June 29, 2023
Groundbreaking Celebrates Development of 306 Affordable Apartments for Seniors, Families and Individuals with Disabilities
The apartments will remain affordable for 55 years for households with low income
SAN DIEGO, CA — The new construction of more than 300 affordable rental apartments at the former site of the Sheriff’s Crime Lab will provide homes for seniors, families and individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities upon completion of three developments in collaboration with the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) that celebrated their groundbreaking today.
“I live with my father, who is 88 years old, and I know that as you age, your needs change and you need a little bit of help from the next generation. And so being able to make sure that our seniors are in a community where there are families and there are young people and people with disabilities, where we can all create that artificial family that we don’t have these days, is so important,” California State Treasurer Fiona Ma said.
The developments are being built on Mt. Etna Drive in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego, west of Interstate 805 near a shopping and entertainment corridor.
“What you have is publicly owned property that is being reutilized in a way the benefits more people,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said. “Public service is about doing the most amount of good for the most number of people. This site has served this community well for a very long time, but it has a new life that will serve even more people.”
The three developments—Messina Senior Apartments, Modica Family Apartments and Taormina Family Apartments—are being developed by Chelsea Investment Corporation, with financing and rental housing vouchers that SDHC awarded.
“Today is a wonderful day because this groundbreaking is part of the solution to the severe housing crisis in San Diego, which is to a great extent responsible for our homeless population,” said San Diego City Councilmember Dr. Jennifer Campbell, whose district includes the three developments. “I have seen the plans. They will be beautiful buildings with parks, security, as well as all the needed programs, thanks to Serving Seniors and everybody else, to help the residents succeed in getting back on their feet.”
The County of San Diego ground leased the land for the developments to Chelsea Investment Corporation for 99 years.
“I’m excited about the project and that we’re shaping a community,” said County of San Diego Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas. “And I love the fact that it has a senior center, that it really is a comprehensive way of making sure that we’re taking care of our communities, which is really what this is all about, right? Because we don’t want just people to survive; we want our communities to thrive.”
SDHC awarded development loans and rental housing vouchers to support the developments.
“I’ve never been more excited to be at a groundbreaking than I am today and that’s because this is my neighborhood, where I am fortunate enough to own a home a short distance from here,” SDHC Board of Commissioners Vice Chair Ryan Clumpner said. “I have friends that live a few blocks in each direction. And I want to speak for all of us when I say that we can’t wait to welcome our new neighbors. … You are not just providing the gift of safe and secure housing for over 300 families who would otherwise be at risk of homelessness, but you are uplifting the entire Clairemont community. That’s a gift that I hope we see more of in this neighborhood and every neighborhood in the City of San Diego.”
SDHC awarded a $3.95 million loan toward the Messina development and a $3 million loan toward the Modica development. These loans consist of federal and local funds SDHC administers:
- Messina Senior Apartments
- $1.8 million from the federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program, which the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awards to the City of San Diego; and
- $2.15 million from the City of San Diego’s Affordable Housing Fund.
- Modica Family Apartments
- $2.4 million from the federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program, which the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awards to the City of San Diego; and
- $600,000 from the City of San Diego’s Affordable Housing Fund.
In addition, SDHC awarded eight rental housing vouchers each to the Messina and Taormina developments to help residents pay their rent. These vouchers will be linked directly to the units at these developments, so that when a resident moves on from an assisted unit, the voucher will remain to help another individual who meets the income requirements for the developments.
Financing for the developments also includes recycled Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds made possible through an innovative collaboration among SDHC, the City of San Diego and the California Housing Finance Agency. Bond recycling allows for the re-use of previously allocated bond capacity that is normally lost, and recycles Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds, also known as private activity bonds, into a new project without the use of limited low-income housing tax credits. Private sources of funds, such as revenue from the developments, are used to repay the bonds. SDHC, the City of San Diego and the Housing Authority of the City of San Diego are not financially liable for the bonds.
Chelsea Investment Corporation Chief Development Officer Jim Andersen said that today’s groundbreaking is his second favorite day of the project with his expected favorite coming in 24 months “when we see people moving in and telling their stories.”
“We see a beautiful facility, and we see all of the different support services, a senior center and, you know, a community room that’s going to support families,” Andersen said. “And you start to see the playground mat stuff. And you see beautiful assets to the neighborhood and to generations to come—55 years of commitment to provide affordable housing for San Diego.”
Serving Seniors will provide free services for residents at all three developments, in collaboration with Southern California Housing Collaborative and the San Diego Regional Center, which will provide tailored services for residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“Today is a really big deal, and it is for seniors, it’s for families, it’s for folks with developmental disabilities and, most of all, for the Clairemont community,” Serving Seniors President and CEO Paul Downey said. “This complex is going to provide critical, affordable housing and a senior center, something that has been missing for more than a decade in this neighborhood.”
A total of 58 units at the Modica and Taormina properties are set aside for residents with disabilities. Amenities at these units will include roll-in showers, grab bars, reversible shower seats, vinyl corner guards, among other features.
The three developments are within walking distance of schools, restaurants, grocery stores and parks. They are near San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) bus lines and about 3.5 miles from Clairemont Drive trolley station. They are also expected to have 302 surface and subterranean parking spaces.
Development Details
- Messina Senior Apartments
- 78 affordable rental apartments for seniors aged 62 and older
- 1 unrestricted manager’s unit
- Units remain affordable for 55 years for seniors with income of 30 to 80 percent of San Diego’s Area Median Income (AMI), currently $33,100 to $88,200 per year for a two-person household.
- Unit Mix
- 73 one-bedroom units
- 5 studio units
- 1 two-bedroom manager’s unit
- Modica Family Apartments
- 93 affordable rental apartments for families
- 24 units set aside for people with an intellectual or developmental disability
- 1 unrestricted manager’s unit
- Units remain affordable for 55 years for households with income of 30 to 60 percent of AMI, currently $41,350 to $82,680 per year for a four-person household.
- Unit Mix
- 42 one-bedroom units
- 26 two-bedroom units
- 25 three-bedroom units
- 1 two-bedroom manager’s unit
- 93 affordable rental apartments for families
- Taormina Family Apartments
- 135 affordable rental apartments for families
- 34 units set aside for people with an intellectual or developmental disability
- 1 unrestricted manager’s unit
- Units remain affordable for 55 years for households with income of 30 to 80 percent of AMI, currently $41,350 to $110,250 per year for a four-person household.
- Unit Mix
- 63 one-bedroom units
- 37 two-bedroom units
- 35 three-bedroom units
- 1 two-bedroom manager’s unit
- 135 affordable rental apartments for families
Connect with SDHC on social media:
###
Media Contact:
Scott Marshall,
Vice President of Communications
San Diego Housing Commission
619-578-7138
