Developers and the San Diego Housing Commission Tuesday broke ground on a 270-unit affordable housing project in East Village for San Diegans with lower income, including people experiencing homelessness.

Developed by Chelsea Investment Corporation near the intersection of Broadway and 13th Street, Harrington Heights will remain affordable for 55 years for households with income up to 50% of the Area Median Income — around $62,000 for a three-person household. Some units will serve San Diegans with lower incomes, including individuals earning about $24,000 a year or less, according to the SDHC.

“As mayor, I’ve been working to make needed game-changing reforms to our city policies to increase the amount of housing that San Diegans can afford,” Mayor Todd Gloria said in a statement read at the groundbreaking. He was unable to attend the ceremony due to the ongoing efforts to support recovery from last week’s storm. “In partnership, it’s the home builders who put hammer to nail and do the work on the ground to create the homes that bring stability to people’s lives.”

SDHC awarded 115 rental housing vouchers to help Harrington Heights residents pay their rent. Of those, 75 will assist people experiencing homelessness, including 10 set aside specifically for veterans experiencing homelessness.

According to the housing commission, the remaining 40 vouchers will be for households with lower income who are not experiencing homelessness, with annual income ranging from 25 to 40% of AMI. All the vouchers SDHC awarded are tied to the development, so when a resident moves on, the housing voucher remains to help the household that moves into a new unit at the property.

“When I speak to community groups, I often refer to this project, Harrington Heights, as an example of the kind of housing that San Diego needs to build,” said San Diego Councilman Stephen Whitburn, whose District 3 includes the development site. “First, it has a lot of affordable units — 270. This project is going to help a lot of people. And second, it’s deeply affordable and permanent supportive housing, which will help people who are struggling the most.

“This is the type of housing development that I hear from so many San Diego, it’s what they want to see.” he said.

The housing commission also awarded an $8 million loan that consists of federal and local funds. In addition, SDHC authorized up to $68.7 million in Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds and $37 million in other bonds toward the development, approved by the San Diego City Council, acting as the Housing Authority of the city.

Harrington Heights also includes three manager’s units.

A total of 40 units at the development will be for residents with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

“These homes empower families and adults with developmental disabilities to in with increased self-reliance, with the support of the community,” said Kate Kinnamont, associate executive director of the San Diego Regional Center, which will serve the residents with disabilities at Harrington Heights.

Formerly homeless residents will have on-site amenities and support and resources from Alpha Project, including education and employment services, medical, dental and behavioral health services, substance use disorder services, case management, tenant services and life skills classes.

Unhoused veterans who move into Harrington Heights will receive rental assistance through Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Project-Based Housing Vouchers from SDHC and supportive services from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System

Additional partners on the development include the city — which provided a development loan of $10.14 million as well as the land through a lease agreement; the California Department of Development Services and the San Diego Regional Center, which provided $4.25 million; and the California Department of Housing and Community Development, which provided more than $40 million in loans from several funding programs.