San Diego has secured a $10 million state grant to accelerate construction of transit-oriented affordable housing at the Palm Avenue trolley station and other South Bay projects, it was announced Monday.
Besides the Palm Avenue housing, the funds are also earmarked for converting an alleyway into a safer corridor for pedestrians and bikes and establishing rent-to-own opportunities for residents in San Ysidro.
City and county political leaders joined local nonprofits and housing developers on Monday to celebrate the funding from the state’s Regional Early Action Planning program.
“San Diego won $10 million of a total statewide funding pool of just $30 million, and that’s thanks to the city, the county, SANDAG, Casa Familiar, National CORE, and Malik Infill Development working together as a supremely effective public-private partnership,” said Mayor Todd Gloria.
“The result will be hundreds of deeply affordable homes, new homeownership opportunities, and better-connected mobility pathways for residents in southern San Diego,” he said.
Supervisor Nora Vargas, who chairs both the Board of Supervisors and SANDAG, said the funding is important because “it is a priority we make impactful investments in affordable housing and transportation for our disadvantaged communities.”
SANDAG will manage the funding between the city, social services nonprofit Casa Familiar and housing developer National CORE.
“We are excited to be here standing in San Ysidro, a border community that for far too long has been forgotten,” said Casa Familiar CEO Lisa Cuestas. “San Ysidro deserves a healthy neighborhood; all communities deserve a high quality of life, so let’s continue working collaboratively.”