Santa Barbara Housing Authority Receives $10 Million for Affordable Housing for Special Needs Residents
Source: Housing Authority, City of Santa Barbara
The California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC) allocated $10,301,010 million in Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) to a local project to be developed by the Housing Authority City of Santa Barbara (HACSB) through its instrumentality non-profit, Santa Barbara Affordable Housing Group (SBAHG). The new housing will be constructed for those with special needs including the homeless. Total development costs are estimated at $17.6 million.
Vera Cruz Village will be located at 116 E. Cota Street. The project will serve the special needs population in the Santa Barbara Community by providing 28 new affordable rental studio units, a one-bedroom manager’s unit, and free supportive services. The Housing Authority purchased the site, previously approved as an AUD project for 15 two-bedroom market rate rental units and commercial space, with plans to convert the development to provide affordable housing units.
The California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC), which administers the Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), selected the local project for LIHTC funding at the conclusion of a highly competitive application process. Tax credit developments must meet high design and operating standards, including strong management and excellent development quality.
The LIHTC funding stimulates private investment in affordable housing by awarding tax credits to developers, who agree to reserve a portion or all their housing units for low-income households for a minimum of 55 years. Developers sell their tax credits to investors to obtain equity financing for their developments. This federal resource continues to be one of the state’s most successful public-private partnerships and accounts for approximately 90 percent of all affordable rental housing created in the United States today.
“Together, HACSB and SBAHG have established a proven track record for developing high quality, affordable housing for targeted populations in Santa Barbara,” says Housing Authority’s Executive Director, CEO, Rob Fredericks. “With the recent completion of The Gardens on Hope for seniors and Johnson Court, designed to address the needs of formerly homeless veterans, we are turning our attention to developing this exciting new housing project. It is critically needed by vulnerable special needs residents who have a difficult time finding a clean, safe, place to call home where they can receive the services and support they need to stabilize their lives.”
The property consists of two parcels with a combined total of approximately 11,000 square feet and sits across the street from the current Cota Street commuter parking lot. The proposed project provides 28 studio units for very low and low-income renters, a one-bedroom manager unit, and common area and office space to accommodate the provision of services and activities on-site. Construction is anticipated to start in the fall of 2021 and be completed within 12 to 14 months. All studio units will be subsidized with Project Based Vouchers, making rent affordable at 30% of a resident’s income.
The Cota Street property will feature:
- A walkable downtown location that is close to essential services and other amenities.
- A strong “good neighbor” policy, exemplary of the Housing Authority’s proven track record with managing permanent supportive housing developments.
- Project-based rental assistance to provide affordable rent to every resident.
- Regular on-site supportive services including case management and instructor-led educational and health and wellness classes available to residents free of charge.
- Free in-unit internet service.
- A full-time on-site manager to oversee the apartment complex.
- A community room for resident programs, group activities, and support groups.
- Controlled access points for entering and exiting the property.
- No parking demand for residents, reducing the traffic impact of the area.
Vera Cruz Village Development Partners include:
|
Owner and General Partners |
116 E. Cota Street Associates, LP Garden Court, Inc. 2nd Story Associates |
|
Developer |
Santa Barbara Affordable Housing Group |
|
Equity Investor/Limited Partner |
TBD |
|
Architect |
DesignARC, Inc. |
|
General Contractor |
Frank Schipper Construction Co. |
|
Property Manager |
Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara |
20 Comments
-
1
-
4
-
Jun 23, 2021 01:19 PMThis is why SB is dying.... They give Carte Blanche to the Housing Authority- They can build where ever they like in what ever neighborhood. The City of SB continues to take Federal and State Taxpayer funds, thus, they are forced (mandated) to provide high density / low income housing all over town... There is more than 25% of the total of all housing units in the City that are taxpayer subsidized... Where does it end? It's not a healthy profile of a town when this happens. More and more of the population is gladly accepting government aid- Maybe that is the BIG PLAN from BIG BROTHER. The problem is, fewer people are PAYING into the tax system... eventually, it will collapse.
-
5
-
1
-
Jun 23, 2021 02:33 PMIf SB is dying, it's only because of the presence of so many people who don't give a damn about anyone but themselves.
-
3
-
-
Jun 23, 2021 05:29 PMthere are way too may people not paying any taxes at all..Bezos for one..in fact he is being given millions of free dollars to go to the moon..I hope he stays there. I for one support every tax dollar that gets spent on housing...wish we could build more small elementary schools and glad that at least a few dollars are not being spent on killing people..as in war fare...do we really need any more multi million dollar condo canyons? Those were not exaxctly a big success..unless we want more wealthy out of towners to come and buy cash down. The Housing Authority is awesome and put those tax dollars to good use in a humane way.
-
1
-
-
Jun 23, 2021 06:35 PMThere's a part of the brain that creates narratives and another part of the brain that checks those narratives against reality. The latter part shuts down while we are dreaming, and in some cases of disfunction (such as described in Oliver Sacks's book "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat"). It seems that's what we're seeing here.
