State of California-mandated Solana Beach affordable housing is not just a river in Egypt, according to officials...
(Photo: Solana Beach-supplied artist's conception of "The Pearl" proposed mixed-use affordable housing project.)
Faced with state of California-mandated affordable housing requirements, Solana Beach officials Wednesday unveiled a mixed-use development project proposal called "The Pearl" that would add 10 apartments and 1,300-square foot market. The apartments would house an estimated 44 residents.
That leaves only another 130 to 135 affordable housing units to go before 2020.
Solana Beach officials held a sparsely attended workshop detailing the first small steps towards affordable housing for Solana Beach-kind. The proposed site at South Sierra Avenue, just north of Via de la Valle is a parking lot on the bluffs above Highway 101.
A public-private development partnership with developer Ginger Hitzke will go threesies with a cherry on top with three each of 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, 3-bedroom apartments topped by the exclusive -- albeit "affordable" -- 4-bedroom suite. Families of four who make between $27,500 and $48,700 per year would be eligible to apply. Solana Beach’s is $78,500.
As per the general Solana Beach NIMBYism, a few residents of the neighborhood kind called the project "completely inappropriate for our neighborhood."
Interim City Manager David Ott -- he "retired" in September 2010 -- was quoted as saying, “Low-income housing has to be throughout the community to integrate with the whole community,”
Said councilman Dave Roberts, according to sources, the project was a “gift that fell into this community’s hands that would help the city avoid costly lawsuits for violating state housing rules as well as provide housing for local teachers and police officers.
MORE ON DAVID OTT'S INTERIM CONTRACT WITH SOLANA BEACH
Solana Beach City Manager David Ott, who announced last month that he would retire at the end of the year, has agreed to stay on into 2011 to help the city transition to his eventual replacement.
Ott, 56, said last month that “personal circumstances” led to his decision to leave his position as of Dec. 30. He will serve on in an at-will, interim basis from Jan. 1 through June 30. His agreement has the potential for two 180-day extensions. Ott will earn $78 an hour, have a monthly vehicle allowance of $450 and a cell phone allowance of $50. He will not receive any medical, dental or retirement benefits, saving the city an estimated $84,000.
