The Following chart represents the number of single-family and multifamily building permits pulled in San Diego County since 2006.  While improving from the depths of the recession, permit activity remains far below the annual rate of 10,500 units necessary to accommodate population growth.  BIA remains steadfast in its advocacy on behalf of the 700 member companies and 60,000 men and women affiliated with the construction industry.

The building industry recognizes that it needs to be smart and strategic in its energy efficiency building practices, especially with Sacramento asking for ever greater compliance. The day is coming when the net-zero environment is going to be the standard. An important weapon in our arsenal is our partnership with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). Through our participation in SDG&E’s California Advanced Homes Program (CAHP), San Diego builders have constructed a strong foundation in establishing an energy ethic.

Brookfield's RockRose homes have a building efficiency of T24+35% with optional EE upgrades at T24+45%.

In fact, the amount of energy saved in the past two years through new home construction has gone through the roof. San Diego builders are outperforming CAHP’s projections, with the kilowatt hour (kWh) goal expected to reach 216 percent of the three-year program cycle goal. (more…)

Wermers Multi-Family Corp.

Wermers Multi-Family Corp. has recently completed the City Heights Square Mixed-Use Project in City Heights, San Diego.  This project offers 21,000 square feet of retail space, rental living units, and three levels of parking.  Walgreens is already open and occupying 10,000 square feet of the retail space with the remaining space left for needed community services.

City Heights Square by Wermers Multi-Family Corp.

Vice President Richard Wood lead the Wermers team on this project with Ken Maskevich as Project Manager, Mr. Marco Leyva and Rodney Short as Superintendents, Jaime Falcon as Site Coordinator and Lorrie Kline as Project Accountant. (more…)

Recommendations to improve project processing will be heard by the County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday, December 7th. The board appointed Task Force began its work in April and focused on the discretionary land use permitting process and produced 17 recommendations to improve regulatory efficiency.  The  recommendations include ongoing staff  training, an end to redundant plan checks, reform planning group procedures and the creation of an Audit Committee to monitor the regulatory process.

The recommendations were crafted following 16 meetings and multiple interviews with county staff.  The Supervisors are expected to accept the report and direct staff to evaluate the findings and report back within 60 days.

Will you help make the holidays brighter for under-privileged youth in the San Diego Community?  Please consider purchasing a bike for BIA Cares’ 16th Annual Holiday Bike Drive.  Over the years, BIA Cares has provided bikes to more than 6,400 under- privileged children and to 65 different charities in San Diego County.

Last year the BIA’s membership raised over $16,000, from individual member and corporate donations; to purchase bikes that were given to 18 different charities and toy drives throughout San Diego. (more…)

The City of San Diego Land Use and Housing Committee  accepted a laundry list of recommendations that could fund and create more affordable housing units as part of an Affordable Housing Master Plan.  The recommendations were the byproduct of a stakeholder task force that was created after the BIA and the business community strongly objected to an earlier proposal that would have doubled the affordable housing linkage fee paid by commercial/industrial development.

The recommendations are a combination of broad based funding sources and regulatory reforms that could make affordable housing production more economically viable.  For two decades, the city has targeted new construction as the primary funding source for its Affordable Housing Trust Fund despite the fact that it was originally designed to have multiple funding sources. The BIA has argued that the reliance on new construction is tantamount to a job tax because it targets job creating commercial and industrial projects.  No other city in the region charges such a fee.

The list will be vetted by city staff  and is expected to return to committee in January 2012.

The Chula Vista City Council voted to extend the city’s fee deferral program through 2012.  First established in 2009, the deferral program allows builders to pay their impact fees at final inspection rather than at the initial building permit stage.  Fees can go for tens of thousands of dollars or higher in many cases  and the ability to delay payment until the end of the project can now be the determinant factor as to whether or not a project is economically viable. The city reports that the program may have a long term positive impact on city property tax revenues due to the projects that went forward as a result of the fee deferral program.

Deferred fees include Transportation, Park,  Drainage, and Sewer.

Cut the red tape and get people back to work was the central theme during a Monday evening workshop on regulatory relief held by the San Diego city council.  A nearly full house was on hand for the three hour workshop that focused on ways to improve the city’s regulatory process in an effort to jump start the local economy.  The workshop was organized by Council President Tony Young and Councilmember Lorie Zapf and brought out businesses large and small.

The BIA presented a host of recommendations on issues involving project processing and regulatory reforms.  BIA Chairman, Russ Haley addressed the council with a list of 20 recommendations designed to stimulate construction activity in the hopes of getting some of the 40,000 unemployed construction workers back to work in San Diego. The list also included a call to expand the fee deferral program to include water and waste water fees and the creation of a ‘Little Hoover Commission’ to explore ways to further improve the land use process.

The city council will consider the proposals as part of their 2012 legislative goals.

BIA Cares, the charitable foundation of the Building Industry Association of San Diego County has begun its 16^th year for their highly successful “BIA Cares Holiday Bike Drive.” Over the years, BIA Cares has provided bikes to more than 6,400 under- privileged children and to 65 different charities in San Diego County.

Last year the BIA’s membership raised over $16,000, from individual member and corporate donations; to purchase bikes that were given to 18 different charities and toy drives throughout San Diego.

Eric Jones of Urban Real Estate Services and Mark McMillin of The Corky McMillin Companies established the annual bike drive in 1995 assembling the kids bikes out of McMillin’s off-road racing garage in National City. (more…)

The San Diego City Clerk’s Office has just announced that the Comprehensive Pension Reform Initiative has qualified for the June 5, 2012 primary.

The hard fought signature drive – with BIA support – collected over 115,000 valid signatures despite fierce union opposition.  The effort blew past the necessary 94,000 signatures needed to qualify.  Unions plan to mount a vigorous campaign to defeat the ballot measure leading up to the primary election.