What is housing density and how is it achieved in La Jolla? This new lajolla.ca series examines the complexities of a dense (pun intended) issue.
Welcome to “In the zone,” a new lajolla.ca series that dives into the broad range of topics concerning housing density in La Jolla, with voices including proponents and critics and more.
With an identified housing shortage across the city of San Diego, officials, developers and more are aiding the drive to build more units, seeking opportunity for growth, whether population or economic, in as many places as possible.
In San Diego’s coastal neighborhood of La Jolla, the issue of housing density, or the number of housing units in a particular area, is as complex as anywhere else in the city.
Discussions of construction projects are rife with arguments in favor of adding density; objections to strains on infrastructure; praise for placing density where there was little previously; dislike over design; and more.
La Jolla by the numbers
La Jolla is a community within the larger city of San Diego; La Jolla is not its own city and is beholden to San Diego governance. There are about 43,000 people comprising La Jolla’s population.
Most of La Jolla – considered and covered by lajolla.ca as the ZIP code 92037 – falls within the La Jolla Community Plan, a city planning document last updated in 2014 used as a directive for growth and development of the La Jolla community planning area, with specific policies and strategies for land use.
The La Jolla community planning area consists of approximately 5,718 total acres, including roads, and is bounded on the north by the UC San Diego campus (though parts of UCSD are in ZIP code 92037, it is excluded from the community map with oversight by UCSD).
La Jolla’s borders extend south to the city community of Pacific Beach and east to Gilman Drive (though a portion of 92037 extends from Gilman to Interstate 5 and falls within the University City Community Plan).
ZIP code 92037 extends north of UCSD to Carmel Valley Road at the edge of the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and Beach; this is also within the city’s University City Community Plan.
Within the La Jolla Community Plan, there are 15,308 total housing units, according to 2020 Census numbers with SANDAG’s 2024 estimates.
Of those housing units, 11,181 are single dwelling units, comprising 73% of the housing stock.
The remaining 27% are the 4,127 multiple dwelling units within the La Jolla Community Plan area.
Zone defense: Where La Jolla lives
The city of San Diego has several zones that allow for residential use, with designations for residential-single, residential-multiple and more and identifications of zones of various residential densities.
In the La Jolla Community Plan, areas are marked as:
- Very low density (0-5 dwelling units per net residential acre)
- Low density (5-9 dwelling units per net residential acre)
- Low-medium density (9-15 dwelling units per net residential acre)
- Medium density (15-30 dwelling units per net residential acre)
- Medium-high density (30-45 dwelling units per net residential acre)
- Commercial/mixed use
Most of the plan area is very low density, placed on the hillsides up Mount Soledad, in neighborhoods where large, single-family homes sit on larger lots. The east- and south-facing slopes also contain more HOA-run developments and density is higher, though still within the “very low” range.
La Jolla’s residential density increases in the flatter areas adjacent to the ocean, staying in the Low and Low-medium densities according to the map:
The Village contains the most dense zoning in La Jolla, with small pockets of dense zoning in Windansea, La Jolla Shores and Bird Rock.
It should be noted that, in many of the La Jolla neighborhoods zoned for multiple dwellings, single dwellings exist, meaning these zones are underbuilt for their capacity.
And much of The Village is considered a Planned District Ordinance, where certain uses and densities are allowed; The Shores also has its own PDO.
Why La Jolla needs housing density and how it’s achieved
The La Jolla Community Plan area currently has among the lowest housing densities in the city, leading some to advocate for more, for reasons beyond addressing a housing shortage.
“Housing density in La Jolla is about opportunity and restoring balance,” said Harry Bubbins, former president and current member of the La Jolla Community Planning Association, which advises the city on land use matters within the community plan.
“We are a world-class hub for jobs and education and recreation, but risk becoming a ‘jobs-rich, housing-poor’ enclave,” Bubbins added.
Not enough housing means forcing out the people who sustain the community, he said, creating a burden of long commutes that also stress the environment.
“Thoughtful density is a practical solution for our community’s vitality and a commitment to fairness,” Bubbins said.
ADUs
One way density is added in La Jolla is through the construction of accessory dwelling units: secondary, smaller units built on the same lots as primary homes that are independent living facilities with their own entrances, kitchens and more.
While building an ADU on a property can increase housing density, either by leasing it or offering it to a senior parent or grown child, “in practice in La Jolla,” a property owner often uses it as a guest house, according to La Jolla architect and current LJCPA President Lisa Kriedeman.
Subdivided lots
Cielo Mar subdivision site/Image courtesy of Dickinson & Clark
Density is often added to La Jolla through new construction on subdivided lots. Recently, multiple projects in Windansea and La Jolla Shores have caught community attention for turning one lot into five, six or nine.
Multiple-unit buildings
Adelante Townhomes/Rendering courtesy of Murfey Company
Density is also increased in the construction of multiple-unit dwellings on formerly empty or commercial lots, such as Adelante in Bird Rock and 801 Pearl and Girard Lofts in The Village.
Density considerations
Any talk of housing density in La Jolla does not remain in a discussion of numbers of units, however; questions of affordability, strain on resources and more abound: Who can afford the homes? What about the extra cars on the roads? How can La Jolla keep up with the housing demand?
Future installments of “In the zone” will focus on factors affecting density in La Jolla; local opposition to recent projects; affordability issues; infrastructure concerns and ideas for progress.
