Affordable housing does not end when construction is complete. The decisions made during planning, financing, design, construction, and operations ultimately shape how a community works for the people who call it home.

Join the San Diego Housing Federation for a special property tour of Kimball Highland, developed by Community HousingWorks, as part of our Fundamentals of Affordable Housing: Design and Development series presented by San Diego Habitat for Humanity.

Winner of the 2025 Ruby Award for Project of the Year: New Construction, Kimball Highland offers a unique opportunity to explore affordable housing as a live case study and hear directly from the partners who brought the community from vision to reality.

The tour will examine the project from multiple perspectives, including development, architecture, construction, local government, healthcare, resident services, property management, and long-term asset management. Together, these voices will offer a candid look at the decisions, partnerships, tradeoffs, and lessons involved in creating and sustaining affordable housing.

Kimball Highland is also part of a larger intergenerational vision for the surrounding National City neighborhood, connecting affordable homes for families and older adults with healthcare, senior services, transportation, community amenities, and nearby resources.

The experience will explore:

• The original vision for Kimball Highland and how the project evolved from concept to completion
• Development strategy, entitlements, financing, and the role of public-private partnerships
• Architectural and design decisions and how they responded to community needs
• Construction considerations, challenges, and lessons learned
• The role of the City and Housing Authority in supporting the development
• Integration of affordable housing with healthcare and services through San Ysidro Health
• How resident services support residents and strengthen community after move-in
• Property management and the day-to-day realities of operating affordable housing
• Asset management and the long-term stewardship of the property
• What the project team would carry forward, reconsider, or approach differently on future developments

Throughout the morning, participants will move through the property with members of the project team, with opportunities for questions, conversation, peer learning, and connection.

This event is designed for affordable housing developers, architects, designers, general contractors, property and asset managers, resident services professionals, public agency representatives, policy professionals, advocates, emerging professionals, students, and others interested in understanding how affordable housing moves from an idea to a thriving community.

About Kimball Highland

Developed by Community HousingWorks, Kimball Highland is an intergenerational affordable housing community in the heart of National City and a cornerstone of the larger Kimball Highland Master Plan.

The broader vision brings together affordable housing, healthcare, services, transportation, and community amenities through partnerships among Community HousingWorks, San Ysidro Health, and the City of National City. The tour will offer participants an opportunity to see firsthand how these partnerships and design choices translate into the physical community and to hear what has been learned now that residents are living there.

About the Series

Fundamentals of Affordable Housing: Design and Development is a professional learning series that strengthens sector knowledge through real-world case studies and candid conversations. The series explores how affordable housing projects are designed, financed, approved, built, and operated in San Diego County, with an emphasis on collaboration, problem-solving, and lessons learned.

Sessions create space for professional learning, conversation, and connection across the many disciplines involved in delivering and sustaining affordable housing.

Agenda

08:00 am | Registration Opens, Coffee and Networking

08:30 am | Welcome and Introduction to Kimball Highland

08:45 am | The Kimball Highland Story – Moderated Conversation

09:45 am | Guided Property Tour

11:25 am | Closing Takeaways

11:30 am | Adjourn

The experience will include guided touring, facilitated discussion, and time for informal connection.

For more information, please visit our website.

Registration closes Monday, October 19th, 2026.