SAN DIEGO, CA, APRIL 21, 2023—The County of San Diego and BRIDGE Housing will join public- and private-sector partners today to celebrate the groundbreaking of Kettner Crossing. This property is the twelfth in the county to be developed by BRIDGE, a nationally recognized nonprofit developer, owner, and manager of affordable housing.
Kettner Crossing brings 64 affordable senior apartments to San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood. Built on surplus county land, the eight-story building will be affordable to seniors who earn 30-50% of Area Median Income (AMI), currently $31,250 to $52,050 for a household of two. The property will include six studio apartments, three two-bedrooms, and 55 one-bedrooms.
With secured entry and access throughout the building, planned amenities include an eighth-floor deck with a community room, BBQ area, library, and shared laundry, and on the ground floor, a leasing office, resident services office, and bike storage. Kettner Crossing is pursuing a Green Point Rated Silver rating and its location, in Little Italy, has direct access to a trolley station and bus routes.
“We’re tackling our affordable housing crisis by building the right type of homes in the right places, near jobs, parks, and public transportation,” said Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer. “Today’s groundbreaking is the latest example of our Board’s strong commitment to keeping a roof over the heads of seniors, and is another step towards our goal of building 10,000 units of new affordable homes on government-owned land in San Diego County.”
“Kettner Crossing is intended to create a synergistic feeling of place, providing much-needed housing next to transit, integrating a mix of uses into a vibrant historic community, and activating an underutilized parcel,” said Ken Lombard, President and CEO of BRIDGE Housing. “We can’t wait to welcome senior residents to their new homes.”
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said: “Kettner Crossing is yet another step forward in addressing our affordable housing crisis, especially for our seniors, who are some of our most vulnerable residents. This project represents the power and efficacy of philanthropy and government working together to deliver results, and I commend all of the partners for their support in getting us to this key milestone. I look forward to returning to cut the ribbon on this great project when it’s completed and ready to open.”
Financial partners for Kettner Crossing include the County of San Diego, the City of San Diego, Wells Fargo Bank, San Diego Foundation, and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee. The project architect is AVRP Studios and the general contractor is R.D. Olson.
“Our vision of just, equitable and resilient communities cannot be realized until our region’s lack of housing affordability and access is eliminated,” said Mark Stuart, President and CEO of San Diego Foundation. “Without a home, San Diegans suffer from a lack of generational wealth building, worsened social determinants of health, impacts from climate change, and more. The Housing Impact Fund at San Diego Foundation makes projects like Kettner Crossing viable. By investing in low- and middle-income housing, we will help alleviate suffering, create equitable opportunities, and grow the local workforce and economy.”
“Wells Fargo is proud to work with BRIDGE Housing to create an affordable and attractive place for San Diego seniors to call home,” said Jeff Bennett, Director in Wells Fargo’s Community Lending and Investment group. “The team’s values align with ours, and our national priority to create and preserve much-needed housing in the communities where we live and serve.”
“We really enjoy working with BRIDGE Housing because they have very high standards and set a high bar because they really care about the homes they’re creating and the people and the community they’re building for,” said Doug Austin, Founder and CEO of AVRP Studios.
“This also is a phenomenal location,” Austin added. “For seniors, it’s going to be like winning the lottery to live in this location and in this building. It’s a great urban solution because we’re going to be doing something at the pedestrian level that’s very attractive as well as providing views of the bay and the park from up above.”
For more information about BRIDGE, visit www.bridgehousing.com.
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Rendering of Kettner Crossing available for download, credit: AVRP Studios