News
Firms lobby for affordable housing project
by Daniel DeBolt
Mountain View Voice
Published 3/10/2008
Six developers have wooed City Council with promises of a high-quality project in the jostling to see who will build affordable housing on Evelyn Avenue.
City staff called them "six of the most highly regarded and experienced affordable housing developers in the Bay Area," and said choosing one over another was going to be difficult. After hearing their presentations on Feb. 26, council member Matt Pear and Mayor Tom Means suggested the council draw the winner from a hat -- to "save time and money," Means said.
"I'm pretty indifferent between the groups," he said.
The project on the table would build 50 family-friendly affordable homes at the corner of Evelyn Avenue and Franklin Street, three blocks west of Castro Street. The one-acre lot is currently used for overflow parking for Caltrain commuters.
The council has allocated $7 million in housing funds toward the project. The developers do not have to bid on the project because they would all receive the same funding.
Some council members still had some concerns. Member Laura Macias wanted to know why city staff wasn't recommending ROEM Corp., which they said has a reputation for building the highest quality homes. But staffers, who instead recommended the BRIDGE housing corporation, explained that a balance must be struck between quality of the building and quality of the management and maintenance of the complex long afterwards.
Member Nick Galiotto, a former police officer, said, "I really want to emphasize the follow-up management as one of the critical issues to be looked at."
Member Ronit Bryant said her vote would hinge on the after-school programs and outreach services for low-income residents provided by each company.
Also in the pool of applicants was the Mid-Peninsula Housing Coalition, which built one of the city's first affordable housing projects in 1968, the San Veron Park apartments on Middlefield Road and Moffett Boulevard. The company said that complex was still very well maintained.
Before the council commits to a developer later this year, members decided they would visit existing Bay Area developments built by each company that might be similar to the Evelyn project.
