U.S. Congressman Jerry McNerney attends opening of Eden Housing development
Run Date: April 11, 2009
Contra Costa Times
MANTECA—With a goal of providing more affordable, high quality housing options for low income senior citizens in the Central Valley, non-profit Eden Housing on Monday held a grand opening event for Almond Court, an $8,700,000, 40-unit apartment complex in
Manteca for independent-living senior residents. The development is located at 2030 North Union Road.
The ceremonial ribboncutting at Almond Court was attended by U.S. Congressman Jerry McNerney; Manteca Mayor Willie Weatherford; San Joaquin County Supervisor Steve Bestolarides; Keith Land, Farmers & Merchants Bank; and Eden Housing Executive Director Linda Mandolini. Representatives of Assemblymember Bill Berryhill and Senator Lois Wolk also attended, along with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development representatives.
“I’m glad to join with the City of Manteca to celebrate the opening of Eden Housing’s Almond Court apartments for seniors,” said Congressman McNerney. “Our area has been particularly hard hit by the tough economy and housing crisis, and many senior citizens are struggling to make ends meet. It’s good to know that with the opening of the Almond Court apartments our community’s seniors will now have greater access to affordable housing.”
“Affordable housing is a critical, ongoing issue throughout the Central Valley which has been deeply affected by the nation’s housing crisis,” said, Eden Housing Executive Director Linda Mandolini. “Our public-private partnership with Manteca and the city’s Redevelopment Agency represents a viable solution to providing dignified living choices for senior citizens. We are looking forward to expanding our efforts throughout the Central Valley to deliver affordable housing communities for lower income families, seniors and persons with disabilities.”
The Almond Court project consists of five residential buildings arranged around a central courtyard, housing 40 560-square foot, one-bedroom units. In early March, tenants began moving into Almond Court apartment homes, which also feature living rooms, kitchens, dining areas and private porches.
A central community building houses a multi-purpose room, outdoor patio area, laundry facility, restrooms and on-site management offices. Almond Court’s outdoor space includes a bocce ball court, community gardens with raised vegetable planting areas, a potting table and comfortable landscaped seating areas under redwood trees. A pedestrian walkway and trellis connects Almond Court with the adjacent Almond Terrace Senior Apartments, completed by Eden Housing in 2004 and now home to nearly 80 seniors.
Almond Court was designed and planned by the Sacramento-based architectural firm of Mogavero Notestine Associates. The project’s general contractor was Brown Construction, Inc of West Sacramento.
Almond Court is ideally located across the street from a major shopping center anchored by a Raley’s Supermarket. A new bus shelter is expected to be built in the near future adjacent to Almond Court on North Union Road, on the North/South (Red) line, connecting with the San Joaquin Regional Transit District #91 Hopper bus. This transit network also serves neighboring communities. The Manteca Senior Center is less than 2 miles away.
“Despite the challenges facing our nation’s banks, lending institutions and global financial markets, Eden Housing continues to develop and maintain very productive investor relationships,” continued Eden Housing’s Mandolini. “We want to express our gratitude to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, San Joaquin HOME Fund, the Federal Home Loan Bank and Farmers & Merchants Bank. The success of Almond Court reflects that community and civic partnerships are equally as important. Cities are under increasing pressure to offer affordable housing. As a result, many homebuilders consider our organization to be a key resource when working with municipal planners to meet local requirements for affordable housing.”
More to cost of Almond Court than meets the eye
Run Date: April 7, 2009
By Dennis Wyatt
Manteca Bulletin
You’ve got to love some newspaper reporters.
It is against their nature to report on anything unless they can show there is conflict.
Such is the case with the Almond Court subsidized low-income senior apartment complex dedicated on Monday on North Union Road in Manteca.
The Modesto Bee had to give the story “tension” so they found a real estate agent who brokers apartments in the Northern San Joaquin Valley – 100 complexes in the last 20 years – to essentially say it wasn’t the most cost-effective way to spend taxpayers’ money. He noted – correctly – that it costs a developer $135,000 per unit to build “much larger and nicer” apartments as opposed to the $217,500 per unit cost for the 40 apartments at Almond Court.
Then the reporter tossed in the caveat that they could have bought three small renovated homes for what they paid for the construction of one “dinky” apartment.
It’s good to question the status quo but it would be nice if folks bothered to put it into context.
Subsidized apartment complexes use tax credits which means the approval process involves a layer of government agencies that is insane. It adds to the cost. There is also federal dollars involved which means prevailing wage must be paid to construct the complex. Try to build an apartment complex with three to five times the hoops to jump through and then do so at prevailing wages for $135,000 a unit.
While it is true that right now the amount of money spent would buy 120 “small” homes that could be renovated, the project was started while home prices were on the way up and were literally forcing low-income senior to choose between medicine, eating properly and paying power bills after they made the rent payments. Many lived in what graciously could be called dumps.
