Three projects that will bring hundreds of new affordable homes to San Diego’s Hillcrest and City Heights neighborhoods could get a financial boost from city government.
City staff has recommended $16.5 million in Bridge to Home funding for 4th & Brookes Senior Apartments in Hillcrest, as well as Polk Avenue Housing and Teralta South in City Heights.
Together the projects amount to 430 new affordable homes, meaning they’re available to residents who earn 30-60% of San Diego’s area median income and are considered extremely to very low income.
From the Documenters
This story came in part from notes taken by Simon Mayeski, a San Diego Documenter, at an Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee meeting last month. The Documenters program trains and pays community members to document what happens at public meetings.
The City Council must approve the funding before staff can negotiate loan agreements.
The city’s Bridge to Home program, launched in 2021, helps close financing gaps for affordable housing developments.
San Diego is under pressure to increase production to meet the projected housing demand by the end of the decade. Much of the need is for low-income households, making affordable housing a key focus for city leaders.
“The cost of housing continues to put pressure on San Diegans, which is why we are moving aggressively to accelerate affordable housing production across our city,” Mayor Todd Gloria said in a news release last month. “Bridge to Home is one of the tools helping us get more projects built faster.”
Economic Development Director Christina Bibler said the projects are intended to strengthen neighborhoods while expanding access to affordable housing.
“By directing Bridge to Home funds where they can have the greatest impact, we’re helping create high-quality, affordable homes in communities with direct access to jobs, transit and essential resources,” Bibler said in the release.
As of January, five projects funded by Bridge to Home have built 390 affordable units. Another 18 projects have been approved or are under construction, the city said.
About the projects
4th & Brookes
The 4th & Brookes Senior Apartments at 3604 Fourth Ave. is being built by Greenline Development Group and will include 98 affordable homes for residents 65 and older. Thirty units will be reserved for those who are considered very low-income and at risk of homelessness.
The units range from studios to three bedrooms will be built, and half of them will be designed to be accessible for people with disabilities.
Polk Avenue
A development planned for 4104 Arizona St. and 2428–2442 Polk Ave. by Affirmed Housing Group would create 267 units ranging from one to four bedrooms. Of those, 75 would be set aside as “missing middle” workforce apartments for San Diego Unified School District teachers and staff who earned a wage considered low-income or slightly higher.
Plans also call for renovating part of the former Central Elementary School buildings into administrative offices and classrooms for the district’s TRACE school for adults with disabilities, along with community spaces including a commercial kitchen and performance venue.
The project will include a five-story parking structure.
Teralta South
The development at 4341 El Cajon Blvd., is being built by Wakeland Housing, will bring 65 homes for households between extremely low income and low income, and include amenities such as community rooms, a computer lab and outdoor gathering spaces.
