Fundamentals of Affordable Housing: Design and Development Series Presented by San Diego Habitat for Humanity

Property Tour – Kimball Highland by Community HousingWorks

Join us for a property tour in our Fundamentals of Affordable Housing: Design and Development series presented by San Diego Habitat for Humanity, featuring the Kimball Highland community developed by CHW.

This guided site visit and conversation will explore how design decisions are made in the context of feasibility, policy, and community needs. Participants will hear directly from the project team about how they navigated challenges from concept through completion, and the lessons that continue to shape their work.

Event Details
Friday, October 23
8:30 am to 11:30 am
Location: 1221 D Avenue, National City, CA 91950

About the Community

Holistically connecting families and older adults with health, affordable housing, transportation, and community engagement, the Kimball Highland Master Plan will integrate affordable housing for families, a federally qualified health center, PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) in a transit-oriented village close to a senior nutrition center, shopping, cultural institutions, and a beautifully refurbished public park that connects by bikeway to the San Diego Bay. Kimball Highland puts residents at the center of a rich tapestry of services and amenities where they can be supported and honored in an intentionally intergenerational neighborhood. The partners are intent on creating a space where agencies can spend less time and resources overcoming barriers of transportation, isolation, outreach and more time serving, integrating, and empowering families and older adults.

The Kimball Highland Master Plan will look at the central neighborhood of National City as a comprehensive and transformative master plan covering two sites, infrastructure improvements, residential family and senior units (to promote aging-in-place). Community HousingWorks will develop, own, and manage these affordable homes, augmented by its award-winning resident services programming for next generation success and family financial fitness.

San Ysidro Health (SYH) is a leading safety-net provider of critical primary health services in the San Diego Region, as the second largest health center network in San Diego. The PACE Center will serve up to 500 clients, while the Federally-Qualified Clinic will serve the entire community.

Download the fact sheet here

What to Expect

This property tour is designed as a live case study. Participants will explore:

• Project vision, goals, and population served

• Development and design approach

• Key challenges during planning, approvals, and construction

• How the team navigated tradeoffs and constraints

• Post occupancy reflections, including what worked and what could be improved

• Lessons learned to inform future affordable housing developments

The experience will include guided touring, facilitated discussion, and time for informal connection.

Contact

For more information, please contact:
Sarah Buchanan, Executive Vice President

Fundamentals of Affordable Housing: Design and Development Series Presented by San Diego Habitat for Humanity

Emerging Housing Typologies: From Innovation to Application

As affordable housing developers navigate rising construction costs, limited resources, lengthy development timelines, and growing sustainability goals, new housing products and construction approaches are creating opportunities to rethink how homes are designed and built.

Join the San Diego Housing Federation for Emerging Housing Typologies: From Innovation to Application, the next event in our Fundamentals of Affordable Housing: Design and Development series, presented by San Diego Habitat for Humanity.

This morning gathering will bring together industry leaders working with innovative building systems, materials, and housing models. Rather than discussing innovation only in theory, the conversation will examine how these approaches can be applied within real affordable housing projects.

Panelists will share the products and construction methods they are advancing, the populations and projects for which they may be best suited, and the practical considerations that developers and their partners should understand before pursuing them.

Event Details
Thursday, September 3
8:30 am to 11:30 am
Location: 4747 Viewridge Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123

Agenda

8:30 am | Registration Opens, Coffee and Networking

9:30 am | Welcome, framing, and panelist introductions

9:35 am | Presentations from speakers

9:55 am | Moderated panel conversation

10:35 am | Audience Q&A

10:55 am | Closing takeaway and transition to Guided Tour of LifeBox

11:30 am | Closing and Adjourn

The discussion will explore:

• How emerging housing typologies can help address construction costs and development timelines
• Opportunities to improve sustainability, durability, design, and scalability
• How new systems interact with financing, permitting, procurement, and regulatory requirements
• The types of projects and populations that may benefit most from these approaches
• Barriers to broader adoption and what is needed to move from pilot projects to wider application
• Lessons learned from implementing innovative construction methods in real-world settings

Confirmed speakers include:

Vino Pajanor, Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego
Sharing Catholic Charities’ experience exploring an innovative foam-based building system and its potential applications for housing development.

