San Diego, CA
If San Diego wants more family-sized apartments, an update to the building code may help
San Diego has emerged as a leader in the nationwide effort to reform local zoning laws to build more housing. But most of the new apartments going up are studios and one-bedroom apartments. Families with children often have to look to the suburbs to find two- and three-bedroom homes they can afford.
As San Diego seeks to encourage more family-sized apartments in its urban core, architects say the key lies not in the city’s zoning laws but its building code. Specifically, a requirement that any building above three stories have two staircases.
A growing “single-stair reform” movement across North America argues this rule — adopted in the early 20th century to allow for faster evacuation during fires — has outlived its purpose. Most countries in Europe, Latin America and Asia, and a few cities in the United States, allow single-stairway buildings of six stories or taller.
Proponents say fire prevention and suppression technology has evolved to the point that a second staircase doesn’t provide much safety benefit. California now requires sprinkler systems in all new residential buildings, meaning fires are extinguished more quickly. Regulations on fire-resistant furniture and building materials have also reduced the risk of fires spreading out of control.
Late last year, the San Diego City Council voted to offer relief from fees on certain three-bedroom apartments to encourage developers to include them in their projects. David Pearson, a San Diego-based architect, said single-stair reform could go much further toward that goal.
Pearson designed a three-story, single-stair apartment building that’s due to break ground this summer in the backyard of a single-family home in Grant Hill. Four of the new homes will have two bedrooms, plus a den space that could serve as an office or nursery.
Pearson said he and his client chose a single-stair layout because it allowed for a shared courtyard, the preservation of the existing house and more space devoted to housing rather than halls and stairways. Single-stair buildings can also allow more units to have windows on multiple sides, which can reduce electricity use by providing more natural light and ventilation.
“If we were to build a second stair and try to create more units, it would have taken over any leftover space,” Pearson said. “It very likely would have incentivized the owner to demolish the existing home and just do the biggest thing possible.”
Most dual-staircase buildings use a layout called a “double-loaded corridor.” Pearson likened the design to a hotel: two staircases on opposite ends of the building connected by a long hallway. Most of the units in these buildings have only one side that opens to the outdoors.
Last year, California passed a law that directed the state fire marshal to produce a study on the safety of single-stair apartment buildings above three stories. The study is due by the end of the year.
Tony Tosca, San Diego’s local fire marshal, said his initial reaction to the law was concern. Building fires can be chaotic, he said, and having multiple paths of ingress and egress can be valuable.
“People are going up there to do rescue and fight fires and set up their operations,” Tosca said.”People are also coming out, so there’s this competing factor. That’s a huge concern for me.”
Still, Tosca said he’s open to allowing taller single-stair buildings if they’re coupled with other life and safety regulations, such as limiting the number of units allowed on each floor.
“Housing is an important issue here in California, especially in San Diego,” Tosca said. “As long as there’s something that maintains that life safety aspect, we’re all in support of it. But we just have to make sure that it’s done the right way.”
One organization pushing for statewide single-stair reform is the Los Angeles-based Livable Communities Initiative.
The group’s policy director, Ed Mendoza, said in addition to offering better light, ventilation and open space, single-stair reform can lead to greater density within smaller buildings that fit better into a neighborhood’s architectural character. Today, developers often have to purchase multiple lots to have enough space for a project that makes economic sense.
“We don’t have to wait for large sites to get combined, we don’t have to have half of our neighborhood block torn for one apartment complex,” Mendoza said. “The impact (of growth) won’t be that sudden. It’ll be a very gradual thing.”
Mendoza said he has worked with officials in cities like Santa Monica, Burbank and San Luis Obispo to study local building code amendments to allow taller single-stair buildings. He and Pearson also had a meeting with an aide to San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria last year.
Pearson said he hopes Gloria sees the value in single-stair reform and directs city staff to study the issue more closely.
“I would like to see the city look at building code reform as a means to create good, safe family units that ultimately provide more freedom of choice for residents of San Diego to stay put in San Diego, not move out to the suburbs,” Pearson said.
The San Diego State Aztecs’ have moved off the bubble and back into the NCAA Tournament’s Field of 64 in the latest ESPN’s Bracketology projections.
The Aztecs must feel like a yo-yo, but now it’s in a good way. Bracket expert Joe Lunardi moved them from the bottom of the First Four Out — No. 72 — to holding the Mountain West’s automatic bid after an 89-72 home romp Wednesday night over Utah State, which had held the auto-bid in bracketology for a few weeks now.
Lunardi now has the Aztecs as the No. 11 seed in the West Region, with a projected first-round date against former MW rival BYU in Portland.
Lunardi wrote that SDSU’s auto-bid “shifts the entire bubble.”
Wednesday night’s victory not only pulled the Aztecs (19-8, 13-4) into a tie with Utah State (23-5, 13-4) atop the MW standings, but it was just their second Quad 1 victory in six such opportunities.
SDSU’s next two games are both Quad 1 chances, at New Mexico on Saturday and then at Boise State on Tuesday night.
