VISTA — City leaders are planning to move forward with an appraisal of a property owned by nonprofit Solutions for Change for the potential development of a new housing project for unhoused veterans using Homekey+ funds.
Homekey+ is a state program administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development, funded by Proposition 1. It awards grants to local jurisdictions for the development of permanent housing for veterans and those at risk of homelessness and with mental health or substance use challenges.
Around $70 million in unallocated Homekey+ funds are currently available for San Diego County projects, with the city hoping to leverage around $10 million of those dollars.
DignityMoves, a builder of interim supportive housing, has proposed a Homekey+ project partnership with Vista for the development of 30 modular prefabricated homes for veterans and seniors.
At the Vista City Council’s Aug. 26 meeting, DignityMoves and city officials presented details about the potential partnership and discussed the feasibility of various locations for these housing units.
Joanne Price, DignityMoves co-founder and chief real estate officer, said the nonprofit has completed six other Homekey projects, with the most recent one being in Ventura County.
“There’s an opportunity here to tap into some unallocated funds, and do good for the city of Vista in collaboration with the county, and get at least 30 veterans off the street,” said Price. “I’m willing to try if you’re willing to try, and why shouldn’t we try?”
Discussed sites include the parking lot of the Gloria McLellan Senior Center near Brengle Terrace Park, the property at 200 Michigan Avenue, and properties owned by Solutions for Change at 468 Los Angeles Drive and 722 West California Avenue.
City staff were also in talks with All Saints Episcopal Church about developing housing at their vacant preschool property on Eucalyptus Avenue; however, the church ultimately was unable to commit within the urgent timeline.
Of the presented options, councilmembers expressed the most interest in the Solutions for Change site. The nonprofit has previously said it plans to sell several of its properties in preparation for its relocation to Green Oak Ranch.
According to Jonathan Lung, representatives from the city and DignityMoves visited the 468 Los Angeles Dr. property last week. Solutions for Change is asking $3 million for the property.
Councilmembers expressed interest in proceeding with an appraisal of the 468 Los Angeles site, and ultimately unanimously agreed to continue further discussion in a closed session about acquisition of possible sites for Homekey+ projects.
City policy requires the city to complete an appraisal for all properties with a fair market value of at least $25,000 before completing the purchase.
Council members were strongly opposed to the proposal for the senior center parking lot and argued that park areas should remain parks, not housing.
The property at 200 Michigan Avenue was also deemed not to be an ideal location due to the existing services provided by the current tenant, North County Lifeline.
Mabi Castro, Chief Impact Officer for Lifeline Community Services, said that because their services are focused mainly on children and families, they had concerns about how well their services would synchronize with supportive housing for veterans and those with substance use and mental health conditions.
“If it could have been a happy partnership there, I would have maybe got more excited about the Michigan site. But if it’s not compatible with Lifeline … that’s something that we don’t want to rock the boat on,” Franklin said.
Project features
Price said DignityMoves focuses on prefabricated homes, including 3D-printed homes from Azure, that can be built more quickly and cheaply than traditional builds.
Since the homes are largely constructed in factories, Price said, workers are not paid the prevailing wage, which can bring down the cost per square foot by around $100.
Once the build is complete, the city would likely have a separate operator to run the site.
At least some of the units would be for acutely low-income households — the lowest income bracket, which accounts for those making 15% or less of the area median income. Leaders said these would be ideal for those emerging from or on the verge of homelessness.
“This would be probably a two-story structure with all the supportive spaces and amenities that you would need in a community for people coming in off the streets or at the risk of homelessness,” said Price.
City leaders noted that land availability and funding are the two primary obstacles to advancing these projects. In this case, however, the city may have options for both.
In addition to county funds, the city may be able to leverage money from its own housing fund, which has an uncommitted balance of between $5 million and $7 million, according to staff.
“I really believe the most difficult question is funding, and right now, the county of San Diego has funding on the table, and so I don’t want us to miss out,” said Councilmember Katie Melendez.
Price said DignityMoves has also been able to cover a portion of the costs for similar projects in the past, thanks to donations.
Along with finding spaces for permanent supportive housing, Vista has also been scouting properties for the development of a homeless navigation center.
This story was updated to clarify that the council expressed interest in appraising the 468 Los Angeles Drive property, but agreed to discuss acquisition of properties in a future closed session.