Seniors obviously would have to maintain a home if one was secured for them and then rented to them at 30 percent of their income. Actually, with that caveat in the federal and state low-income housing programs a senior grossing $900 a month in income would only be able to pay $300 toward the mortgage payment on a small home. Prices aren’t that low by a long shot. Then there is the issue of energy efficiency as well as community that a complex offers senior citizens.
It would be cost prohibitive over time for a non-profit like Eden Housing to maintain 120 homes that includes yard upkeep, roofs, plumbing, electrical and so forth and keep rents at the federally required 30 percent of several household incomes. A new complex has built-in advantages.
Quite frankly the costs of “dinky” homes are more per square foot than larger homes. A real estate agent worth their salt should know that. This is why McMansions were so popular with builders as they were the most profitable per square foot.
Making the space bigger serves no purpose for one or two seniors. It also is that much more area to heat and cool.
Also low-income subsidized senior complexes have to be located by federal rules near shopping, amenities and transportation. The requirement makes sense, if you think about it. Scattered homes don’t meet that objective.
Construction of low-income complexes has to be solid and attractive so as not to raise the wrath of nearby neighbors. By doing it that way, it paves the way for more low-income housing.
Explaining some of the obstacles and realities that builders and operators of subsidized complexes for low-income seniors are up against would have provided context for the dollar difference as well as get people to maybe realize how mandated government rules can escalate the price of everything from housing to simple day-to-day living.
A private sector builder doesn’t have to pay prevailing wages because they don’t take federal dollars. Subsidized projects won’t work without federal help so they have no choice in the matter.
The bottom line is Manteca now has over 150 subsidized senior units in three complexes that can make a difference in the lives of retired people who find themselves with low, limited income because they toiled at honest work all of their lives that didn’t provide big retirement dollars, they paid all their bills even during hard times, or perhaps illness or raising grandchildren interfered with their ability to set aside money to supplement what is often simply Social Security.
Seniors celebrate new low-income housing
Run Date: April 7, 2009
By Vince Rembulat
Manteca Bulletin
Ed Crom could remember when Almond Court was once an agricultural area.
His uncle farmed the land not too far from the newest affordable apartment homes for seniors located at 2030 N. Union Road.
The former Escalon and Modesto resident recently decided to make Almond Court his new home.
“At first, I was skeptical about moving in,” Crom said at Monday’s grand opening celebration of the new 40-unit addition by Eden Housing, Inc. “I’m a people person. I find that most seniors usually keep to themselves.”
But in a short time he’s had a chance to meet some of his neighbors, including Mel Liles.
“We know a lot of the same people,” Crom said.
He later added. “I think I’m going to like it here.”
Located next to Almond Terrace – Phase I of Eden Housing was completed in 2004 and is now home to 77 seniors – Almond Court officially opened on Feb. 28.
According to Eden Housing executive director Linda Mandolini, tenants including Liles moved in the very next day.
She indicated that it didn’t take too long before the place for independent-living seniors age 62 and older to become fully occupied.
“We now have a three-year waiting list, which is fairly standard,” Mandolini said.
Each apartment is about 580 square feet equipped with one bedroom, one bath, living room, kitchen, dining area and private porch.
The $8.7 million project was a partnership consisting of the City of Manteca (Redevelopment Agency), San Joaquin County (HOME funds), Federal Home Loan Bank’s Affordable Housing Program (Farmers & Merchant Bank) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Among the special guests and dignitaries at the ribbon-cutting event were Mayor Willie Weatherford, U.S. Congressman Jerry McNerney, San Joaquin County Board of Supervisor Steve Bestolarides, HUD field office director Cynthia Abbott, Farmers & Merchants Bank’s community development officer Keith Land, Sen. Lois Wolk’s senior field representative Dillon Delvo and Assemblyman Bill Berryhill’s field representative Jennifer Bond.
Weatherford, for one, is familiar with Almond Court.
“I hang out with a lot of seniors because I am one,” he said.
Almond Court tenant Mel Liles is one of his friends.
“Mel was still playing basketball in his 60s,” Weatherford said.
Liles, who is a former contractor, later confirmed the mayor’s statement.
“I used to play in all of the basketball tournaments,” he said. “I miss playing.”
McNerney, meanwhile, was thrilled to take part in the grand opening event.
“Our area has been particularly hard hit by the tough economy and housing crisis, and many senior citizens are struggling to make ends meet,” he said. “It’s good to know that with the opening of the Almond Court apartments our community’s seniors will now have greater access to affordable housing.”
Mandolini added that those living at Almond Court are those on fixed income such as Social Security benefits.
Since 1968, Eden Housing has developed more than 5,000 housing units and more than 44,500 square feet of adjoining commercial / retail space in 70 properties.
Currently, Eden Housing is looking to expand in Lodi, according to Mandolini.
