A housing developer, National CORE, along with the county and city of San Diego, on Thursday began construction on a four-story complex with 100 affordable apartments.
The Iris at San Ysidro will be a new transit-oriented affordable housing community with 27 one-, 32 two- and 36 three-bedroom apartments.
Families and individuals that earn less than 60% of the area median income will qualify to reside at the Iris according to a statement from National CORE; 15 of the homes will be reserved as permanent supportive housing for people who lack shelter or are at risk of homelessness.
“What I love about this particular project is that you have a rail line right here that we recently spent several billion dollars to take all the way up to the University of California San Diego campus,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “So, there’s a direct access to transit. We’ve got other improvements coming in from a mobility perspective.”
National CORE and the city in September secured a $5 million state grant to revitalize a 1.8-acre park, repair streets and build a crosswalk that links the improvements to the Iris.
According to the developer, the city is overseeing the park restoration, sidewalk improvements and street work, which will include an activated crosswalk – triggered by pedestrians to generate multiple alerts to drivers.
“We definitely need to continue building,” said Councilwoman Vivian Moreno, who represents San Ysidro in Council District 8. “I know that takes a lot of risk from a lot of people in this room. So, I thank you for that risk, for taking a risk in San Ysidro. As you guys know, this community is very welcoming. It’s very caring. And we look forward to this project.”
All units at the Iris will be required to remain affordable for 55 years. For a family of four, a household with income of up to 60% of the local area median income makes $82,680 per year, according to a statement from the San Diego Housing Commission, another project partner.
A total of 45 units will be affordable for households with extremely low income up to 30% of AMI, or $41,350 per year for a family of four.
“The only way we’re going to be able to address the issues of our unhoused community is to make sure that we have not only programs and services, but also that we are able to have housing for our community,” said San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas.
The housing commission awarded 25 housing vouchers to the project to help pay rent for residents with extremely low incomes. These vouchers are tied directly to this development, so that when an individual or family moves on, the voucher stays to help another household with extremely low income.
The development is expected to be completed in summer 2025.
– City News Service
