SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is looking into on how to better cut down on greenhouse gas emissions while finding more affordable housing.
In a virtual meeting on Wednesday morning, the supervisors will gauge how to implement a "vehicle mileage traveled" policy — a policy which stems from a law called SB 743 and will identify the distance and number of trips a car takes.
Those from the group Climate Action Campaign told ABC 10News hope it's used to create more affordable housing closer to mass transit.
"We want the board to use SB 743 — the state law — as a tool to incentivize affordable housing, to create sustainable neighborhoods and communities where people have opportunity to bike and walk to anything that they need,” said Madison Coleman, a policy advocate with Climate Action Campaign.
Some housing advocates said this system would come with fees for new housing given how far a new home is from a transit center or urbanized area.
The Building Industry Association of San Diego County tells ABC 10News this could tough to create middle-income housing in rural areas.
"You'll find impact fees of per new home anywhere from $30,000 to $500,000 or more in the unincorporated area in order to mitigate for the new vehicle mile traveled regulations,” said Matthew Adams, the Vice President of the Building Industry Association of San Diego County.
The association says the fees could make new housing in unincorporated areas virtually impossible to do.
"I don't think anyone would quarrels with the fact that we have to address the climate change crisis that we are under. But we also have a housing crisis,” Adams said. “And we must find a balance to address both. This is not a balance."
There are concerns from those in favor of having this system passed for the environment’s sake.
"Our concern is that the county is going to not properly implement this state law and use it to improperly develop sprawl development,” Coleman said. “Again, we are advocating for them to do the reverse which is to build affordable housing near transit."
