Why this matters
While Chula Vista has spent years struggling to build affordable housing, residents have expressed concerns for this project regarding density, parking and more.
The city of Chula Vista will loan nearly $4 million for a new affordable housing project on church-owned property despite opposition from neighbors.
Currently used as a baseball field, the site at 545 E. Naples St. could hold 62 units for residents earning 30% to 60% of the area median income, with a mix of studio through three-bedroom units. Park Hill United Methodist Church owns the property, and San Diego-based Wakeland Housing is the developer behind the project.
Their original proposal called for 68 units, but at a meeting Tuesday, councilmembers added a condition to the loan agreement that will require Wakeland to reduce the unit count.
Three-fourths of the city’s funding contribution will come from its Low- and Moderate-Income Housing Asset Fund. Those dollars were set to expire at the end of this month, when Chula Vista’s fiscal year concludes.
The remainder comes from the city’s Local Housing Trust Fund.
Councilmembers twice delayed a decision on whether to fund the project to give time for Wakeland and the church to meet with the public. Wakeland President and CEO Rebecca Louie described the conversations as “difficult” but “productive.”
She said they’re open to design modifications that could address neighbors’ concerns, such as adding a concrete wall around the property and sharing some overnight parking spots with the church.
Nearly a dozen residents attended Tuesday’s public hearing, including some who expressed concerns for privacy, neighborhood density and parking. Developers have proposed 73 parking spots for the housing complex.
The site is zoned for single-family homes. But state legislation allows affordable housing to be built on property owned by religious institutions and nonprofit colleges without being subject to local zoning restrictions, city discretionary processes or the California Environmental Quality Act.
The city can weigh in on design and other elements under the loan agreement for the project, staff said.
Mayor John McCann cited the project’s use of that legislation, known as Senate Bill 4, when he cast the lone dissenting vote. He said the law has “taken away all our local control.” and that the East Naples site was not a good fit for the project.
Andres Zapata, an East Naples resident, expressed concern for potential parking impacts to nearby Greg Rogers Elementary, which serves 400 students.
Zapata also criticized the project’s expedited design process, telling inewsource that the lack of a city review “bars us as citizens and residents of these communities” from voicing opinions.
He said he was skeptical about any changes the developer has expressed interest in making because the city could not enforce them.
Those proposed changes also don’t fully address what Zapata sees as the biggest problem.
“The biggest difference here is density,” he said.
A May 19 city staff report said the city’s funding will cover around 7% of the nearly $54 million project. Developers will likely face challenges in securing other funding sources, the report said, citing other state programs that are expected to be “highly competitive” amid reduced budgets in the coming years.
Despite criticism from residents, Louie said in an interview that Wakeland believes the project could bring neighborhood benefits. She stated that the development could bring more enrollment to the nearby school — the Chula Vista Elementary School District has seen declining numbers recently — and provide housing to families in need.
She added that Wakeland has been working with different site configurations to increase “buffering between the neighbors.”
Developers plan to gather more community feedback as they refine the project’s design.
“We really hope to continue these conversations with the neighborhood,” Louie said. “We really do want to work closely with them and come up with a project that they can be proud of.”
City staff will now negotiate the terms of the loan agreement.
