it to get good quality projects going,” he said.
As part of this effort, he wants to prioritize updating community plans. The Kearny Mesa community plan is in the city's budget for this year, he said.
He cited curtailing 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, he said.
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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, something he said “can't be ignored.” He also pledged that 50% of all new city revenue will go to infrastructure and added that the city is getting back into lease revenue bonds.
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Natalie Dolce
Natalie Dolce, editor-in-chief of GlobeSt.com and GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum, is responsible for working with editorial staff, freelancers and senior management to help plan the overarching vision that encompasses GlobeSt.com, including short-term and long-term goals for the website, how content integrates through the company’s other product lines and the overall quality of content. Previously she served as national executive editor and editor of the West Coast region for GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum, and was responsible for coverage of news and information pertaining to that vital real estate region. Prior to moving out to the Southern California office, she was Northeast bureau chief, covering New York City for GlobeSt.com. Her background includes a stint at InStyle Magazine, and as managing editor with New York Press, an alternative weekly New York City paper. In her career, she has also covered a variety of beats for M magazine, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, FashionLedge.com, and Co-Ed magazine. Dolce has also freelanced for a number of publications, including MSNBC.com and Museums New York magazine.
