What San Diego’s Apartment Construction Boom Can Teach Long Island About Smart Growth
San Diego County’s apartment construction increased 10% over the past three years while Los Angeles saw a 33% decline during the same period, according to a recent reporting in the Los Angeles Times. The difference? Clear planning frameworks, defined approval processes, and a business-friendly approach that doesn’t sacrifice community input for development velocity.
As Long Island grapples with its own housing challenges, the lessons from San Diego’s success offer valuable insights for developers, municipalities, and industry advocates working to balance growth with preservation.
Clear Plans Enable Efficient Development
San Diego’s success stems largely from its clear, enforced General Plan that provides developers with predictable pathways to approval. When projects align with community plans, they can be approved at the staff level rather than requiring discretionary reviews that add months or years to timelines.
“The difference between markets that attract development and those that struggle often comes down to process clarity and consistency,” says Jon Weiss, Principal and President of Construction at B2K Development and newly appointed President of the Long Island Builders Institute (LIBI). “When municipalities have clear plans and stick to them, developers can invest confidently. When every project requires extensive discretionary approvals, even well-intentioned developments face uncertainty that impacts feasibility.”
Long Island’s municipalities vary widely in their approach to development approvals. Some communities have embraced updated comprehensive plans and streamlined processes, while other maintain frameworks that create extended timelines and unpredictable outcomes.
The Cost of Regulatory Uncertainty
Los Angeles developers cite the city’s outdated General Plan, inconsistent application of rules, and extensive discretionary approval requirements as primary reasons for investing elsewhere. The impact is measurable: apartment construction in LA County hit an 11-year low in late 2024.
Industry insiders note that LA has been “redlined by the majority of the investment community” due to regulatory complexity, aggressive rent control measures, and policies that make development economics challenging.
While Long Island hasn’t faced the same degree of developer exodus, the region’s regulatory complexity presents similar challenges. Projects that require extensive environmental reviews, multiple board approvals, and community opposition management can see timelines stretch from years to decades.
“At B2K Development, we’ve successfully navigated complex approvals across Long Island by investing heavily in community engagement and working collaboratively with municipalities,” Weiss notes. “But the most successful projects happen where communities have done the work up front — identifying where growth should occur, updating plans to reflect current needs, and creating clear pathways for appropriate development.”
Balancing Growth with Community Preservation
San Diego’s approach doesn’t eliminate community input — it channels it effectively through the planning process rather than project-by-project battles. By upzoning areas that can support increased density and creating clear community plans, the city enables development that serves regional housing needs while respecting neighborhood character.
Long Island faces unique challenges in this balance. Historic communities, environmental sensitivity, infrastructure constraints, and strong neighborhood associations all play legitimate roles in development discussions. The question isn’t whether these factors should influence development — it’s how to incorporate them efficiently.
Industry Advocacy and Smart Policy
Organizations like LIBI play crucial roles in connecting developers, municipalities, and community stakeholders around policy frameworks that enable responsible growth. As LIBI’s new President, Weiss brings decades of construction experience to industry advocacy efforts.
“Long Island needs housing at multiple price points to remain economically competitive,” Weiss explains. “The challenge is creating regulatory frameowrks that enable diverse housing development while maintainin character that makes our communities desirable. That requires collaboration between developers, municipal officials, and community members — exactly the kind of work LIBI facilitates.”
The construction industry faces headwinds regardless of regulatory environment. Interest rates have made construction financing more epxsnive, tariffs have increased material costs, and workforce challenges affect projects nationwide. But clear regulatory frameworks can mitigate these challenges by reducing approval timelines and improving project predictability.
Lessons for Long Island Development
San Diego’s apartment construction success offers several takeaways for Long Island stakeholders:
For Municipalities: Comprehensive plan updates that clearly identify appropriate growth areas enable efficient development approvals while protecting community character. When plans are clear and consistently applied, projects move faster and community opposition decreases.
For Developers: Early community engagement and alignment with municipal plans improve project outcomes. The most successful developers invest in understanding community priorities before proposing projects.
For Industry Organizations: Advocacy efforts should focus on policy frameworks that serve multiple stakeholders, creating pathways needed for housing while respecting community input and environmental protection.
For Communities: Participating in comprehensive planning processes provides more effective input that opposing individual projects. When communities articularte their vcision through planning documents, they influence entire development patterns rather than fighting project-by-project battles.
Looking Ahead
Long Island’s housing challenges require coordinated responses from multiple stakeholders. While San Diego’s regulatory approach won’t transfer directly to Long Island’s different market and political environment, the underlying pricniple holds: clear plans, consistent application, and efficient processes enable development that serves community needs.
“The goal isn’t to eliminate community input or environmental protection. It’s to make processes efficient and predictable,” Weiss concludes. “When municipalities, developers, and communities work from clear frameworkds, everyone benefits. That’s the conversation LIBI facilitates, and it’s more important than ever as Long Island works to address its housing challenges.”
As Long Island looks to 2026 and beyond, the industry leadership and collaborative policy development that LIBI represents will be essential to creating development frameworks that serve the region’s evolving needs while preserving what makes Long Island communities special.