Housing Unlocked Zoning Ordinance Amendment To Be Heard on November 18
The County of San Diego Planning & Development Services (PDS) would like to inform you that the proposed Housing Unlocked Zoning Ordinance Amendment will be heard at the November 18, 2026, Board of Supervisors Hearing.
Revisions were made to the proposed ordinance language based on community and stakeholder feedback received during the courtesy public review period, prior to the amendment going to Planning Commission on August 7, 2026.
Project Name: Housing Unlocked Zoning Ordinance Amendment (Phase I), Related CEQA Addendum, and Resolution Authorizing Application to and Participation in the Pro-housing Designation Program
The Housing Unlocked project will help achieve the housing goals of the County’s General Plan by expanding opportunities for a broader range of housing types and development options. Interested parties are welcome to provide comments and attend the November 18, 2026 Board of Supervisors hearing in person or virtually.
For more information, please review the project Board Letter located on the Board of Supervisors Meeting Calendar webpage at:
Board of Supervisors Hearing Information
Date: November 18, 2026
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: County Administrative Center 3rd Floor, Room 310, 1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92101
Public Participation
Those wishing to participate in the meeting and/or comment should visit the Board of Supervisors Meetings website at:
If you have any questions, please contact the Clerk of the Board at:
Assistance for Persons with Disabilities or Requesting Interpretation
Agendas and records are available in alternative formats upon request. To request accessibility accommodations, please call 619-531-5434 (TTY 619-531-4803) or email PublicComment@sdcounty.ca.gov at least three days before the meeting.
To request a sign language interpreter, please call the Countywide ADA Title II Coordinator at (619) 531-4908.
A Spanish interpreter is available at every Board of Supervisors meeting. Interpretation in other languages may be available if requested at least 72 hours before the meeting, please call 619-531-5434 or email PublicComment@sdcounty.ca.gov.
Please stay in touch!
We continue to welcome stakeholder feedback as the project moves forward.
For more information about the County’s Housing Unlocked program, please visit our project webpage at Housing Unlocked Engage Page.*** To stay informed of future Public Hearings related to this project, please subscribe here.
If you have any comments or questions, please reach out to Geoffrey Plagemann at PDS.LongRangePlanning@sdcounty.ca.gov, or by phone: (858) 505-6677.
Thank you for your time and interest!
County of San Diego | November 10, 2026
Board of Supervisors Hearing - Housing Unlocked Zoning Ordinance Amendment (Phase I)
The proposed Housing Unlocked Zoning Ordinance Amendment (Phase I) will be heard at the November 18, 2026, County Board of Supervisors Hearing. The County of San Diego (County) is committed to advancing housing initiatives that produce diverse housing types, prevent displacement, promote equity and inclusion, streamline the permitting process, and strengthen engagement with the community.
Phase I proposes amending the County’s Zoning Ordinance to update development standards that can unnecessarily constrain housing projects from achieving the residential capacity anticipated by the General Plan.
The County’s General Plan establishes the allowable residential density (number of dwelling units per acre) for each property, while the Zoning Ordinance establishes detailed requirements governing how housing may be designed and constructed. In some cases, existing zoning requirements, including limitations on building types, stories, lot sizes, building separation setbacks, floor area ratio, and the location of open space, can unintentionally restrict design options or prevent projects from achieving the housing potential already envisioned by the General Plan.
Phase I would better align these standards to make it easier for developers to achieve the maximum allowable density, without increasing the allowable density of any property. The Housing Unlocked project was originally a longer, more complex project, but to be responsive to California Department of Housing and Community Development (State HCD) and stakeholder feedback, the County split the project into two phases.
Phase I is focused on the quicker and simpler changes that could have a more immediate impact on helping more housing projects be processed without rezones.
Phase II will consider more robust zoning updates following additional stakeholder and community engagement and hearings.
The proposed Housing Unlocked Zoning Ordinance Amendment (Phase I) would:
1. Increase flexibility in building and site design by removing story limits while retaining maximum building heights; allowing a broader range of housing types; relying on applicable building and fire codes for separation between main buildings; excluding residential garages and similar accessory structures from floor-area ratio calculations; and providing greater flexibility for minimum lot size and usable open space.
2. Support more efficient use of sites identified in the General Plan Housing Element by requiring that any type of housing development on Housing Element inventory (Regional Housing Needs Allocation or RHNA) sites achieve at least 70 percent of the maximum allowable General Plan density, unless that density is determined to be infeasible.
3. Clarify and streamline housing regulations by defining and permitting prefabricated and 3D-printed construction, codifying standards for tiny homes on wheels, and improving the existing site plan permit-exemption process.
County Board of Supervisors Hearing: Wednesday, November 18, 2026
Location: County Administration Center – Chambers, 1600 Pacific Highway, Room 327, San Diego, CA 92101
Agenda(External link) Item 29 (Board Letter and Attachments pg. 35): Adopt Updates to Zoning Rules to Allow More Housing Options and Authorize the County to Reapply for State Pro-housing Designation Program (Public Hearing to Adopt the Housing Unlocked Zoning Ordinance Amendment and Related CEQA Addendum and to Adopt the Resolution Authorizing Application to and Participation in the Pro-housing Designation Program) (Districts: All)
Provide comments
Online, Board of Supervisors website: Coming soon!
Online, Project website: Housing Unlocked | Engage San Diego County
Email: PDS.LongRangePlanning@sdcounty.ca.gov(External link)
Phone: 858-505-6677
Learn more about these draft Zoning Ordinance Amendments by viewing the recording of the Housing Unlocked Zoning Ordinance Amendments to Achieve General Plan Housing Goals webinar that was held on June 17th.
County of San Diego Housing Unlocked Project
The County is working to create more housing options in unincorporated communities. To support these efforts, the County is updating the Zoning Ordinance to better align with current housing goals of the General Plan. This project will work to make it easier to build, or "unlock," housing through an analysis of, and modifications to, the development regulations in the Zoning Ordinance. This project contains multiple parts, including:
Analyzing and amending zoning regulations (for example, development designators) compared to existing General Plan densities.
Reviewing zoning requirements for large group homes and implementing more objective review standards
Analyzing special area development regulations and considering application streamlining through checklists.
Comments