The design for an affordable housing project on Laurel Drive in Salinas moves forward.

The people who may someday live in a future affordable housing project were invited to weigh in on what the units should look like. At a workshop on Thursday, Aug. 31, dozens of people used colored stickers to show preferences for amenities, colors and names of homes to be built at 855 Laurel Drive in Salinas.

The city of Salinas and County of Monterey are working together on a 100-percent affordable housing project on 4.7 acres. The development is on a small piece of an 86.6-acre county-owned parcel that was abandoned for decades.

“We are showing our communities that we will work together to get projects done to alleviate the housing hardship facing our families,” County Supervisor Luis Alejo says.

Eden Housing, a nonprofit developer based in Hayward, is in charge of the project, which includes 132 units (a mix of one-, two – and three-bedroom apartments). The project will be located next to the Salinas Soccer Complex and the SHARE Center, a shelter for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and it will be close to parks and rec trails. Plans include a playground, computer lab and community center.

The City of Salinas allocated $500,000 to the Laurel project, out of $7 million in American Rescue Plan funds it set aside for affordable housing.

“This is going to be life-changing for so many people, so many families in our community,” City Councilmember Anthony Rocha says.

The homes will be available for families who earn 30-to-60 percent of the area’s median income annually (currently between $32,120 and $72,240).

Several people who attended the Aug. 31 workshop were agricultural workers. One of them was José Correa, an operator at Taylor Farms. “I hope that we are lucky enough to be able to apply for one of them,” Correa says. He currently rents a room for $800 but says he is getting evicted and will soon be sleeping in his car.

Construction is expected to start in 2026 and be completed by 2030.