Tonight - Monday, Jan. 26 - Show up to support Keystone - Special Board of Education meeting at 5pm at 4100 Normal Street
100% affordable to 100% of educators and 100% certain to stay that way.
There are ZERO market-rate units in the Keystone design. Instead, Keystone offers thousands of San Diego Unified educators and support staff a predictable, income-based rent near the schools they serve. The closest competing plan would lock out 70% of all educators on Day One, denying them access to the dignified lifestyle everyone deserves.
At Keystone, teachers, administrators, janitors, police or maintenance staff only pay 30% of their income
Families never need to move as family income changes
Affordable thresholds lower than similar LIHTC thresholds
Keystone is big enough to move the needle on the housing crisis
The Keystone proposal delivers 1,500 permanently income-restricted homes for our public employees, significantly exceeding the closest competing plan’s total of 954 units.
This 50% increase in density is essential to address the magnitude of San Diego’s housing crisis for educators and to exert long-term, downward pressure on surrounding community rents.
Keystone provides a predictable, income-based rent solution for thousands of school staff - not a lottery for a handful of units in a much smaller project.
Affordable housing that is actually affordable - now and forever
No one should have to spend more than 30% of their salary on rent. That is what it means for a property to be truly affordable to San Diego Unified employees. Every home in the Keystone Education District is income-restricted, so residents will never be asked to pay more than 30% of their income on housing.
Beyond affordability, Keystone's rent-restricted pricing means school district employees can plan for the future with confidence, never worrying one day their rents will skyrocket based on changes in the market.
Because of its size, Keystone provides a predictable, income-based rent solution for thousands of school staff - not just a lottery for a handful of units in a much smaller project.
Making room for the "Missing Middle"
Keystone is the only proposal built to help the middle-class families being crushed by high housing costs in San Diego, the families earning too much to qualify for low-income subsidies but not enough to afford sky-high rents.
Keystone is purpose-built to serve these middle-class families, dedicating 1,100 of its 1,500 new homes (73%) to middle-class San Diego Unified employees, 800% more units for middle-class families than the closest competing plan.
Competing plans exclude most educators
Proposals funded with Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) grants exclude a large share of San Diego Unified employees from the outset based on their income.
This exclusion is not a design choice that can be adjusted; it is a structural consequence of relying on LIHTC financing. LIHTC income limits are hard caps required by federal and state law, with no flexibility for workforce preferences, no sliding scale, and no ability to prioritize educators once an income threshold is crossed—even by one dollar.
These restrictions also grow more severe over time for the District’s workforce. As employees receive step increases, take on overtime, or add household income through marriage or a working partner, they inevitably cross the 80% AMI line and become permanently ineligible, even if their housing costs remain unaffordable. As a result, LIHTC-financed housing, like that contained in both competing proposals, systematically excludes precisely those employees San Diego Unified is trying to retain, both today and as their careers progress.
This strategy of relying only on low-income housing tax credits to fund new construction created this headline for Los Angeles Unified, "Not one teacher lives in LAUSD’s affordable housing units built for them." (Source: LA School Report, October 19, 2016)
Ensuring no one gets left behind
Keystone reserves 400 homes for low-income public-sector workers (50–80% AMI), ensuring no one is excluded.
This includes deeply affordable units for paraeducators, bus drivers, custodians, and food service workers, the staff often most affected by housing insecurity.
Keystone treats everyone with dignity. While other plans segregate residents by income, Keystone ensures all tenants have access to the same high-quality amenities.
Ensuring equal access to amenities is not only the right thing to do, it was a central demand from SDEA and the school district’s workforce housing taskforce.
Growing families should be able to stay in the neighborhood they love
Keystone's scale and long-term affordability framework ensures educators will have homes in the Keystone community for the long term.
Keystone's unit mix is intentionally tailored to education workers with children, providing 599 family-sized (two- and three-bedroom) homes, compared to only 286 and 384 in the competing Affirmed and Monarch plans respectively.
These larger units will accommodate roughly 822 children, helping hundreds more students live closer to their schools, instead of enduring long commutes.
The resulting increase in student enrollment from these families will also generate a substantial annual increase in per-pupil funding for the school district.
Teachers won't be forced out as they earn seniority and higher pay
Keystone is structured for permanent affordability, ensuring eligible staff pay approximately 30% of their family income on rent for the long term.
This structure avoids the HUD-style “cliff effects” that can force tenants out the moment they get a raise, offering true stability.
By serving the District's full salary ladder, the model allows early-career staff and mid-career teachers with families to grow in their jobs without being priced out of their homes.
The SDEA and the District have agreed that affordable housing should never be used to limit salaries. The flexible rent schedule at the Keystone ensures teachers will always be free to advocate for higher salaries - without fear of losing their homes.
Educators at all levels will pay less at Keystone than on the open market
Keystone rents are capped at 30% of an educator’s salary, consistent with San Diego Unified’s affordability standard.
Nearby market-rate housing, including the Winslow apartments across the street, sets rents based on market demand and does not adjust for teacher pay.
Similar to other market-rate properties, the Winslow’s rents are higher than what teachers would pay at Keystone at every career stage, and remain subject to market increases.
Keystone rents are capped and predictable, protecting San Diego Unified families from market volatility.