SAN DIEGO, CA - Affirmed Housing, a leading provider of affordable, multifamily housing throughout California, and the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) announced the completion of ShoreLINE, a new, 100% affordable, transit-oriented housing development for households earning between 30 and 60 percent of the area median income (AMI).
“Transit-oriented developments are smart investments that help pave the way for healthy cities and citizens, and ShoreLINE goes above and beyond to demonstrate exactly that,” said Jimmy Silverwood, president of Affirmed Housing. “This project provides hard working families and individuals with more than just a roof over their head. It recognizes their contribution to society and gives them the access and resources to live their best lives. Affirmed Housing is proud to partner with MTS in developing impactful, forward-looking projects that help make San Diego one of the best places to live.”
The new $62.6 million affordable housing community is located at the Grantville Transit Center on Alvarado Canyon Road. A grand opening celebration was held on April 30 with Mayor Todd Gloria, MTS Board Chair and San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, Councilmember Raul Campillo and regional housing leaders in attendance.
“ShoreLINE is another example of how MTS is repurposing park and ride locations to provide much-needed relief to our region’s housing crisis,” said Stephen Whitburn, MTS Board Chair and San Diego City Councilmember. “This transit-oriented development has proven to be a successful opportunity for the public and private sectors to partner to offer affordable housing along with sustainable transit options for San Diegans.”
ShoreLINE was developed to support residents’ holistic healthy living and wellbeing. The new, seven-story building features 126 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment homes and a wide array of amenities and services to foster community engagement and enhance quality of life goals.
“I am proud to support ShoreLINE because it prioritizes hard-working, lower-income San Diegans and their families by delivering homes that they can afford along with the resources that will enhance their quality of life,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “Being located directly at a trolley stop will provide residents with easy access to transit and help the City reach its climate goals. I appreciate the work Affirmed Housing and MTS are doing to bring ShoreLINE and other transit-oriented projects like it to fruition.”
Shared indoor amenities include laundry facilities on every level, bike storage, a computer lab, kitchen and a community room with gathering space. ShoreLINE’s outside space includes parking, an expansive courtyard, outdoor gardens and additional gathering spaces with built-in seating, an enclosed tot-lot play area and a barbecue station. A large paseo leading to the main entrance and several paths through and around the building connect to the transit station to encourage pedestrian and bike activity. Residents also have exclusive access to onsite supportive services, such as after-school programs for children and adult education programs that focus on health and wellness, skills and career building, human services and more.
ShoreLINE is part of a larger plan to redevelop MTS’ top-tier park and ride locations into transit-oriented developments. The site replaces an existing MTS parking lot, with the affordable development situated on the western half and a separate, neighboring, market-rate development for students, developed by Greystar, located on the eastern side of the lot. Affirmed Housing worked closely with the team at Greystar to master plan the overall site in a way that was most beneficial to MTS’s goals as landowner. As part of ShoreLINE’s development, Affirmed Housing leveraged various types of funding and tax credit resources, and although the project’s plan adhered to the land use guidelines governing the site, the company engaged and worked closely with the San Diego Development Services Department to ensure a smooth process and engaged in community outreach to neighbors and planning groups.
ShoreLINE is one of four affordable housing projects that stem from an Affirmed Housing and MTS partnership. The team recently broke ground on SkyLINE, located at the Rancho Bernardo Transit Station, which will include 100 affordable apartment homes and roughly 14,000 square feet of commercial space that will be Affirmed Housing’s new corporate headquarters. Other top-tier properties MTS is in the process of redeveloping include: Rancho Bernardo Transit Station, Palm Avenue Trolley Station, Spring Street Station, 12th & Imperial Transit Center, El Cajon Transit Center, E Street Transit Center, and Beyer Boulevard Transit Center.
Additionally, MTS has existing transit-oriented developments at the Morena Linda Vista Station, Grossmont Station, 62nd Street Station, 47th Street Station and Grantville Station, with 1,155 apartments homes completed and occupied, and an additional 100 currently under construction.
Affirmed Housing’s development and design partners on ShoreLINE include MTS, San Diego Housing Commission, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), the City of San Diego, Boston Financial, Cal Bank & Trust, Banner Bank, Studio E Architects, HA Builder Group, Compass for Affordable Housing, CONAM Management Corporation and more.