The City Heights Community Development Corporation and city leaders broke ground Wednesday on a $98 million housing development intended to provide 115 units of affordable housing and 13,000 square feet of commercial space.
The Cuatro at City Heights, being constructed in partnership with Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation, will be built on four scattered vacant plots at the 40th Street intersections of El Cajon Boulevard and University Avenue.
The transit-oriented, affordable rental apartments are slated for families with low income and veterans experiencing homelessness. The development is expected to start housing people by fall 2025.
"This transformative project for the neighborhood offers amenities such as laundry facilities, outdoor spaces, bicycle parking and more," said Alexis Villanueva, president and CEO of City Heights CDC. "City Heights CDC will also provide on-site resident services. Proximity to its major transit centers and walkable resources mean that residents have both an affordable and accessible place to call home."
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Cuatro will consist of 115 affordable rental apartments and two managers' units. The affordable units will include 30 units for veterans with low income experiencing homelessness. Six of those units are for veterans who also have disabling conditions.
All units at the Cuatro will be subject to income restrictions, with earnings falling between 30% and 60% of the area median income, which is about $40,000 to $80,000, City Heights CDC said. Housing options will include studios up to three-bedroom layouts.
"I recognize that the first of every month, too many San Diegans worry about whether or not they can make that rent payment," said Mayor Todd Gloria said he understands many San Diegans struggle to figure out how to pay rent.
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That weighs heavy on my heart," he said. "That's why we're doing absolutely everything we can to work on this particular urgent crisis," he said. "I think today is proof that this work is having results. We will continue to push as hard as we possibly can until we can get a roof over everyone's heads at prices they can afford."
The groundbreaking event began with a Kumeyaay land acknowledgement, which is a formal statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous peoples as traditional stewards of a given geographic area. The event also featured a spoken word performance from United Women of East Africa, music from Mariachi Victoria and live art from San Diego artist Josué Baltézar.
According to the City Heights CDC, the commercial spaces will include a new Salaam Youth and Community Center offering resources from community partners, United Women of East Africa, Southern Sudanese Community Center and the Refugee Assistance Center. The center will provide a space for refugees and immigrant youth to access coordinated services, resources and support.
"City Heights became what it is by opening its doors to people from all over the world, and it's become this welcoming community. And at the same time, it has become less and less easy to stay here," said San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera. "While I truly appreciate the transformative nature of this project, I also really appreciate what it's going to preserve.
"It's going to become a beautiful housing development with space for families of all walks of life," he said. "But it's also going to preserve the opportunity for folks who grow up here to stay in this community and fight for this community."
City Heights CDC said the project was given $4 million by City of San Diego's Bridge to Home initiative, which provides financing to get affordable housing projects completed. Cuatro is the first of 10 projects to be financed by the initiative.
