City Council Approves Updated Ground Lease to Convert 101 Ash Into 249 Affordable Homes at 107 Ash
Times of San Diego reported Sept. 17, 2026 that the City Council unanimously approved an amended ground lease with 101 Ash Venture LP to convert the vacant Civic Core office tower into 249 deed-restricted apartments plus manager units, with retail and childcare. The building will be readdressed as 107 Ash Street as the roughly $250M-plus conversion advances toward closing under city ownership. This is the Council approval of the Civic Core conversion, not the August prep-for-vote lease-amendment card already on this Downtown news board.
What Council approved
The amended ground lease clears the path for the office-to-housing conversion of the Civic Core tower. Units would be income-restricted apartments, not for-sale condo inventory. The project still has to close financing and complete construction before any of those homes are delivered. Treat the Sept. 17 vote as lease approval, not a certificate of occupancy.
Why it matters
- This is the Council approval of the Civic Core conversion, not the August prep-for-vote card already on the Downtown board.
- 249 income-restricted units would be a large downtown affordable delivery if financing closes.
Source: Times of San Diego on the 101 Ash / 107 Ash lease approval (Sept. 17, 2026).
Related on this site: the August 107 Ash lease-amendment prep card (distinct from this Council approval); The Torrey lease-up; Kindred apartments in Cortez Hill.
More Downtown San Diego mortgage help and the Downtown San Diego news board.
For a buyer downtown, a Civic Core conversion is a condo-project and payment-planning question. See condo loans in Downtown San Diego.
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