-
-
1
-
Jun 23, 2021 10:33 PM?????????
-
2
-
-
Jun 24, 2021 08:00 AMIf SB is dying, why has my house appreciated by 40% since I bought it? Go to the light, Coastwatch!
Soccer, the refresh button is your friend, the Send button is not your friend.
-
-
2
-
Jun 24, 2021 10:19 AMYou simply cannot use tax dollars to keep taking tax revenue generation properties off the tax rolls, or increasing the numbers of non-tax generating residents. Blaming the "military" or the uber-rich does not change this formula. It is a pure math problem, and nothing more. Once you lose the local tax base (excess of 20% permanrntly subsidized properties), you will ultimately have to shut down city services for everyone. while benefiting the relatively few. Welfare is part of our heritage; but massive takeover by the welfare state is not. There must be a healthy balance between makers and takers. Santa Barbara has no jurisdiction over either military spending or high wealth individuals. It does have authority over the current giveaway of tax-generating properties becoming non-tax generating properties. Stop globalizing a problem that has local impacts and solutions. It is a math problem.
-
-
-
Jun 24, 2021 01:15 PMBy, are you saying that there is something wrong with UCSB taking over private land and removing it from the property tax rolls? And City College not paying for their prime oceanfront land? Government exempts itself from many of its regulations; imagine if they had to pay taxes or get permits? Maybe those things would get very streamlined if they did.
-
-
1
-
Jun 23, 2021 01:47 PMThey should buy up all the storage locker businesses in town and place portable pit toilets and showers in the parking lot. There are a lot of storage units around. Already built, fenced in and everything. We can cram a whole bunch of them in.
-
-
1
-
Jun 23, 2021 06:06 PMLCP, That would be Heaven compared to living in the bushes or a car. IMO
-
-
-
Jun 23, 2021 06:42 PMhttps://www.openbible.info/topics/homelessness
-
4
-
-
Jun 23, 2021 02:06 PMThis is great news! It will provide a great route out of homelessness into housing. Some folks do need extra support and services to live indoors successfully. This is exactly the kind of project we need right now. There are others like it in the city and you don't even know they're there. Thank you HACSB!
-
1
-
-
Jun 23, 2021 03:00 PMThere are 28 units and roughly 800 homeless people in the County. Additionally, I doubt this will house people that are currently living on the street. Rather this will be for people in transition housing or other "partially" housed individuals who have more access (and are more receptive) to services. While I support the idea of supporting long term housing, this hardly makes a dent in the problem. Housing must be combined with strict enforcement of laws and the elimination of camp sites.
-
1
-
2
-
Jun 23, 2021 05:46 PMYou say it will provide a great route out of homelessness and into housing . But isn’t this project for those with special needs? How are we now defining special needs? Does being homeless qualify? Traditionally people with special needs are those with physical or cognitive disabilities. This is why I assume there will be no demand for cars. How many homeless with special needs are on the streets? There are way too many questions about this project such as who exactly will be living here? Having a special needs population in close contact with people who may have addiction or mental health issues is a horrible idea.
-
-
-
Jun 23, 2021 06:52 PMI’m confused about the location. It looks like that address is the parking lot for Dune Coffee Roasters. Perhaps it’s the building next door that was a mattress store a couple years ago?
-
3
-
-
Jun 24, 2021 09:36 AMFacilities for the homeless should be THE top priority in SB. They need more than housing. They need medical and psych programs, and possibly permanent living situations for those who can’t be rehabilitated. I’ve had it with seeing homeless encampments on our freeways, in our parks, on downtown streets. SB will not be much of a tourist destination if this situation continues much longer, and the tourism taxes will dwindle, along with the quality of life here. Let’s put our tax $$to work on something that will benefit all of us, solutions for homelessness.
-
-
1
-
Jun 24, 2021 09:53 AMNo matter who gets to live there, it's another ugly POS building that doesn't even try to fit in with the "Santa Barbara Style" of the downtown and adjacent buildings.
-
-
2
-
Jun 24, 2021 10:21 AMHAOSB is buying up more & more property in this city. It is my understanding that they pay no property taxes (correct me if I am wrong). Why are all these projects on the backs of the rest of us who pay taxes?
I agree that people with special needs & homeless with mental, drug or alcohol problems should not be mixed in the same project.
-
-
-
Jun 25, 2021 04:03 PMDoes anyone know what the housing authority pays for water and sewer? Do they pay the full fare or do they get a sweetheart rate?
-
-
-
Jun 25, 2021 04:19 PMSpecial needs typically includes the developmentally-disabled, not unlike like those cared for by Hillside House; certainly not able bodied vagrants or those in need of lock-down mental care facilities. Section 8 already provides housing for those participating in our long-standing welfare system, who are temporarily on their way out of the system. For the rest, best to not "choose living in the bushes or a car" and choose instead to live in an area where your skill level can best support you. Hint: don't chose an expensive premium coastal California area if you cannot meet the known financial challenges of that choice.