Overview:
This story was originally published by inewsource. Sign up for their newsletters at https://inewsource.org/newsletters/
Construction of a three-story, 50-unit affordable housing project for older adults in Imperial Beach could begin in June.
The $48 million project will also provide a new home for the Imperial Beach Neighborhood Center, replacing the Imperial Beach United Methodist Church on Palm Avenue, which closed in 2018.
Imperial Beach officials approved the project in October 2022. Wakeland Housing and Development Corp. has since reduced the size of the community center by about half of its proposed square footage and converted the building to one floor rather than two, citing budget constraints and concerns from neighbors.
This story came in part from notes taken by Brisa Karow, a San Diego Documenter, at an Imperial Beach City Council meeting earlier this month. The Documenters program trains and pays community members to document what happens at public meetings. It’s run by inewsource, a nonpartisan nonprofit newsroom dedicated to investigative and accountability journalism. Read more about the program here.
If construction starts June 1, the project is set to be completed by December 2027.
Allgire General Contractors will carry out construction of the project. The company has worked on multiple housing projects for residents 65 and older over the years.
Councilmember Jack Fisher acknowledged the development’s fast turnaround as aggressive.
“I’m glad, because I think it’s something that we need and I think that it’s going to revitalize that part of the city,” he said.
He also mentioned the community pushback that partially led to the downsizing of the community center.
“It’s hard for me to understand people being upset at having affordable housing for seniors in their community,” he said.
John Sudgen, Wakeland’s project manager, told inewsource that the primary reason for the downsizing was related to budget constraints rather than the complaints themselves.
Wakeland has developed 32 affordable housing properties in San Diego County, with plans to add seven more, including the Palm Avenue project, according to its website.
The success of the development being built on time is dependent on multiple loan agreements, but negotiations are nearing their final drafts, Sugden said. He said the state of agreements pending is “business as usual.”