Charles Bullard, LifeBox
Sharing LifeBox’s approach to innovative housing production and the opportunities it may offer for communities seeking flexible and scalable housing solutions.

Additional speakers representing the mass timber industry is also being invited to join the conversation.

The program will include a moderated panel discussion, audience questions, opportunities for peer learning, and time to connect with colleagues over coffee.

This event is designed for affordable housing developers, architects, designers, general contractors, public agency representatives, policy professionals, advocates, emerging professionals, students, and others interested in expanding housing production throughout San Diego County.

About the Series

Fundamentals of Affordable Housing: Design and Development is a professional learning series that strengthens sector knowledge through real-world case studies and candid conversations. The series explores how affordable housing projects are designed, financed, approved, and built in San Diego County, with an emphasis on collaboration, problem-solving, and lessons learned.

All sessions are hosted as welcoming morning gatherings with coffee, creating space for professional learning, conversation, and connection across the disciplines involved in delivering affordable housing.

Contact

For more information, please contact:
Sarah Buchanan, Executive Vice President

Fundamentals of Affordable Housing: Design and Development Series Presented by San Diego Habitat for Humanity

Property Tour – ShoreLINE by Affirmed Housing

Join us for the first property tour in our Fundamentals of Affordable Housing: Design and Development series Presented by San Diego Habitat for Humanity, featuring the ShoreLINE community developed by Affirmed Housing.

This guided site visit and conversation will explore how design decisions are made in the context of feasibility, policy, and community needs. Participants will hear directly from the project team about how they navigated challenges from concept through completion, and the lessons that continue to shape their work.

Event Details
Thursday, August 6
8:00 am to 11:30 am
Location: 4470 Alvarado Canyon Road, San Diego, CA 92120

Agenda

8:30 am | Registration Opens

9:00 am | Welcome, Coffee, and Networking

9:30 am | Meet the Project Team and Project Overview

10:00 am | Audience Q and A

10:10 am | Guided Property Tour

Tour highlights may include residential units, community spaces, and additional property features to be confirmed. Tours may be divided into two groups running simultaneously.

11:00 am | Closing and Adjourn

About the ShoreLINE Community

ShoreLINE is a transit oriented affordable housing community located just north of Interstate 8 and adjacent to the MTS trolley line.

The development includes 126 units serving a range of household sizes and income levels, with affordability set between 30 percent and 60 percent of Area Median Income.

Unit Mix
• 38 studios
• 23 one bedroom units
• 32 two bedroom units
• 33 three bedroom units

This mix supports individuals, families, and larger households, reflecting the diverse housing needs within the region.

Project Highlights
• Transit oriented development with direct access to public transportation
• Deep affordability levels, including 37 units at 30 percent AMI
• Collaborative financing structure including public and private partners
• Designed to balance density, livability, and long term community integration

Funding Partners Include

• California Bank and Trust

• Banner Bank

• Boston Financial

• San Diego Housing Commission

• City of San Diego

• California Department of Housing and Community Development

• California Debt Limit Allocation Committee

• California Tax Credit Allocation Committee

What to Expect

This property tour is designed as a live case study. Participants will explore:

• Project vision, goals, and population served

• Development and design approach

• Key challenges during planning, approvals, and construction

• How the team navigated tradeoffs and constraints

• Post occupancy reflections, including what worked and what could be improved

• Lessons learned to inform future affordable housing developments

The experience will include guided touring, facilitated discussion, and time for informal connection.

Project Team

• Affirmed Housing – Developer

• Studio E Architects – Architect

• HA Builders – Construction

• Compass for Affordable Housing – Resident Services

• MTS

• SANDAG

• ConAm - Property Management

Contact

For more information, please contact:
Sarah Buchanan, Executive Vice President