In support of the City’s Major City Goals and consistent with the City’s adopted Housing Element, the Grover Beach City Council gave a green light to the development of a 53-unit affordable housing project at a key “opportunity site” previously identified by the Council. Under the Regional Housing Needs Assessment set by the State, Grover Beach must ensure that land within the City is available and zoned appropriately for the construction of 369 housing units, including 148 low and very low income units, over the next eight years. The City’s 2020-28 Housing Element Update approved by the State identified several sites for potential affordable housing projects including City-owned land at 164 South 13th Street (commonly referred to as the Cleaver property) that connects to privately-owned land at 1206 West Grand Avenue.
“The City Council showed its commitment to meeting our diverse housing needs through a collaborative partnership with local non-profit housing developers,” said Grover Beach Mayor Jeff Lee. “While meeting our housing obligations set by the State is important, it is equally important to take steps as a City to provide more housing opportunities for those who live and work here.”
At its July 6, 2020 meeting, the Council selected a partnership of People’s Self-Help Housing (PSHH) and the Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo (HASLO) to design a potential project located at the City-owned Cleaver property and adjacent private property. The mission of these developers is to build affordable housing that offers opportunities to change lives and strengthen communities. Collectively, the two organizations own and manage over 2,000 affordable housing units throughout San Luis Obispo County and surrounding communities and provide ongoing support to its residents in addition to comprehensive property management services.
The proposed 53-unit housing project is located at 1206 West Grand Avenue and 164 South 13th Street, creating an “L” shaped site with vehicle access from both street frontages. The design reflects a modern agrarian architectural style and features extensive use of pop-outs, varying roof lines, open decks, awnings and metal accents to reduce the bulk and mass of the three-story structure. While the City does not have a required architectural style or theme, the proposed modern lines are similar to recent multi-family projects in the area.
A large oak tree on the proposed site was assessed and unfortunately determined to be a liability for the community given the current condition of the tree and could not be retained as part of this affordable housing project. The developer committed to offsetting the loss of this tree by planting over 50 new trees on the project site and providing funding to the City to plant additional street trees along West Grand Avenue. The Council also expressed a desire to honor the tree through public art or a similar project.
Following the Council’s direction to allow the project to move forward, City staff will prepare a Development and Disposition Agreement to formalize the terms for transferring the property to PSHH/HASLO including a construction schedule. This agreement is expected to be brought to the Council for approval by this fall.
“We are confident that People’s Self-Help Housing and HASLO will develop a high-quality affordable housing project that we can be proud of and provide much-needed housing opportunities for our community,” said City Manager Matthew Bronson. “Grover Beach is working to proactively address our housing needs in the City at all income levels so we can continue to be a community for all.”