Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Working class stiffed in Barrio Logan project?

"It should all be affordable housing, not just two units."

Site of future development  (1776 National Avenue)
Site of future development (1776 National Avenue)

Brent Beltran has one problem with Los Patios, a four-story development planned for Barrio Logan that will have 20 living units — 2 of which will rent to people who earn 30 percent to 50 percent of the region's median income.

"It should all be affordable housing, not just two units," Beltran said. "This is a working-class neighborhood that is dealing with gentrification. The only way people can keep living here is if there is more affordable housing."

Beltran was the single "no" vote when the project came to the Barrio Logan Planning Group in December — with one recusal and one abstention. The remaining eight members approved the project designed for 1776 National Avenue with the polite and still positive "no" vote.

"It's a good project and it's going onto a lot that's used for parking party buses and limos now, so it doesn't displace anyone," he said. "But more expensive housing is going to drive poor people out of the barrio."

Sponsored
Sponsored

The plan is for a mixed-use building with 2100 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor and 20 living units above it. Because the plan includes two low-priced units, it wins the affordable-housing bonus; and the density bonus allows the developer to build 46 percent bigger — 6 more units on an additional floor than the 14 units allowed without bonuses. The project's architect, Hector Perez, is also a member of the planning group (he recused himself from voting).

Planning-group chairman Mark Steele, also an architect, said he favored the project because he believes it will provide moderately priced housing while the average San Diego rent stands at more than $1700 for a two-bedroom apartment. But, he said he agrees with Beltran's concerns over how quickly the Barrio is gentrifying. Steele believes that Los Patios will provide more housing without compounding gentrification.

"I can't tell you how often I hear people say, 'I make too much money to get subsidies and not enough to make rent,'" Steele said. "This project has relatively small apartments, not luxury condos, and I think they will be apartments that working people can afford."

It isn't the first time that someone wanted to build housing on the site. Right now, it has a couple of sheds and a lot of parked cars and mini-buses, partly visible from the street. In 2008, the lot's previous owner applied for a permit to build a 14-unit project called Factory Row Homes. But the application came in as the real estate market tumbled from record highs to astounding lows, taking the rest of the economy with it. The project was abandoned and the permit expired, according to city records.

But real estate is red hot again, rents are screaming upward, and multi-family building-permit applications have grown dramatically, according to city development statistics.

In Barrio Logan, the number of residences — houses, condos, and apartments — has increased from about 12,000 in 2001 to an estimated 13,700 in 2015, according to census figures. Beltran says he's watching his neighborhood change.

"Gentrification has really taken off in the last two or three years, and property prices in the community have gone up exponentially," he said. "The grassroots groups who created value here — our artists and our markets and our cleanup efforts paying off now — are starting to be forced out of what we've created because we're still working class."

The federally established numbers for people who earn 30 percent to 50 percent of the San Diego area median income of $73,500 results in rents between $576 and $976 for a family of three in a two-bedroom unit, according to this San Diego Housing Commission chart.

Realtor.com shows single-family residences selling for between $318,000 and more than $600,000, while the U.S. Census Bureau says median household income is a little more than $28,000 and mean family income is a bit less than $40,000.

More than 60 percent of the adult residents (total population around 51,000) saw their educations end at high school, according to census data, and the typical household has four people in it. The census counts about 13,700 residences in the 92113 zip code, a number that began changing with the construction of the Mercado, an all-subsidized housing project, finished in 2012.

Beltran wants to make it clear that he doesn't oppose growth.

"I want more density in my community, but I want it to be affordable so my community can stay in the community," Beltran said.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Making Love to Goats, Rachmaninoff, and Elgar

Site of future development  (1776 National Avenue)
Site of future development (1776 National Avenue)

Brent Beltran has one problem with Los Patios, a four-story development planned for Barrio Logan that will have 20 living units — 2 of which will rent to people who earn 30 percent to 50 percent of the region's median income.

"It should all be affordable housing, not just two units," Beltran said. "This is a working-class neighborhood that is dealing with gentrification. The only way people can keep living here is if there is more affordable housing."

Beltran was the single "no" vote when the project came to the Barrio Logan Planning Group in December — with one recusal and one abstention. The remaining eight members approved the project designed for 1776 National Avenue with the polite and still positive "no" vote.

"It's a good project and it's going onto a lot that's used for parking party buses and limos now, so it doesn't displace anyone," he said. "But more expensive housing is going to drive poor people out of the barrio."

Sponsored
Sponsored

The plan is for a mixed-use building with 2100 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor and 20 living units above it. Because the plan includes two low-priced units, it wins the affordable-housing bonus; and the density bonus allows the developer to build 46 percent bigger — 6 more units on an additional floor than the 14 units allowed without bonuses. The project's architect, Hector Perez, is also a member of the planning group (he recused himself from voting).

Planning-group chairman Mark Steele, also an architect, said he favored the project because he believes it will provide moderately priced housing while the average San Diego rent stands at more than $1700 for a two-bedroom apartment. But, he said he agrees with Beltran's concerns over how quickly the Barrio is gentrifying. Steele believes that Los Patios will provide more housing without compounding gentrification.

"I can't tell you how often I hear people say, 'I make too much money to get subsidies and not enough to make rent,'" Steele said. "This project has relatively small apartments, not luxury condos, and I think they will be apartments that working people can afford."

It isn't the first time that someone wanted to build housing on the site. Right now, it has a couple of sheds and a lot of parked cars and mini-buses, partly visible from the street. In 2008, the lot's previous owner applied for a permit to build a 14-unit project called Factory Row Homes. But the application came in as the real estate market tumbled from record highs to astounding lows, taking the rest of the economy with it. The project was abandoned and the permit expired, according to city records.

But real estate is red hot again, rents are screaming upward, and multi-family building-permit applications have grown dramatically, according to city development statistics.

In Barrio Logan, the number of residences — houses, condos, and apartments — has increased from about 12,000 in 2001 to an estimated 13,700 in 2015, according to census figures. Beltran says he's watching his neighborhood change.

"Gentrification has really taken off in the last two or three years, and property prices in the community have gone up exponentially," he said. "The grassroots groups who created value here — our artists and our markets and our cleanup efforts paying off now — are starting to be forced out of what we've created because we're still working class."

The federally established numbers for people who earn 30 percent to 50 percent of the San Diego area median income of $73,500 results in rents between $576 and $976 for a family of three in a two-bedroom unit, according to this San Diego Housing Commission chart.

Realtor.com shows single-family residences selling for between $318,000 and more than $600,000, while the U.S. Census Bureau says median household income is a little more than $28,000 and mean family income is a bit less than $40,000.

More than 60 percent of the adult residents (total population around 51,000) saw their educations end at high school, according to census data, and the typical household has four people in it. The census counts about 13,700 residences in the 92113 zip code, a number that began changing with the construction of the Mercado, an all-subsidized housing project, finished in 2012.

Beltran wants to make it clear that he doesn't oppose growth.

"I want more density in my community, but I want it to be affordable so my community can stay in the community," Beltran said.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Nation’s sexy soldiers stage protest at Pendleton in wake of change in Marine uniform policy

Semper WHY?
Next Article

Flowering pear trees in Kensington not that nice

Empty dirt plots in front of Ken Cinema
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.