The win lifted the Aztecs only one spot in the NCAA NET Rankings, to No. 43. Those rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for March Madness.
SDSU’s resume for earning an at-large berth has been on shaky ground all season, and was seriously damaged last week when the Aztecs lost at home to Grand Canyon and were then routed at Colorado State, both Quad 2 games.
SDSU’s best bet to assure a trip to March Madness for the sixth straight season is to win the MW tournament in Las Vegas and claim the automatic bid. That requires winning three games in as many days, and perhaps a third showdown against the Aggies, who beat the Aztecs 71-66 in Logan on Jan. 31.
Lunardi now has Utah State projected as an at-large team, but still with the No. 7 seed in the East, facing No. 10 Texas A&M in a first-round game in St. Louis.
New Mexico (21-7, 12-5), lurking just a game behind SDSU and USU, has dropped from the Last Four In at No. 68 to the First Four Out at No. 70.
The Aztecs were the unanimous preseason pick to win the MW regular-season title in their final season in the league before moving into the Pac-12 along with Utah State, Boise State, Fresno State and Colorado State.
Saturday’s game at New Mexico is set to tip off at 11 a.m. PT and will air on CBS.
The top teams in the West Coast Conference are jockeying for position in the standings as the regular season draws to a close, and the Oregon State women took care of business Thursday night, blowing out the San Diego Toreros 83-49 to move to 21-9 on the season, and 13-4 in conference play.
Oregon State’s Tiara Bolden Grabs WCC Honor After 44 Points Over Two Games
The Toreros have been a basement dweller in the conference for the last few seasons, so this result isn’t surprising, though it’s magnitude is a bit eye-raising. The Beavers wasted no time putting San Diego into a hole, opening the first quarter on an 8-0 run that Tiara Bolden and Kennedie Shuler getting involved early. Oregon State held a 14 point, 26-12 lead after one.
The second quarter wasn’t as lopsided, but San Diego wasn’t able to make much headway into the Beaver lead. Six points from Olivia Owens kept San Diego within shooting distance, but defensive pressure from Kennedie Shuler and strong rebounding from Lizzy Williamson kept the Toreros under control. Oregon State ended the first half up by 13, 40-27.
Oregon State Dominates Cougars in 79-51 Blowout
Oregon State tightened their grip in the third. While Olivia Owens and Kylie Ray managed to give the Toreros some hope early in the quarter, Oregon State went on a run late in the period to get their lead to 21 at the highest. San Diego finally snapped the Beaver hot streak, but a three from Kennedie Shuler ended the quarter in a 61-43, 18 point Beaver lead.
The bottom seemed to fall out of San Diego in the fourth, with the Toreros only putting six points on the board. Tiara Bolden and Kennedie Shuler kept the points flowing for the Beavers, while Lizzy Willilamson continued to dominate the boards. A layup with an and one from Elisa Mehyar were the last Beaver points of the game, giving Oregon State a 34 point, 83-49 win.
Oregon State Takes Down Portland 64-54 in Season Saving Game
It was a good night for several Beavers, with Kennedie Shuler once again leading the team in scoring. She finished the night with 22 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. She can do just about everything on the court.
Tiara Bolden continued her hot streak with a 17 point night, along with four rebounds and four assists. Jenna Villa added 14 points, one rebound and one assist. Lizzy Williamson added another double double to her resume, with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Oregon State’s Winning Streak Ends With 55-51 Loss to LMU
There’s one last item on the agenda for Oregon State, a season-closing meeting with the Loyola Marymount Lions Saturday at Gill Coliseum. The Lions handed Oregon State their first WCC loss of the season back in January, so getting some revenge before the conference tournament would be a good statement from the team. Tip off is set for 1 PM PT.
Mayor Todd Gloria sought the public’s feedback Thursday in shaping San Diego’s 2026-27 fiscal year budget, as the city launched a digital survey to help determine which programs and services are prioritized and which are reduced.
The survey is available at datasd.typeform.com/2027budget.
Officials will use responses in crafting the new budget, which takes effect on July 1. The City Charter deadline to release a draft budget is April 15, “allowing ample time for resident feedback to be considered during budget discussions,” officials said.
Gloria said that the city has already “closed hundreds of millions of dollars of a longstanding structural deficit, but we are not done. The next budget will require even tougher choices, and I want to be clear with residents: We will not be able to do everything we might like to do.
“I’m asking San Diegans to take a few minutes to tell us what matters most to them, and what they’re willing to forgo, as we build next year’s budget,” he added.
The five-minute survey is open to residents living within San Diego city limits. Those without home computer access can fill out the survey at any city library.
According to Gloria’s office, the city’s projected deficit is $120 million for the next budget, which the city is required by law to keep balanced.
In addition to asking what residents’ top priorities are, the survey asks if the city “should generate more revenue to protect services.”
Offered in English and Spanish, the survey is available until the start of May.
Officials said residents can also sound off on the budget process by attending City Council budget meetings either in person or via Zoom.
Council members will discuss the budget during their March 10 meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. at the City Administration Building downtown.
Public library locations can be found at sandiego.gov/public- library/locations.
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