Balboa Park Upper Yard is the first affordable housing development to be approved under SB-35. That’s legislation passed in 2017 that streamlines the approval process for planning and zoning affordable housing in California.
Charlie Sciammas is a community organizer with Poder, an environmental and economic justice advocacy group. He called this project a community solution from the ground up. Sciammas says, “We haven’t been sitting here waiting for city officials to deliver on the needed affordability that the community so desperately needs.”
The former parking lot owned by the city is expected to be transformed into a 9 story building with 100 percent affordable housing by Spring of 2023. The structure will stand far above others in the area and provide 131 units for low and very low income families. Rents will start at 950 dollars per month for a studio apartment. Balboa Upper Yard will also provide residents with social services and space for community gatherings.