Affordable Housing Development Under Way in Mid-City
Talmadge Senior Village Mixed-Use Project to Provide 90 Residences to Low Income Seniors

SAN DIEGO – In keeping with the City of San Diego’s commitment to promote affordable housing opportunities for San Diegans who need it the most, Deputy Mayor Toni Atkins, along with public, private and community representatives took part in a groundbreaking ceremony today for the Talmadge Senior Village, officially marking the start of construction for the mixed-use project.  Construction is expected to last for more than a year on the $18.6 million project, which could open as early as May 2006.

The proposed three-story Talmadge Senior Village mixed-use project, which is within the City Heights Redevelopment Project Area boundaries, will replace a converted motel at 5252 El Cajon Boulevard.  The new development will offer 91 housing units, 90 of which would be rented for 55 years at rates affordable to very low income senior citizens.  The remaining unit is reserved for an on-site manager.  Also included in the project are 3,362 square feet of commercial space to front on El Cajon Boulevard, a 618 square feet leasing office, a 1,573 square feet community activity room and 91 underground parking spaces.  The development is in close proximity to vital senior services such as public transportation, grocery markets, park, medical centers and pharmacies.

Eligible seniors must be earning from between 30% to 50% of the Area Median Income.  For example, in 2003 figures, a single person could earn between $13,400 and $22,330, or for a family of two, between $15,312 and $25,520.  Rents for the units will range from $365 to $669 monthly, depending on percentage of Area Median Income earned. 

“Formulating viable housing solutions in the City’s current real estate climate, particularly for our seniors, remain a priority for local government and our development partners,” stated Deputy Mayor Toni Atkins, whose Third District includes Talmadge. “This project represents another positive step in providing affordable housing for our community, and in this case, for older citizens who have low-fixed incomes.  Projects like the Talmadge Senior Village need to be replicated in other parts of the City were the need is critical.”

The City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency provided more than $5.3 million in set-aside funds for the development—one of five projects to be funded by the new Redevelopment Agency Affordable Housing Program, which was developed by a collaboration of the City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency and the San Diego Housing Commission. 

In addition to Agency funds (from the City Heights, Horton Plaza and Centre City Redevelopment Project Areas), the development received $1.9 million in funding from the San Diego Housing Commission and $11.2 million in private funding made possible by allocations of federal low-income housing tax credits provided by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee.  Ken-Tal Senior Partners, LP, a development team comprised of the Southern California Housing Development Corporation and the San Diego Community Housing Corporation, are the developers. 

“This groundbreaking event demonstrates what can happen when public and private entities collaborate to develop much-needed affordable housing,” said John Seymour, director of acquisitions and forward planning for the Southern California Housing Development Corporation, development partner of the Talmadge Senior Village development. “We are proud to be associated with the project and look forward to the day when seniors begin moving in.”

Developer interest is increasing in the City of San Diego’s Redevelopment Agency Affordable Housing Program, creating a growing list of proposed projects that will create more affordable housing opportunities for San Diego residents.  In addition to the Talmadge Senior Village development, there are four additional projects that have been funded, representing a combined total of 423 new affordable housing units being built using $22 million from this program.  There are nine additional applications in the pipeline, representing 1,192 potential affordable housing units throughout the City.  If approved, these proposed projects could receive redevelopment subsidies of nearly $85 million combined.

“Talmadge Senior Village is a great example of public/private partnerships working together to fill a critical housing need,” said Hank Cunningham, director of the City’s Community and Economic Development Department and assistant executive director of the City’s Redevelopment Agency.  “Developers are showing increased interest in constructing quality affordable housing and the City remains committed to providing assistance and incentives to get more projects under way.”

The goal of the City’s Redevelopment Affordable Housing Program is to increase the City’s affordable housing inventory for very low- and low-income households, to assist people with moderate-income levels achieve homeownership and, on a case-by-case basis, to acquire andrehabilitate existing properties.  Proposals may be for residential or mixed-use developments; housing that is all low-income or is mixed-income; multi- or single-family dwelling units or a combination thereof; and rental or for-sale units.  The collaboration of the Redevelopment Agency (which includes the City’s Redevelopment Division of the Community and Economic Development Department, the Centre City Development Corporation and the Southeastern Economic Development Corporation) and the San Diego Housing Commission was developed to combine resources to carry out the City’s comprehensive affordable housing strategy.  The first new units funded by this collaborative program could be available as early as 2005.

For information on leasing space and rental units for the Talmadge Senior Village, contact the Southern California Housing Development Corporation at (877) 273-RENT (7368) or visit www.schdc.org.  For more information about available affordable housing units citywide, contact the San Diego Housing Commission at (619) 231-9400 or visit www.sdhc.net.  For more information about the Redevelopment Agency Affordable Housing Program, contact the City’s Community and Economic Development Department at (619) 533-4233 or email AffordableHousingNOFA@sandiego.gov. Additional affordable housing information is available on the City’s web site at www.sandiego.gov (type “affordable housing” in the search field).

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The City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency eliminates blight from designated areas, as well as achieves the goals of development, reconstruction and rehabilitation of residential, commercial, industrial, and retail districts.  Redevelopment is one of the most effective ways to breathe new life into deteriorated areas plagued by social, physical, environmental or economic conditions that act as a barrier to new investment by private enterprise.  The City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency consists of three divisions: the City Redevelopment Division (which provides overall agency management and is housed in the City of San Diego Community and Economic Development Department), the Centre City Development Corporation and the Southeastern Economic Development Corporation.