PRESS RELEASE. From San Mateo County Executive’s Office on February 15th, 2023.
State Awards $42.8 Million to Spur Local Affordable Housing, Including for Farmworkers
Redwood City – The state has awarded $42.8 million to spur development of three local affordable housing projects, including coastal apartments reserved for farmworkers and their families.
The funds will go to helping build a total of 212 units for residents with low incomes in projects in Daly City, Burlingame and Moss Beach, where 18 new apartments will be dedicated for farmworkers.
* “This award is a major step forward to improve the lives of families and farmworkers on the Coastside,” said San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller, whose District 3 includes most of the county’s agricultural land. “We are thrilled to be receiving these state dollars that further our work to better living conditions and provide affordable homes for those in our County who need it the most.”
* Both the Half Moon Bay Review and Coastside Buzz were surprised to find out the the original Press Release included the above quote, which our District 3 Supervisor Ray Mueller asked to be retracted. Stay tuned…
The state funding builds on the County’s financial pledge to each project. Boosting the county’s supply of affordable housing – through development as well as preservation and protection – is a prime goal set by the Board of Supervisors.
“We simply must have more affordable housing for everyone in our region to prosper,” said Dave Pine, president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.
“Without local affordable housing, there is a ripple effect that hurts not just the economy but our communities. People must commute from farther distances for work, costing them both time and money. And that means less time people can spend with their families, getting involved in schools and volunteer groups, and being active members of their community,” Pine said.
The following projects, all proposed by affordable housing developers, received grants from the California Housing and Community Development Department through a competitive process:
Conceptual Design
Cypress Point: Moss Beach
This 71-unit project proposed by MidPen Housing Corp. on 10.8 acres in Moss Beach received $17.8 million from the state.
Apartments will be rented to households that earn less than 80 percent of the area median income (currently $124,000 for a family of four) – with 18 specifically reserved for local farmworkers and their families.
“The state funding is a critical milestone in developing this much-needed housing for farmworkers and families,” said Matthew O. Franklin, president and CEO of MidPen Housing. “We look forward to working closely with our County partners to complete the entitlements process and build 71 new affordable homes.”
In addition to the state funding, the County has pledged $5.5 million to assist development in a combination of federal grants and local Measure K sales tax funds.
493 Eastmoor: Daly City
CORE Affordable Housing received $3 million in state funding to assist development of 72 apartments for individuals and families with low incomes in an area served by transit near the Colma BART station. The County has pledged $9.5 million to assist development in a combination of Measure K and Mental Health Services Act funds.
Eucalyptus Grove: Burlingame
This 69-unit complex proposed by Allied Housing Inc. at 1875 California Drive near the Millbrae border received $22 million from the state. The project, which has also received a pledge of $5.7 million in Measure K funds, would provide much-needed housing to individuals and families with low incomes.
While all three remain in the planning stage, local officials expect the state’s financial commitment will help the developers secure additional financing.
The state selected the three local projects under a new process that aims to accelerate approval and save time and money. In making the announcement, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the new process is “to ensure projects are not stalled in an endless bureaucracy that favored process over production.”
It was up for sale during the pandemic.
Moss Beach_Flyer - CypressPt - Carlos
State and county continuing to step on the necks of local residents while fostering more coast-busting over-population. Eighty percent of $124,000 is more than $99,000, which is a lot more income than many of us make in the neighborhood in Moss Beach who will have our lives diminished by Cypress Point. It’s maddening that we will be paying taxes to make our neighborhood worse. The farm worker component of Cypress Point is a cruel joke given the lack of farms in the area. And whatever happened to farm workers being housed on the farms where they work? The knee-jerk political rationale for such projects during the grief and sympathy following the shootings in Half Moon Bay is nothing better than disgusting.