Redevelopment in North Park Creates Affordable and Workforce Housing
‘La Boheme’ Groundbreaking Continues Revitalization of Historic Neighborhood

SAN DIEGO – Another step in the remarkable renaissance of the North Park community continued today with a groundbreaking ceremony for the La Boheme redevelopment project.  San Diego City Councilmember Toni Atkins, along with public, private and community representatives took part in the late morning ceremony, officially marking the start of the development which will add to San Diego’s market-rate and affordable housing supply.  Construction is expected to last for nearly two years on the $62 million project, which is scheduled to open in late 2006.

The development will be built by Western Pacific Housing, a division of homebuilder D.R. Horton.  The project is part of a larger redevelopment plan to revitalize one of San Diego’s oldest and most diverse neighborhoods.   The redevelopment project, located on a 2.06 acre site bounded by 30^th Street to the west, Lincoln Avenue to the north and Ohio Street to the east, includes 224 for-sale condominiums (45 of which will be affordable), approximately 15,800 square feet of ground level commercial space and a minimum of 371 parking spaces.  The development, designed in a Spanish Revival style, will include several different floor plans ranging in size from 795 to 1,148 square feet. 

"Quality development like La Boheme is exactly what is needed to enhance the vibrant urban atmosphere that has emerged in North Park," said Councilmember Toni Atkins. "Taken together with the North Park Theatre and Renaissance at North Park projects currently underway, this project only furthers North Park's progress as an arts, culture and entertainment destination."

The City’s Redevelopment Agency, through the Community and Economic Development Department, will commit at total of $3 million to the development.  Most of the funding, $2.1 million, is earmarked as a subsidy for the affordable housing units.  The remaining $900,000 will fund public improvements for the project.  The development is anticipated to generate $600,000 in new gross tax increment each year, which will pay for the Redevelopment Agency’s subsidy over a number of years and eventually will be available to fund other revitalization efforts in the community.

“The La Boheme project is an important addition to the North Park community because it addresses the great need for affordable and workforce housing in San Diego,” said Debra Fischle-Faulk, deputy executive director of the City’s Redevelopment Agency and assistant director of the City’s Community and Economic Development Department.  “With housing prices continuing to rise, it is critical for the City to promote redevelopment projects that not only improve the community aesthetically, but also provide affordable housing options for hard-working San Diegans.”

This latest project adds to the growing list of redevelopment and revitalization efforts transforming North Park.   The Redevelopment Agency recently celebrated the groundbreaking of the Renaissance at North Park mixed-use development at the corner of El Cajon Boulevard and 30^th Street, and is also working with a developer to renovate the historic North Park Theatre.

“We are very pleased to be contributing urban renewal to the community of North Park, particularly providing work force housing,” stated David Lopez, Division President of D.R. Horton, Western Pacific Series,  “D.R. Horton has an impressive history of   providing work force housing downtown through our projects; Union Square, Park Boulevard East, and Park Boulevard West.  Our partnership with the city of San Diego Redevelopment Agency enables D.R. Horton to offer sought after housing options uptown as well as downtown.”

For more information on the availability of for-sale housing, affordable housing and leasing information for commercial space for this new development, contact the developer at (619) 491-9371 or visit D.R. Horton’s Web site at www.drhorton.com.  The Web site features an interest list, virtual tours of the condominiums and more.

For more information about available affordable housing units citywide, contact the San Diego Housing Commission at (619) 231-9400 or visit www.sdhc.net.  Comprehensive affordable housing information, including policies, initiatives and a wide array of programs, is available on the City’s Web site at www.sandiego.gov by typing “affordable housing” in the search field. 

For more information about the North Park Redevelopment Project Area, contact Tom Romstad, Redevelopment Project Manager at (619) 533-5284 or tromstad@sandiego.gov, or contact the Redevelopment Agency, Community and Economic Development Department at (619) 533-4233 or visit the City’s web site at www.sandiego.gov/ced.

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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.