Building Industry Association
of San Diego

Wow, over 250 members crowed the Del Mar Hilton last week as part of our wildly successful “Meet the Builder” event.  It felt like old times and allowed for very effective business networking.  Booths were manned by Builder reps from Brehm Communities, Brookfield Homes,  Chelsea Development/ Emmerson Construction, CityMark Development,  ColRich Residential, Cornerstone Communities, Hallmark Communities, Intergulf Development Corporation, K. Hovnanian Homes, New Pointe Communities, Inc.,  Pacific Coast Communities/ Heritage Building & Development, Pardee Homes, San Diego Habitat for Humanity, SeaCountry Homes, Inc., Shea Homes San Diego, Shea Homes Southern California, Sudberry Properties, The Corky McMillin Companies, Turner Construction and WaveCrest Enterprises.  Hold October 7th for the next event held jointly with Riverside BIA at a winery yet to be named!

The type of crowding we like to see

Below is a snapshot of the residential permits pulled for San Diego County by city to date this year.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to reject the Merriam Mountains Development in North County.   Citing inconsistencies with the pending General Plan update and the need for a new ’21st century’ vision for development in an AB32 (greenhouse gas reduction) world, Supervisors’ Dianne Jacob, Pam Slater and Ron Roberts voted to reject the project that would have created 2,700 homes while setting aside 1,700 acres as open space.

The vote came after a 6 1/2 hour hearing that pitted scores of supporters against opponents each getting two minutes to make their case to the supervisors.  It was supervisor Roberts who stunned the standing room audience with his remarks immediately following public comment when he announced that he could not support the project. It was Roberts who asked for the rehearing after the December 2009 hearing ended in a 2-2 split because of his absence.

 BIA is pleased to announce that its Partnership Program has exceeded its fundraising goal for 2010, netting an unprecedented $386,000 to date.  Members who participate in the program receive valuable advertising and sponsor benefits, and the association’s core programs are funded.  Learn more about the program.

With strong bipartisan support, the California legislature voted overwhelming to extend a $10,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers.

The new version raises the cap to $200 million to be used for first time buyers of  new or existing homes.  It applies to purchases made this year between May 1st and December 31st and represents 5 percent of the purchase price up to $10 thousand.

The new tax credit program is in response to the hugely successful $100 million tax credit plan adopted last year but ran out of funds long before the deadline.

The governor, who proposed the extended tax credit as part of his job-creation initiative, is expected to quickly sign the bill.

Campaign 2010 is an industry movement focused on actively advocating your PAC-supported candidates and ballot issues.  If you are interested in helping to shape the political landscape of San Diego, contact Matthew Adams.

PGL – the industry’s movement to get our workforce back to work building again, scored its first win on March 5th.  As reported in the North County Times, industry supporters out-numbered the opponents at the Valley Center project’s County Planning Commission hearing which granted a delay.  The next hurdle for the builder is a “field trip” by the commissioners sometime in the next 60 days.  For more info or a way to contact that builder to get involved, visit the PGL webpage.

Important Reminder:  New Construction Permit Goes into effect July 1, 2010.  New Development and Redevelopment Storm Water Performance Standards are changing.

What does this mean to me?

Please take the appropriate actions to ensure your permit is “Grandfathered” as a Risk Level 1.

To learn how to comply with the changes  your BIA will be conducting a one- day training seminar in July.  Please watch the blog for further updates.

For further technical information regarding the changes to the new Construction Permit visit the BIA website.

Very pleased to let you know that close to 200 individuals signed up for Project Green Light.  On this BLOG and our BIA website  we explain how Project Green Light benefits both you and our industry.  At nearly 200 participants, Project Green Light, BIA’s newest “Back to Work” venture shows great promise.  More members signed up in two weeks than signed up for our very successful J.O.I.N. Campaign last year.  It means that our members understand that to get more work, we must get more projects approved!