Housing on San Diego Unified Property

Livia at Scripps Ranch, formerly known as the Scripps Mesa Apartments, is a 264-unit apartment community located at 10380 Spring Canyon Road. The development is unusual because it was constructed on property owned by the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) through a public-private development arrangement.

Livia is not a Complete Communities Housing Solutions project. Its development and affordable housing requirements resulted from a separate combination of a long-term ground lease with SDUSD, density bonus provisions, affordable housing agreements, and affordable housing financing.

Project Overview

• Location: 10380 Spring Canyon Road, Scripps Ranch

• Total Apartments: 264

• Affordable Apartments: 53

• Market-Rate Apartments: 211

• Affordable Income Level: 50% of Area Median Income (AMI)

• Affordability Period: 55 years (From the rental of the first Affordable apartment)

• Property Owner: San Diego Unified School District owns the underlying land

• Development Structure: Long-term ground lease / joint occupancy arrangement with private development partners

• Original Developer: Monarch Group

• Current Name: Livia at Scripps Ranch

The San Diego Housing Commission identifies Livia as containing 53 affordable rental apartments for households with low income. SDHC financing records specify that all 53 restricted units are affordable at 50% of AMI and include one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments.

San Diego Unified Owns the Land

One of the most important distinctions about Livia is that SDUSD retained ownership of the property.

In September 2018, SDUSD entered into the Scripps Mesa Ground Lease and Joint Occupancy Agreement, allowing private development of the District-owned property under a long-term lease.

The project combines:

• Market-rate housing

• Affordable housing

• A community/STEAM or makerspace facility

• Other improvements developed as part of the joint-occupancy project

SDUSD describes the partnership as an effort that allowed some District employees seeking affordable housing to live closer to District schools.

53 Affordable Apartments

Of Livia's 264 apartments:

• 53 are deed-restricted affordable apartments

• 211 are market-rate apartments

The 53 affordable apartments are restricted at 50% of San Diego Area Median Income (AMI).

The affordability restrictions remain in place for 55 years.

This means these apartments cannot simply be converted to market-rate units while the affordability restrictions remain in effect.

An Important Detail: The Original Requirement Was 26 Units

The original affordable housing agreement associated with the project's density bonus required 26 affordable apartments for households at or below 50% AMI.

Those units consisted of:

• 9 one-bedroom apartments

• 14 two-bedroom apartments

• 3 three-bedroom apartments

The project subsequently received affordable-housing financing that expanded the affordable component to 53 apartments.

Later San Diego Housing Commission records therefore identify the completed project as:

• 264 total apartments

• 53 affordable apartments

• 211 market-rate apartments

Who Verifies That the Affordable Units Are Actually Affordable?

The affordable units are not simply apartments advertised by the developer as "affordable."

The affordable housing agreement establishes income qualification and compliance requirements.

For the restricted affordable units, the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) is responsible for verifying tenant eligibility under the applicable affordable housing requirements.

The agreement also requires ongoing compliance certification.

Therefore, the affordable units are subject to income restrictions and monitoring rather than simply being offered at rents voluntarily established by the property owner.

Are the Affordable Units Reserved for SDUSD Employees?

This requires an important distinction.

SDUSD has publicly described Livia as providing affordable housing opportunities for District employees, and reports indicate that approximately 50 low-income SDUSD employee families have lived in Livia's affordable apartments.

However, the affordable housing agreement reviewed by SRPG establishes eligibility based upon household income, not employment with San Diego Unified.

The September 2018 Ground Lease and Joint Occupancy Agreement (not currently available online) would determine whether it contains a legally enforceable SDUSD employee preference or set-aside.

San Diego Unified subsequently reported that about 50 low-income families of district employees were living at Livia. 

Livia was designed in part to provide affordable housing opportunities for SDUSD employees, and District employees have occupied many of the affordable apartments. However, SRPG has not yet confirmed that all 53 affordable units are legally required to be occupied by SDUSD employees.

Environmental Review

Livia differs from today's ministerial Complete Communities projects because the development underwent environmental review.

An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was prepared and certified by San Diego Unified for the Scripps Mesa Joint Occupancy Project.

The environmental analysis covered the development of:

• 264 rental apartments

• Affordable and market-rate housing

• Parking structure

• Commercial/retail space

• Community makerspace/lab facility

When the City subsequently considered a Tentative Map Waiver for the property, it determined that the previously certified EIR adequately addressed the development and that a subsequent EIR was not required.

Why Livia Is Different From Complete Communities Projects

Livia is sometimes discussed alongside newer housing developments in Scripps Ranch, but its approval mechanism was substantially different.

Livia did not depend upon being located within a Transit Priority Area or Sustainable Development Area to qualify for Complete Communities Housing Solutions.

Instead, the development involved:

• SDUSD-owned land

• A Ground Lease and Joint Occupancy Agreement

• Density Bonus provisions

• Affordable housing restrictions

• Affordable housing financing

• Environmental review through an EIR

This is different from a qualifying Complete Communities Housing Solutions (CCHS) development, which can receive substantial development incentives and be processed ministerially based upon compliance with the City's objective program requirements.

Why Livia Is Useful to Understand

Livia demonstrates that the term "affordable housing" does not necessarily mean that an entire apartment development is affordable housing.

At Livia:

264 Total Apartments

→ 53 Affordable Apartments (20%)

→ 211 Market-Rate Apartments (80%)

It also demonstrates that affordable housing can be created through several different mechanisms. Livia's affordable housing resulted from a combination of public land, density bonus requirements, affordable housing agreements and financing—not Complete Communities.

Understanding these distinctions is important when comparing Livia with newer housing developments proposed or approved elsewhere in Scripps Ranch.