Affordable Community Was 10 Years in the Making

Brooks: “It was one of the biggest groundbreakings we’ve seen in a long time, and it’s only 45 units.”

SAN DIEGO—The economic downturn and reorganizations delayed the development of Ouchi Courtyards , a portion of which is devoted to tenants with special needs, Civic San Diego project manager Sherry Brooks tells GlobeSt.com. Civic San Diego, along with Chelsea Investment Corp. and the Southern California Housing Collaborative , recently broke ground on this affordable-housing project at 5003 Imperial Ave. in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Encanto. With 44 affordable two- and three-bedroom resident units, seven of which will be set aside as supportive housing for persons with developmental disabilities, and one manager’s unit, the intention for Ouchi Courtyards aligns with and supports the community vision laid out by the Imperial Avenue Corridor Master Plan . We spoke exclusively with Brooks about the project and how San Diego is meeting the housing needs of its special-needs individuals and families. GlobeSt.com: What stands out for you the most about this project? Brooks: It’s really personal for me because I have been working on this project for more than 10 years, and for various reasons—the downturn in the market, agency reorganizations, etc.—it was put on hold. Finally, it’s getting done, so that’s what I’m really excited to see. The other thing that stands out for me is that the community is also excited to see it happen. We probably had almost 100 people at groundbreaking. It was one of the biggest groundbreakings we’ve seen in a long time, and it’s only 45 units. But the stakeholders and community advocates have all been part of the planning for this area and are really involved. They have been waiting for it as well.

In addition to housing, the developers are planning 5,000 square feet of ground-floor retail for the project.

GlobeSt.com: How many special-needs families/individuals are there in San Diego County? Brooks: According to a recent demographic study of 2014 data by San Diego Regional Center , a service organization of San Diego-Imperial Counties Developmental Services Inc.  that is the focal point in the community for information and services for persons with developmental disabilities, they served 23,003 clients over the course of a year. Chelsea Investment Corp., the same developer for this project, recently did a grand opening for a close to 50-unit project just a block-and-a-half away from Ouchi Courtyards, and 80% of the units are for people with disabilities—almost the whole project. We had a requirement when we were choosing the developer for this site that the project would have a minimum of 15% supporting housing. Even though that’s a small number, it’s often hard to get that. They decided they would work with the same group that was working on the other project nearby to achieve economies of scale. GlobeSt.com: What is necessary for San Diego to meet the needs of these individuals—what is being done and what still needs to be tackled? Brooks: People with development disabilities are just one of the populations that San Diego is trying to address. The homeless or those at risk for homelessness are another, as are veterans that are homeless or disabled. Special-needs individuals are just one population that is being addressed on this site. A few years ago, Centre City Development Corp. , the predecessor of Civic San Diego, had worked to put together a plan for helping the homeless in San Diego. Our board decided to have a requirement for our affordable housing that there should be a minimum of 15% supportive housing within a project. GlobeSt.com: What else should our readers know about this project? Brooks: Hopefully, this will be a catalyst for this corridor of Imperial Ave. There is a lot of older commercial space along this corridor that needs revitalization. Hopefully, this will spur some more development in the area. Our project will have 5,000 square feet of ground-floor retail as we try to revitalize the street for pedestrian orientation and to make it more pedestrian friendly and provide more amenities for the neighborhood. We are looking for some tenants to go in there, but hopefully there will be some service retail, restaurants and shops.