The San Diego City Council voted 9-0 Tuesday to approve a $7 million loan in order to start construction of an LGBT affirming senior apartment building in North Park.
“I’m delighted to move approval,” said Third District Councilmember Todd Gloria, smiling. “It’s ground breaking.”
Numerous councilmembers competed to second Gloria’s motion, and Council President Sherri Lightner gave the second to Seventh District Councilmember Scott Sherman, who said, “I love this project.”
The Council’s action is final approval of the Park Crest Senior Apartments that will be built at 4200 Texas Street and will include 76 units for seniors. It includes seven studios, 66 one-bedroom apartments, and three two-bedroom units.
The City is working with Community HousingWorks, which is partnering with The LGBT Community Center in Hillcrest which will be in charge of tenant services. The four story building with elevators will be over a one story garage.
There will be a community room with computers, laundry facility, security cameras, a secure bicycle storage room and barbecue area among other features. Construction is estimated to conclude in September 2017.
The land is currently a parking lot and it is in a corner lot west of Texas Street and north of Howard Avenue. Adjacent to the north is a McDonald’s restaurant, and to the south are single family homes. It is half a block away to bus stops on El Cajon Boulevard.
Susan Reynolds, the president and CEO of Community HousingWorks, told the Council the building’s tenants will be the “Stonewall generation” of the LGBT population. Reynolds laughed as she described herself as “a young lesbian” in the 1960s and that she never thought she would ever be a part of a senior housing project for LGBT members.
Reynolds had urged many in the LGBT community to attend the meeting and many people gave up their speaking time so she and Dr. Delores Jacobs, The LGBT Community Center’s executive director, could give a presentation to the Council.
Robert Bettinger, 87, told the Council he has “dreamed to have a place with other people like me (to live in).” He added: “A lot of us have worked on this for a lot of years.”
The Council, also acting as the Housing Authority, voted 9-0 to approve $238,096 in funds from the San Diego Housing Commission and $914,192 in bond loan proceeds to the Park Crest Senior Apartments project.
