The county Wednesday celebrated the opening of Kettner Crossing, an affordable housing development in Little Italy for seniors.
San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer said Kettner Crossing is part of the county’s promise to put government land to use for the public.
“Kettner Crossing is that promise taking shape. Today, there are now 64 new homes for seniors in an area that was a fenced-off, county-owned lot just a few years ago,” Lawson-Remer said. “Three years ago, San Diego County vowed to build 10,000 affordable homes across the region on vacant government land, and we are delivering.”
The county invested $8 million in Kettner Crossing, which joins 3,412 affordable homes built on government-owned land throughout the region.
Lawson-Remer said not only are rents increasing, but a study by Justice in Aging and UC San Francisco’s Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative found that older adults are the fastest-growing homeless population in California.
“Kettner Crossing provides safety, stability and dignity for seniors who will have access to public transportation, medical treatment and grocery stores,” according to a county statement.
The units are in the middle of a very walkable and lively part of San Diego by design. It’s close to restaurants and public transit. There are eight floors of studio, one- and two-bedroom units.
“It’s a lovely location. We love the transportation,” Victoria Turner said.
Turner moved into her apartment at Kettner Crossing one week ago. She is one of the senior residents making 30-50% of the Area Median Income.
“A lot of the housing that was in my budget was extremely unfortunate and not livable, so I worked with several different case managers, and they mentioned this was coming, and we applied back in April,” Turner said.
Bridge Housing CEO Ken Lombard says San Diego is a perfect market for his development projects.
“The need is huge here,” Lombard said. “It’s huge in virtually every market that we go to. The difference in the level of cooperation that you get from the county and the city.”
The complex on the corner of Beech Street and Kettner Boulevard is fully occupied.
The county partnered with Wells Fargo, the San Diego Foundation and the city, among others, to finance the project.
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