A San Ysidro Community Plan Update, recently approved by the San Diego City Council, rezones hundreds of acres near the Mexican border to create a vibrant mixed-use, transit-oriented village, with higher-density and multi-story housing along the Trolley line. In approving the plan, city and community leaders said this blueprint for development over the next 30 years may help San Ysidro shed its image as a low-income area lacking quality housing and jobs, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune.

At the heart of the revitalization plan is a historic Mexican Village (rendered above) that encompasses San Ysrido’s Old Town along East San Ysidro Boulevard and Border Village Road to create a 124-acre mixed-use district by the Beyer Boulevard Trolley Station, one stop north of the border. This commercial center would provide a place for community gatherings and a visitor destination with restaurants, performance spaces and a theater.

The plan allows mixed-use development for the first time and aims to attract new businesses to the area and create well-paying jobs. It also calls for more parks and establishes impact fees developers will have to pay the city to fund infrastructure projects. The plan would increase housing units by 31%, adding 2,340 units to the area’s 7,410 housing stock. About 32% of San Ysidro’s population is under age 18, and the number of people per household is nearly double the city’s average. About 18% of residents live in subsidized projects with income restrictions. [SDUT]