Why Kearny Mesa will be San Diego’s Next Hot Neighborhood

By Jennifer Whitelaw

If you could wave a magic wand and make a big dent in San Diego’s housing shortage by adding 26,000 new homes, where would you do it? 

It may not be as fast as a magic wand, but the City of San Diego envisions this transformation for Kearny Mesa in its recently approved Kearny Mesa Community Plan Update. Over the next 30 years, the community will become a neighborhood with up to 26,000 new homes.

Already San Diego’s second-largest employment center, Kearny Mesa will also add up to 25,000 more jobs over that span of time. 

According to the San Diego Association of Governments, the mean annual salary in Kearny Mesa is approximately $10,000 more than the regional average. Considering San Diegans’ declining appetites for commuting and the great jobs available in Kearny Mesa, the chance to live near work in this area will be very attractive. 

Whether it’s a short walk or a short drive, the 10,000 people already living in Kearny Mesa are currently within 10 miles of 1.1 million jobs – another reason that adding homes to this community makes so much sense. 

Consider also that home builders aren’t at risk of blocking ocean views in Kearny Mesa, and they’re not riling established single-family neighborhoods when they propose apartment and condominium communities. Existing homes in Kearny Mesa are mostly in multifamily complexes.

Historically, Kearny Mesa has mostly served as a commercial and industrial area. Recently, though, its dining and entertainment district, now dubbed the Convoy PanAsian Cultural and Business Innovation District, has become a favorite destination with something for everyone. 

The explosion of hip restaurants, bars and breweries has already created a community character for Kearny Mesa, as well as a wide array of amenities to support the residents who will move into the area. 

The Convoy District Partnership, a micro business improvement district (BID), has played a big role in supporting this growth. Similar to BIDs that have helped Little Italy and North Park rise and thrive, the Convoy District Partnership helps organize community events and public art projects, advocates for the collective interests of the area’s business owners and helps keep the area clean and safe. 

Strong BID organizations and emerging entertainment districts have been a secret-sauce combination for many areas that subsequently boomed with residential development, including San Diego’s aforementioned Little Italy and North Park neighborhoods.

“The new community plan update definitely has the development community interested in transforming Kearny Mesa,” said Jason Paguio, president and CEO of the Asian Business Association of San Diego, which houses the Convoy District Partnership. “Already, we know of three significant Kearny Mesa property parcels zoned for residential or mixed-use development that have recently traded or are now on the market.” 

If a developer’s mantra is location, location, location, it doesn’t get any more central or accessible than Kearny Mesa. Located in the bullseye of San Diego, the community has onramps to Interstates 805 and 15, as well as State Routes 163 and 52. 

In addition to its Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, Kearny Mesa’s future will also include trolley access with the planned purple line extension. While the trolley extension is decades away, planners envision SMART corridors, transit priority measures, mobility hubs and community circulators being available sooner. 

Historically underserved with parks, the community plan also calls for “park and recreation facilities linked to employment areas and urban villages by transit, bicycle facilities and pedestrian facilities” in Kearny Mesa. It also calls for “attractive, interconnected streets, and pedestrian pathways that prioritize pedestrian and bicycle access.”

Kearny Mesa isn’t without its recreational activities currently. In addition to being Thrillist’ssecond-best neighborhood for eating and drinking, visitors and residents also enjoy karaoke bars, arcades and even axe throwing. Under a recently approved City of San Diego plan to upgrade Kearny Mesa’s executive airport to a world-class aviation center, people will have access to a small aviation museum in the future. 

Kearny Mesa has all the components necessary to become one of San Diego’s biggest revitalization success stories. While its culturally diverse bars and restaurants already have lines out the door, expect to see people lining up for the opportunity to live there soon.