There will be an 88-unit family housing building and a day care facility at 200 Casentini St. in Salinas in the near future, as unanimously approved by the Salinas City Council on Tuesday, June 16.
“Right now we have families that are unhoused that need affordable housing that are living in cars and it’s heartbreaking,” Councilmember Gloria De La Rosa said. “It also will help house farmworking families that fit the criteria.”
The project, led by Aaron Barger of Milestone Housing Group in partnership with the Housing Authority of the County of Monterey (HACM), includes 88 affordable multifamily units alongside a 4,335-square-foot day care center on the 4.6-acre site.
Located within an infill site compatible with residential high-density zoning and close to transit services, the project incorporates density bonus waivers and adheres to flood prevention standards.
This project was reviewed by the Planning Commission and recommended for approval on May 20 and is part of a 1992 planned unit development with a total of 120 units on the entire 10.3-acre property on the northeast corner of the Rico and Casentini Street intersection. Those are the Mariposa Apartments and the Manzanita House, operated by Interim Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides mental health services, affordable supportive housing, and social support for adults with psychiatric disabilities.
Included in the last phase of this three-phase project, is a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes spread across five three-story buildings, which replaces the original 1992 plan of 50 units all reserved for households earning between 30 percent and 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), with an average affordability of 49-percent AMI.
Residents will have access to 152 parking spaces, a 2,400-square-foot leasing and amenity building including a community room, fitness area, basketball court, and a tot lot for kids up to nine years of age.
The seventh building is the day care center that will be run by the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation, a nonprofit and one of the largest Latino-oriented family services in the United States. The day care will be open to the community, not just residents, serving between 40 and 48 children.
“The day care will be a mix of 0-to 2-year-olds in one classroom and 2- to 5-years-olds in another classroom. Each classroom has its own outside play area,” Barger said.