How to Solve San Diego's Housing Crisis

By Sean Canning

Hey everyone, Sean here. I’m excited to share the very first episode of the new Ten Seventy Architecture YouTube Show — a casual, long-form video series where I’ll be chatting about architecture, permitting, and housing in San Diego (and maybe beyond). In this first episode, I’m joined by Bailey Canning, our marketing strategist who’s been working with us for a few years now. We sat down to talk about a topic that’s become central to my work: how ADUs can actually help solve San Diego’s housing crisis.

To kick things off, I walk through a recent project we completed in Golden Hill — the 24th & F Street project. This one’s a great case study for how you can use the City of San Diego’s ADU Bonus Program to add density while still keeping things contextual and well-designed. It’s a two-lot property that ended up with 12 total units, including three affordable housing units, all while keeping the existing buildings in place. If you’re looking for a real-world example of how thoughtful infill housing can work, this is it.

Beyond the project spotlight, we also dig into some of the bigger issues:

  • Why ADUs are (in my opinion) one of the most effective tools we have for adding housing in San Diego.
  • The key differences between standard ADUs and Junior ADUs (JADUs), and why the latter aren’t as useful in most cases.
  • How economic conditions like interest rates and construction costs are making these projects tougher — but not impossible.
  • The role permitting plays in slowing down or stopping otherwise viable ADU projects, and how we’ve learned to navigate it.
  • Why ADUs don’t just help the city — they can solve real problems for individual homeowners, from multigenerational living to creating office or studio space.

We also touch on two new services we’ve recently launched:

  1. Permit Facilitation – We’ll help you manage the permitting process with the city (which, trust me, is no walk in the park). Whether you’re a homeowner or developer, we can step in to keep things moving.
  2. On-Demand Consulting – If you’re already working with a designer or trying to DIY your plans (whether for a custom home, ADU or major renovation/remodel project) I’ll review your project and let you know what’s likely to get flagged, how to reduce your fees, and what to watch out for.

If you’re interested in ADUs or just want to get smarter about what’s going on with housing in San Diego, give this one a watch. And if you have a project you’re considering, feel free to reach out.

Thanks for tuning in. More episodes coming soon.

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