San Diego Region Receives $10M to Advance Sustainable, Transit-Oriented Housing in South Bay 

 

SANDAG and San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria were joined by community leaders from Casa Familiar and National Community Renaissance (National CORE), in partnership with Malik Infill Development, to celebrate a $10 million award from the Regional Early Action Planning (REAP 2.0) Higher Impact Transformative (HIT) program. 

“It is a priority we make impactful investments in affordable housing and transportation for our disadvantaged communities,” said SANDAG Chairwoman Vargas. “Building places for people to live, work, and play near reliable and accessible transportation alternatives and opportunities will help us meet our local and state emission reduction goals and will ensure the San Diego region continues to thrive for community members today and for our future generations.”

The $10 million state funds will support the Transforming & Advancing South County Transit Communities (TASC) program. SANDAG will administer and allocate the funds for the TASC project between City of San Diego, Casa Familiar, and National CORE.

“San Diego won $10 million of a total statewide funding pool of just $30 million, and that’s thanks to the city, the county, SANDAG, Casa Familiar, National CORE, and Malik Infill Development working together as a supremely effective public-private partnership,” said Mayor Gloria. “The result will be hundreds of deeply affordable homes, new homeownership opportunities, and better-connected mobility pathways for residents in southern San Diego.”

The TASC program will provide a transit-oriented affordable housing development at the Palm Avenue Transit Station, convert an alleyway into a safer corridor for pedestrians and bikes, and establish rent-to-own opportunities for residents in San Ysidro. 

“We are excited to be here standing in San Ysidro, a border community that for far too long has been forgotten. But with the advocacy efforts of the community and the support of our local, county, and state electeds, the lack of representation is finally changing,” said Casa Familiar Chief Executive Officer Lisa Cuestas. “This award of $10 Million dollars is a testimony to the fact that we need a strong collaboration to bring this type of investment into a community that lacks investment. San Ysidro deserves a healthy neighborhood; all communities deserve a high quality of life, so let’s continue working collaboratively.”

“The REAP HIT funding is crucial to the success of the large-scale infrastructure needed to support and accelerate affordable and middle-income rental housing at Palm City Transit Village located at the Palm Trolley Station,” said National CORE Vice President John Seymour.

In addition to the competitive HIT funding, earlier this month, the state approved SANDAG’s full REAP 2.0 application which will provide the region with a total of $43 million in formula funding for planning and implementing projects that accelerate progress toward the state’s climate and housing goals.   

SANDAG will split the award between the establishment of an affordable housing trust fund and three separate suballocation programs: one to local jurisdictions for planning and capital investments; one to transportation agencies for studies, predevelopment work, and redevelopment at transit hubs; and one to the Southern California Tribal Chairman’s Association (SCTCA) to help tribal nations meet their unique housing needs.